Washout-proofing a ditch

   / Washout-proofing a ditch #71  
See attached photo, which unfortunately doesn't show the 10-12 vertical inch drop from driveway surface to water very well.

I have this drainage ditch along my gravel driveway feeding multiple culverts all in the hope it will keep my driveway from washing away.

Mostly it works. Most of the length of the driveway the bedrock is right at the base of the ditch. It probably is here too, the pebbles you see are the gravel it's constantly washing out of my driveway. So it's not something I can deepen with a tractor. I might be able to push it back a, but that probably wouldn't work unless I move the ditch back the whole length of the driveway, which isn't pragmatically feasible (trees, rocks, difficult spaces).

So need some way to line the driveway gravel so that the next rain won't just wash it out. I have no idea what to use. Cement / cinderblocks of some kind seems easiest, would that work? I'm looking for suggestions from people who have overcome this particular erosion problem.

I hate having to regularly throw more gravel (purchased by the truckload) at this problem.
I spent 40 years building and repairing roads from dirt roads to superhighways and rip rapping sometimes by the mile and hundreds of tons. The bigger the rock, the better it will stay. On some jobs we individually placed huge rocks where you might get only 2 or 3 on a truck and weighing many tons. It all depends on the force of the water in flood conditions and how steep the slope is. The small stuff 4 inches and under are for dressing up that gently flowing brook in your backyard. Most of our jobs used man size that are up to 8 -12 inches. The step up from that are the large, up to 2-3 ft that must be placed with at least a backhoe. Most of the time we placed them on geo-textile to prevent erosion behind the rocks but if the slope is to steep the rocks can slide on the geo-textile. If you have vertical slopes you can use it against the bank and 2 or 3 feet into the stream to prevent washout and collapse behind the rocks. What we called shot rock, blasted from quarries is best because of the sharp edges and varying sizes locking together. Cobbles can be used and look nicer but can be moved easier under extreme conditions. Gabions are another option where space is limited and near vertical faces are necessary. They are large wire baskets in many sizes Seach gabions. Generally we used about 3 x 3 x 8 ft for road use, that are set in place and filled with smaller, generally 4" stone. I also saw but never built a used tire retaining wall that seemed to work well. You can search it online and find a lot of info.
Hope this helps with any size job you have.
Smiley
 
   / Washout-proofing a ditch #72  
See attached photo, which unfortunately doesn't show the 10-12 vertical inch drop from driveway surface to water very well.

I have this drainage ditch along my gravel driveway feeding multiple culverts all in the hope it will keep my driveway from washing away.

Mostly it works. Most of the length of the driveway the bedrock is right at the base of the ditch. It probably is here too, the pebbles you see are the gravel it's constantly washing out of my driveway. So it's not something I can deepen with a tractor. I might be able to push it back a, but that probably wouldn't work unless I move the ditch back the whole length of the driveway, which isn't pragmatically feasible (trees, rocks, difficult spaces).

So need some way to line the driveway gravel so that the next rain won't just wash it out. I have no idea what to use. Cement / cinderblocks of some kind seems easiest, would that work? I'm looking for suggestions from people who have overcome this particular erosion problem.

I hate having to regularly throw more gravel (purchased by the truckload) at this problem.
 
   / Washout-proofing a ditch #73  
Your picture and description matches my driveway exactly. A friend [ who works for a concrete company ] suggested a v shaped curb that they often use along roads with big water flow. I haven't tried it yet, I'm saving up. It's a lot of concrete. Keep us posted.
 
   / Washout-proofing a ditch #74  
If the base is bedrock, it sounds like you don't care if the water runs along that... so could you create a roadside wall on the ditch with railroad ties, or just some long straight 6-8" trees of limbs, to keep the water from eroding your driving surface?
 
   / Washout-proofing a ditch #75  
See attached photo, which unfortunately doesn't show the 10-12 vertical inch drop from driveway surface to water very well.

I have this drainage ditch along my gravel driveway feeding multiple culverts all in the hope it will keep my driveway from washing away.

Mostly it works. Most of the length of the driveway the bedrock is right at the base of the ditch. It probably is here too, the pebbles you see are the gravel it's constantly washing out of my driveway. So it's not something I can deepen with a tractor. I might be able to push it back a, but that probably wouldn't work unless I move the ditch back the whole length of the driveway, which isn't pragmatically feasible (trees, rocks, difficult spaces).

So need some way to line the driveway gravel so that the next rain won't just wash it out. I have no idea what to use. Cement / cinderblocks of some kind seems easiest, would that work? I'm looking for suggestions from people who have overcome this particular erosion problem.

I hate having to regularly throw more gravel (purchased by the truckload) at this problem.
I had similar issues and carving drainage ditches with the rear blade and backfilling with 7-minus ( blue stone, rough edged, 2" -7"plus in size. It worked very well for me. In some instances I did entire drive surfaces in 7minus and covered that with hard pack. It has held up well, even in the 6" plus rain from the storm last week. I wouldn't recommend concrete as it is impervious and serves to speed up the runoff water which could then overwhelm your culverts
 
   / Washout-proofing a ditch #76  
My grandad owned a half mile long abandoned railroad bed with side ditches providing drainage. One day we were driving the pickup along the bed and ole gramps suddenly jammed on the brakes. We skidded to a stop just short of falling into a gully washout 5' wide and 5' deep. It cut right across the sub-ballast rail-bed material. All it takes is a dead-fall blocking ditch flow and a downpour. If there had been an upstream crossover culvert (hydraulically connecting both ditches) flow would have bypassed.
 
   / Washout-proofing a ditch #77  
As described in so many of the previous posts, you must take the power in the water developed by way of gravity, and mitigate it. ....This is usually done by slowing the water down so the turbulence in the water subsides and the solids in the water settle. I do this where I live by blocking the bottom third of all of my culverts to effectively make a little 'dam' that the water encounters. This does multiple things. .....It slows the erosive power at the bottom of the ditch, while it also keeps the culvert clean so it doesn't silt up(the water crossing the little 'dam' has enough power to keep the culvert clean). .....A splash pad at the exit of the culvert also helps distribute the erosive power of the water. ....A fair amount of maintenance is needed to keep it clean and working, but it can be made to be quite effective. ......Extracting energy from run off water can be a tricky, complicated challenge.
 
   / Washout-proofing a ditch #78  
Flowing water creates a need for scheduled maintenance/repair. The straw bales are not a maintenance free answer. Eventually the Highway Dept comes along - mucks out the sediment & bales with some form of heavy equipment and replaces the straw bales.

However - the roadside ditch has not been damaged by the water and the road has not been washed out.
 
   / Washout-proofing a ditch #79  
If you can't divert the water, the next option is to slow it down - which will work. As others have said, larger rocks are the ticket. They help form eddies in the flow which keep the smaller rocks from being dislodged or washing past.

I've had good luck with broken up concrete (with no rebar) that I've picked up for free. Talk to your county commissioner...if they don't have some they will know where to get it.

As for mowing it, that's not practical. If the weeds are a problem you can RM43 it a couple times a season.
 
   / Washout-proofing a ditch #80  
If you're looking for a cheap fix you have already discarded all the options.
 
 
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