Looking to keep your farmland dry and waterlogged?
Rural drainage system maintenance is often an afterthought for many property managers, but it shouldn't be. In fact…
If ignored, your entire waterway system could become a swamp in as little as three seasons. The right care and maintenance can prevent these problems and much more. From crops and crops alone, farmers and landowners lose a fortune every year due to poor drainage systems.
This guide has all the information you need to know in order to keep your rural drainage in tip-top shape.
In this article we will cover:
Rural Drainage System Maintenance – Why It's So Important
The Components Of A Drainage System
Drainage Maintenance By The Season
The Most Common Drainage Problems
DIY Or Hire A Professional?
Rural Drainage System Maintenance – Why It's So Important
Your drainage system's primary role is to move the water from your property safely away. When all parts of a rural drainage system work well together, fields are accessible, crops remain undamaged, and soils stay in great health. In poor drainage conditions, this is not the case.
If left unaddressed, the effects of waterlogging are immense, including:
Crop losses – due to flooding and root rot
Soil compaction – when working waterlogged fields
Erosion damage – when soil is washed away
Equipment problems – when machinery gets stuck
The monetary impact can be significant, which is why you should check out https://luddon.co.uk/ for complete drainage solutions for rural and agricultural properties.
With the right maintenance of your rural drainage system, you can keep your land and the value invested in it protected.
For example, a blocked outfall may not seem like a big issue in isolation, but because all of the components of a rural drainage system work together, a blocked outfall on one field can affect the integrity of the whole system, which in turn can lead to failures in other parts of your waterway network.
The Components Of A Drainage System
A well-kept rural drainage system is made up of several components. Each part of a drainage system plays an integral part in moving the water from your property safely away, which is why it's important that all parts of a drainage system are kept in good working order. The key parts include:
Field Drains – these are the pipes that lie under the soil's surface and they collect excess water and channel it away from your crops. The material of pipe used can vary from older clay to more modern plastic alternatives.
Outfalls – this is where the water exits the drainage system. If the outfall becomes blocked, the whole system becomes useless, which is why they need to be inspected regularly.
Ditches and Watercourses – the open channels that carry water away from fields and crops. Ditches also need to be kept clear to prevent blockages.
Control Structures – all of the valves, sluices and other mechanisms that are used to control the movement of water. These need to be checked and maintained periodically.
Drainage Maintenance By The Season
Smart rural property managers will approach drainage system maintenance in a seasonal way. Different times of the year have different challenges, which means a change in approach is needed.
Autumn
Autumn is a key time for getting your drainage system in order, because it's ideal for clearing ditches before the winter rains set in. Ditches and watercourses need to be freed from vegetation and debris which can constrict the flow of water through your drainage system. Autumn maintenance also includes:
Checking all outfalls are free from blockages
Clearing leaf debris from waterways
Checking control structures for damage
Marking areas that require further work
Winter
Winter tends to be a time for monitoring, rather than active maintenance of a rural drainage system. Heavy rain is likely and this is a great opportunity to walk your property and see where water is pooling and moving slowly. This information will then be used to carry out repair work in the spring.
Keep a record of any flooding or drainage failures and this will inform what needs to be done next.
Spring
Spring is a great time for drainage system repair work. Temperatures are rising and the soil is drying, but the ground conditions are good enough for work to be carried out. This is when you will want to address the issues that were identified during the winter months.
Repairs include:
Fixing any collapsed pipe sections
Repairing eroded ditch banks
Replacing damaged rodent guards on outfalls
Clearing any blockages
Summer
Summer is a good time to carry out a more thorough assessment of your drainage system, because drier conditions allow for things like camera surveys to be used to identify issues with the inside of your pipes. Mapping exercises can also be completed to record the entire network of pipes and ditches that make up your rural drainage system.
This is also a good time to plan any major improvement works that you may want to carry out in the following year.
The Most Common Drainage Problems
While there are many problems that can occur within a rural drainage system, there are some common ones which crop up again and again. When you know what to look out for, the time and cost of these problems can be minimised.
Silt build-up
Tiny particles of soil will over time build up in your pipes and ditches, reducing their capacity and slowing down water flow. Jetting or rodding out a drainage system can clear smaller build-ups, but more severe cases will require excavation.
Root invasion
Trees and shrubs will always be looking for water, which means their roots will eventually find their way into your drainage pipes, leading to blockages. Keep vegetation cut back from your drainage system and damaged sections can be replaced with sealed alternatives.
Structural collapse
Clay pipe systems are particularly vulnerable to structural collapse. If heavy machinery such as tractors cross a drain line, weakened pipe sections can be crushed. Keep aware of known drain locations when moving machinery, and if you think the integrity of your drainage system is compromised then it may be time to consider upgrading.
Ochre
If your soil is susceptible to ochre formation (an orange-brown deposit that can build up in your pipes), then you are going to have a problem. It's not easy to remove and in extreme cases, redesigning your rural drainage system is more cost-effective than regular ochre clearance.
Animal damage
Rodents and burrowing animals love to take up residence in outfalls and embankments. Installing protective grates on all pipe exits will prevent this from becoming a problem. If you do find signs of burrowing near critical infrastructure, then check regularly.
DIY Or Hire A Professional?
As you've probably gathered from this article, not all drainage problems are a DIY job. The UK government are taking rural drainage very seriously, as demonstrated by the recent allocation of £91 million to internal drainage boards to help improve flood protection for agricultural land, so as a rural property manager you should be too.
The professionals should be called in when:
You have a number of areas that show signs of drainage failure, rather than just one
Camera surveys have revealed significant pipe damage
Major blockages have been found which are unresponsive to standard clearance methods
Redesign of the whole system is needed
Flooding poses a risk to neighbouring properties
Professional drainage contractors have specialist equipment and expertise, which allows them to accurately diagnose problems and provide lasting solutions.
Bringing It All Together
It is important to take a proactive approach to the maintenance of your rural drainage system. In the short term, the time and costs saved are significant. In the long term, the reliability of your land drainage is rewarded with the same for decades to come.
The core principles are simple:
Regular inspection catches problems early
Blockages are cleared before they cause wider problems
Damage is repaired promptly, before problems escalate
Improvements are planned based on a systematic approach
Professional help is enlisted when needed
The right drainage system maintenance & improvement will:
Protect your crops from damage
Keep your soils in good health
Prevent costly damage from flooding
Increase the lifespan of your drainage system
So start with the basics:
Check those outfalls.
Clear those ditches.
Keep recording those findings.
The rest will follow.
