Better Farming - November 2016

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26 FarmNews First > Better Farming November 2016
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Two-staged ditch tackles erosion
Five years ago, drainage officials and
the owners of 6,000 acres of proper-
ty along the border of the former
Dover and Chatham townships in
Chatham-Kent realized that their
municipal drain had caused massive
erosion.
After 30 years of operation, the
drain had doubled in width, says Eric
Westerberg, one of the municipali-
ty’s drainage superintendents.
To address the problem, they
opted to create a two-staged ditch.
The design introduces benching —
a wider area two-to-three feet above
the drain’s bottom— to accommo-
date greater volumes of water and
reduce its velocity.
They also added another pump
that could drain deeper water.
The municipality maintains more
than 250 municipal pumping
schemes in areas where the land is
below lake water levels.
Westerberg says the changes
mean greater control over ditch
water levels. “You’re not bringing the
water up into the dirt and pulling it
down fast, so we could try to stay
ahead of everything.” BF
Judge for yourself whether
municipalities are staying ahead
of their annual sewage and bypass
numbers. Read Better Farming’s
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This municipal drain was recently changed into a two-staged
ditch to address erosion along its banks.