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Culvert installation
New project from the boss (wife). I need to install a culvert in some wet soil so the horses wont sink down. I was thinking about digging down (with my loader?), putting down some chain link fence and maybe rock (to prevent sinking) and then covering with dirt/sand. I had a guy do this with a bobcat and he did a great job but it cost me. Any suggestions, advice or precautions will be appreciated.
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Culvert installation
Unless I missed something in your post I did not see anything about a way for the water to exit this 'culvert'. If you do not provide an exit route for this structure it will attract water, not get rid of it. The basic design you mention is called a French Drain, it is basically a trench filled with stone to allow a subterrainian (below ground) route for draining water away. If this is what you want to make it should be run continuously to a location where the water can escape (a ditch or ravine). The cheapest way to do this is to dig a trench with the bottom sloping to the exit at about 5% (6 inches fall for every 10 feet of run) and lay a piece of perforated drainage pipe (like you put around a footing) preferably the kind with a geotextile (water transmitting, soil stopping fabric) wrap in the bottom of the trench then cover with sandy soil for at least 6" (to protect the pipe from puncture) then cover with any fill available EXCEPT clay which will stop water penetration. Best of luck.
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I had to deal with a similar situation on the stall side of our new barn. The existing grade directed all of the water towards the stall doors where it joined the run off from the roof. This didn't form a lake because it would run down the ramp into the pasture, eroding the ramp badly.
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I dug out a half swale, removing all of the topsoil and the top layer of the subsoil. The target grade was to drop 12 inches in 30 feet at one of the paddock and 18 inches at the other end.
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I back filled with bank run gravel at least six inches deep and covered with five inches of stone dust. The compound grade put all of the water in one corner of the half swale, just outside the paddock fence. I installed a french drain with a 6 inch in 10 feet drop to take the water away.
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We recently got 2 1/2 inches of rain in 1 1/2 hour. The paddock drained nearly perfectly. I could touch up the grade in the paddock, but the horse redefine it on a regular basis. I figure that regrading in the spring is all that I'll do for maintenance.
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Matthew
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Thanks for the info.
I should have been more clear. I intend to place a drainage pipe (24in diameter aprox 10 feet long) in a low place on my property where water flows when it rains.
My concern is that I want the pipe to stay in place. I think the netting and rock are probably what I need. Staying away from clay is also a good idea since this is already an area with a lot of clay.
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If there is any way that horses could get tangled up in the wire then you might want to think about using geotextile instead. It looks like a plastic version of chain link crossed with square mesh screen and works better than metal chain link fence in the ground - and is harmless if some of it surfaces.
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I think of culverts more as solutions for crossing waterways rather than for crossing wet ground. There's a lot of wet ground around here, and draining wet ground usually is an extensive effort, and one that may run afoul of the environmental folks. Basically, a waterway has to be created, and if it were easy, nature would have already done it. Often the real solution is quite distant. The trouble with dumping aggregate and fill on wet ground is that it just sinks into the silt. The several comments about geotextile is a solution that is used around here, and generally a good one. A more traditional solution a called a corduroy road. A bunch of cedar logs are set sideways across the wet spots. Putting a fence across wet ground could be a problem, and Roger's comment about the type of fencing is good to note.
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These are very good ideas, thank you. I looked closer at the area and have noticed many roots which will make any installation that much more difficult. The good news is that the area has dried out which should make it easier to work on. I will keep you posted on my success (or failure). Thanks again for all the advice. This being the south, environmental concerns are not an issue.
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Yes, I do forget sometimes that here in Ontario government regulation is still a growth industry. A property owner can't necessarily log their own property or create a gravel pit for their own use without approvals. The regulators are also very particular about waterways. Anything that substantially affects a streambed or drainage into a stream tends to attract attention. At least here, it's sometimes hard to remember that streambeds aren't part of any private property they flow through. It's possible for a simple idea like digging a drainage ditch down to a stream to attract government involvement and become a much bigger deal than is acceptable. I know it's doubtful that this sort of thing applies to your situation. However, it's is good to be up on these things before starting a project. The potential fines I've heard about are a little nutty. I think that County Agents are pretty useful resources in the States for checking out regulation stuff.
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You want to see (or maybe you don't) the amount of bureaucracy required to dig a pond or install a dam in a stream for the purpose of irrigating a golf course. After the Environmental Impact Study, including test-pumping every well within a specified radius, and replacing the ones you will affect, you have to post a bond or letter of credit with the government for the first five years minimum, usually ten, that the course is in full operation to guarantee any further problems will be fixed!! And we won't even talk about those damn geese.....
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Geese? I can sure understand that golf course owners and users would have an interest in geese, or most likely the lack of them. If there is government interest in geese, it may be because our politicians relate well to them--come in flocks, make a lot of noise, drop their crap everywhere, pollute their environment etc. Hummm; maybe I should work on attitude adjustment and I'm a long way from tractor subjects. Of course, I am waiting on delivery of a 12” post-hole auger so I can put up a wash shed. The shed floor has to be raised 2’ above ground level so water will drain into our gray water leech pit. Two foot of the pit had to be raised above ground level due to a high spring water table, so now all buildings with water have to be raised or drainage has to be pumped. So now I have to put the building on posts rather than on a frame on the ground. Suppose I’ll be happy enough to have an auger even if government regulations were the reason I got it. Suppose I’m also happy we won’t be putting leechate into the surface water table even though we don’t use our dug well for drinking water. Guess regulations aren’t all bad; sure would like choice though. Suppose I’ll be back here shortly asking for tips on getting augers mounted on low clearance tractors out of the holes.
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