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Remember my ditch ??


rokon2813

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I was so proud of the ditch I dug last year with a 9 hp Landlord and a grader blade. It was late enough in the season though all I ever got were pics of an old dry ditch.

Well how about some pics of the reason for that ditch. I finally got to see how well it works and what I need to do to improve on it. :D West property line. My property starts about a foot to the right of the trees and goes to the left.

East property line. The ditch starts at the edge of the property.

Same view as the dry ditch above. :D:D Its usually May before we could mow the entire yard. I gotta believe its gonna dry up a lot quicker this year. ;);)

Best I can measure with a stick the water is running about 8" deep in the ditch and over a foot once its off my property again.
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The big trout should be runnin anytime now, keep watchin that ditch or river you got there and let us know how many you see. Mel
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Well, all I can say is its usually May before I can see my yard, plus the ditch looks great and appears to be doing the job quite well.
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I can honestly say I don't remember the last time I saw such a nice ditch. Looks to be working perfectly and I'm sure you had fun making it.
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So will it only flow with run off or is it sorta spring feed, like til the summer cooks the spring dry.
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No Marty , its only runoff. I kinda wish it was spring fed, then I could pretty it up and have a little stream to sit by all year. its a little over a mile around the block and we are the lowest point so we get a good portion of everybody's runoff. Snowmelt and spring rain is the worst, after that the ditch will be dry except for the occasional mudpuddle after a downpour. This pic shows a little better all the land behind us is just a tad higher. I was standing on the bridge for this one. Just off my property that is a pond. 9' deep and it will be about dry by fall. Behind that, by the brush pile is all runoff from the field.

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Cool job Dan, looks like you may have a little spring rock maintence. They don't look as neatly placed this spring.
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Your right on the maintenance.:( Think I'm gonna line it with driveway paper to hold back the dirt then cover with pea gravel for looks. Like everything else its gonna be an ongoing project for a while. We also want to raise the lawn on each side a foot or so to get a better slope to the yard.:) I may even lay a couple tile lines too for the spots that are still wet. Already put one pipe on the neighbors property, about 10" down from the pond to the ditch and one under one of my strawberry beds because it was in a low spot. A little at a time till I see how it all works. Main problem is by the time it dries out enough to work on, it stays dry till spring before I can see the results.[:0]
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Guess you could take a trip out to the plains and find an old windmill, poke in a well, and have a 'spring' year around.
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Marty I was Just going to suggest the same thing.....Though in certain parts of the country I would wonder if the zoning or water usage would be controversial....which is exactly why in some cases do the deed and ask forgiveness later:) Nice ditch Rokon, isnt it great when best made plans WORK!!!!?
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I, too, am the lowest point in my neighborhood. The first couple of years I laid 600+ feet of 4" perforated flexible plastic pipe. The pipe serves as a field drain in one area, and as a runoff catcher in others. I had to rent (!) a tractor with the backhoe attachment to dig the trenches. Backfill with either crushed limestone or river rock. I also put a sock-like covering over the pipe prior to laying it in. It works like a charm. The only problem I've noticed is that varmints make the pipe into a winter home. I was thinking they may block the flow with debris, but no problem so far. That pipe flows water all year long, from the coldest months to the dryest. I think I picked up a few shallow springs along with dealing with the runoff water. Diggin' ditch is a lotta work :p. Nice job on your ditch, rokon2813. Feels good when it functions as good as it looks, eh? Tacey
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