Drainage Methods, Laws and Legislation

Project Presentation from 2001 used for notes 2002

Overview

1) 2) 3) Methods of Drainage Drainage Effects on Water Quality Laws and Regulations for Drainage

Introduction

  Purpose: – to remove excess water Benefits: – – – – – – Reduced salinity under irrigation Reduced soil erosion Better seed germination and establishment Better plant growth, health, and yield Less wear and tear on machinery Early seeding date and more flexibility

Methods of Drainage

 An agricultural system of draining fields commonly consists of: 1) A Field Drainage System 2) A Main Drainage System  move water from field system to outlet 3) An Outlet  terminal point of discharge into open water system

Field Drainage System

 Removes excess water from soil: – use of one or more drains – possible use of pump to promote flow  Two main types of systems common 1) Subsurface drainage 2) Surface drainage  Type of system chosen depends on problems present

Subsurface Drainage

 Used on soils where excess water easily infiltrates into ground, raising the water table – ie: sandy soils under irrigation soils with high water table  Three main field drains used; 1) Pipe Drains 2) Deep Ditches 3) Well Pumping

Subsurface Drainage 1) Pipe Drain Systems

 Most common method in temperate agriculture  Used for salinity control for irrigation  System consists of field and collector drains – single-sided entry collector pipes – – double-sided entry collector pipes Singular system – Composite system

Subsurface Drainage 1) Pipe Drain Systems

 Three common layouts: – – – 1) Natural system  common when a few larger depressions present 2) Herringbone system  common when more smaller depressions present  on sloping land where only partial drainage required 3) Parallel grid system  fairly level and uniform fields with uniformly high water table

Subsurface Drainage 1) Pipe Drain Systems

 Pipe drain materials: – concrete and clay tile – – concrete pipe corrugated metal pipe – bituminous-fibre pipe – plastic pipe  Option of pipe envelope

Subsurface Drainage 2) Deep Ditch System

 Ditches can be used to remove excess ground and surface water  Cheaper to install  Deep ditches restrict machinery operations  Loss of up to 10% land with ditches  Higher maintenance required to maintain good grade for discharge

Subsurface Drainage 3) Pump Drainage

 Not very common, effective under one or more of following conditions: – flat land with high water table – permeable aquifers exists – aquifer deep enough for installation of well – ground water under artesian pressure – – ground water high quality for irrigation cheap power

Surface Drainage

 Used on agricultural land with high tendency of water ponding due to slow infiltration rate – fine textured soils – impermeable soil layer close to surface – land unevenness causing collection in depressions

Surface Drainage

 Drainage commonly through open ditch systems or mole systems  Four types of open shallow ditch systems: 1) Depression ditch 2) Parallel non-passable ditch 3) Parallel passable ditch 4) Cross-slope ditch

Surface Drainage - Open Ditch Systems

1) Depression ditch system: – fields with limited number of pronounced, elongated depressions – depressions drained individually or connected 2) Parallel non-passable ditch system: – – fields that are fairly flat to highly uneven ditches run parallel in field, spaced to amount of water collected – ditches non-passable with machinery

Surface Drainage - Open Ditch Systems

3) Parallel passable ditch system: – soils with similar characteristics as parallel non passable ditch system – ditches passable with machinery 4) Cross-slope ditch system: – applicable to gently sloping land – ditches placed perpendicular to slope – land cultivated down slope

Surface Drainage - Mole Systems

 Used for soils with impermeable soil layers, allowing shallow drainage of excess water  Mole plough pulled behind tractor creating tunnels  Promotes shallow flow of water

Drainage Effects on Water Quality

 Reasons for drainage of cropland  Need for concern  Contamination of water bodies – rivers, creeks, estuaries

Nutrients

 Nitrate (NO 3 ) tied up in water through runoff from surface  Subsurface leaching through soil profile  Tolerable to rate when weeds stimulated to grow

Nutrients

  Phosphorus (PO 4 -2 ) Tolerable to 0.05mg/L

Chemicals

 Herbicide residue – ends up in water bodies  Pesticides – DDT scare

Aquatic Life

 Major concern as microorganisms are very important  Mutations, disease and death of aquatic animals

Rainfall

 Intensity and duration of rainfall can wash contaminants down drainage ditch/canal  Excess rainfall – – Surface drainage Subsurface drainage

Salinity

 Concern as salt can move from one area to another  High water table years

Drainage Laws and Legislation

 Legislation History  Present Day  Drainage Approval Process  Drainage Complaints

Legislation History

– – – “Common Law doctrine” hindered any drainage schemes that would involve the deposit of excess water into a water course or neighbor’s property flowing water a common resource, not an article of property – did not work well

North West Territories Irrigation Act - 1894

– Government retained ownership of water – only people who have a title from crown grant before 1894 can have possession today – Crown owns virtually all bodies of water, past and present

Water Rights Act of 1931

– First regulatory water resource statute – – – Transferred jurisdiction from federal to provincial after amendments, all drainage projects need license can now sue for losses incurred

Drainage Control Act of 1980

– Prohibits the construction or continued operation of any drainage systems without a permit – replaced all common law – – provided a mechanism for settling disputes lacked resources for proper enforcement

Water Corporation Act - 1984

– Better known as “Sask. Water” – monitors and grants permits for drainage, irrigation and all other uses – still a lot of unapproved drainage

“No person shall commence the construction, alteration, or operation of any works unless he/she has first obtained the written approval of Sask. Water to do so”

But you can…...

 channel clear  consolidate sloughs  install culverts

Drainage Approval Process

 Pick up application  return with $  review for potential conflicts  surveying    advertise intentions “Approval to Construct Works” “Approval to Operate Works”

Drainage Complaints

 make a “reasonable effort” to resolve conflict  informal complaint  formal complaint with $  notice of filing  investigation (topographic surveys, hydrology study, final report)

Drainage complaints (cont’d)

 formal hearing (if requested)  final decision  ruling passed and compliance is mandatory