# Field Drainage Ideas?



## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

We are having similar issues. The advice given to us by someone who does drainage for the state said dig trenches, and then grass it so the water doesn't move the dirt. Maybe close to where you lay the pipe for the drainage, you grass that area so you don't have to worry about clogged pipes?


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## Mewlie (Apr 14, 2017)

@EstrellaandJericho 
The pipes will be laid pretty much smack-dab in the middle of the drylot. Any grass will be ripped up by my horses pretty instantaneously, unfortunately.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Yes to gutters on your barn, both slopes of your roof.
Not expensive and will keep you from undermining your foundation in future years.

My immediate thought though is you have just a grading issue and may be simpler to fix that digging up and planting pipes and such below ground.
You need to speak with someone who does property/land grading, understands the lay of land and how to channel water and moisture away from the barn to a path of travel more helpful to you.

Do you know if you have underground springs in your area?
A nearby creek sure makes me think underground springs are possible...and you're in New York, a area that has many underground streams throughout the state..
Get a geological map that shows flood plains, the natural streams and lay of the land...available free online.
This may show you some alternative ideas of grading or water run-off and why some no matter what you do may not work or what you did not think of will work and work well.

Also came to mind as your description of "a valley"... are you sure you did not have ground clearing debris, aka trees buried in what is now your barn area, that from decay and rot is your source of issue?
Many old stumps, logs and trees laid in a pit that the dirt was excavated from is what created your "slight rise" or pad of elevated land for house and or barn?
Not all contractors burned, ground up or trucked away ground clearing debris but buried it... :think:

You need not just anyone, but a very specialized grading contractor with a stream nearby as you have other issues to also deal with, some of which you do not want to disturb, by law can't and you need to know those laws before you do anything.
A contractor who does by the book and laws allowed so you not have more problems that a depression in your field currently.
Be careful and be very cautious of the laws concerning run-off into live streams of water.
Good luck.
:runninghorse2:....
_jmo..._


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## Mewlie (Apr 14, 2017)

@horselovingguy

Thank you for the great advice! The idea of just fixing it by grading never came to mind. I'll try to get some price estimates and scope of projects. There's an excavator/landscaper in the area who has a good reputation for fixing issues; I'm just hoping he's not too pricey!


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

After living in a swamp there are a couple options. In Florida, ponds are often dug with the fill being used to build the house on. I called them ant hill properties, as each house was on a hill. The ponds were dug deep enough to stock with fish and turtles.

Drainage ditches can be put in as well. If this area is already a dirt lot then the easiest action would be to have someone with a tractor come and move the dirt for you.

A friend of ours put in a pump system to keep her property dry, but i never asked about the specifics.

You could buy loads of fill and have them spread. This is very common in Florida.

If you can't grow grass in your drainage area, erosion will be an issue. 

Do not assume you will be immune from mud even with good drainage. My property is on a hill and we still get mud. Manure tends to accumulate over time and adds to the mud even with good drainage. With daily rain, some of my paddocks are unusable during the summer. The hurricane may have fixed the issue so this year may be better. I believe the mud washed away. Our paddocks are looking more like sand and less like black mud. I had been resting the area and letting mother nature take care of the problem. 

Maybe some additional paddocks are needed to rest the area jn question.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

We had a similar problem in our winter/sacrifice paddock which we also use for riding. The barn was high and dry, but the paddock would get a stream basically running through it alongside the barn and right out through the main gate to the pasture. What a mess the first year. We brought in sand and graded it so it sloped gently off to one side, where there happens to be a drainage ditch. Problem solved. Water now drains away from the paddock. 

Sand is cheap here, so it was an easy solution. Of course some of it will run off each year, but a fresh load each summer should take care of it, and at 137$ a load, I don't mind. 

We used to have grass, but it would just make a big muddy mess, and was very slippery. I much prefer the sand. Right now, there is a lot of water in there - we still have snow and it melts a little more every day. But where we plowed the snow, there is a track that goes around the paddock, and that is pretty much down to bare ground. Wet sand isn't at all like wet mud. The horses are happily walking around in there, and it is draining much faster than the dirt/grass paddock used to. 

Ideally, you lay down larger rock/shale/crusher dust, then layer it with finer sand. I didn't bother. I do, however, pick manure out of it daily, and run my pasture drag through regularly. 

Drainage pipes might work, but I'd consult someone with some expertise, and maybe ask to see some paddocks in your area that this person has designed. I'd worry that the drainage pipes would just get clogged. Seems like rocks would provide better drainage. And I certainly wouldn't slope your paddock so it drains in the middle. You're just going to always have a wet area there. Better to design it so water drains off to the side.


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## Mewlie (Apr 14, 2017)

I'm expecting mud no matter what, especially since this area gets some serious precipitation. I'm hoping to just make it more manageable and with less standing water. I have about 10 tons of pea gravel that I want to put down (and can easily get more as it's cheap) but I have to put it in by hand since I don't have any machinery to move it, and if there's already a hefty amount of muck, the gravel just gets sucked away.

I'm thinking some form of grading is going to have to happen. Sand would be nice, but I think a mixture of clean fill dirt with maybe a topping of pea gravel is going to be what my meager budget will allow. 

Thanks for weighing in, everyone! Got some great ideas and hopefully the horses will be happier in the long run.


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## tim62988 (Aug 30, 2012)

not sure what part of upstate NY but remember about the snow sliding off the roof before you go with rain gutters. i've seen a few gutters either filled with ice and fall/bend or the snow sliding off take them out even with the snow catchers on the roof. so may want to consider a gutter that has the brackets attached but can slide the actual gutter out for the winter.

i would think instead of a drain do the grading and have the excavator lay the gravel & whatever else they suggest at the time of grading, no point in throwing down the gravel just to have it dug up and throw away while getting everything graded

on the bright side... less than 6 weeks left of mud season (approximately as then we hit memorial day!)


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

What HLG said. You aren't going to be able to drain into the creek. Grading is the answer and perhaps terracing with a drainage area to collect the water on the other side that can be grassed. You may even need a berm to protect the creek from run off if a drainage area is not big enough to handle your run-off.


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## Mewlie (Apr 14, 2017)

@tim62988 - Located around the Finger Lakes area. Good tip about the snow - thank you! My farrier said that in NY there are four months of snow and eight months of mud. I'm crossing my fingers it was a joke. 
@QtrBel - Luckily, I believe we have a perfect area that can work to catch the run-off, without affecting the creek. It was wishful thinking on my part that it would be simple to drain into the creek. I was fooled because the neighbors that own the opposite side of it have a big ol' pipe that pumps out water from either their field or their pond. Grading should hopefully solve the worst of the problem!


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Chances are they would be fined if someone with with any regulatory agency saw it. Sadly here many overlook changes even when it is expressly against the law to do so. Not my problem is the typical attitude until it impacts them or in the case of a friend renders their property unusable or saleable.


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## Tazmanian Devil (Oct 11, 2008)

As others have mentioned, it's best to have a professional take a look. Contact a local excavator (or two) to get some ideas and quotes.

Not that long ago, I was having a similar water problem. Part of my property is on a grade and all the uphill drainage runs down. It wasn't an issue until I had some construction done (built a barn pad). Would not have been obvious beforehand, but it created a water problem. Lots of red mud.

I would caution against a do-it-yourself solution without learning much more on the topic. A "center drain" solution is not going to fix your problem. What you typically want to do is more of a french drain. The ground is graded and a trench dug on the high side. Perforated pipe is set in the trench and they covered with stone. The stone acts as a "grating" for the water to enter. The pipe then carries the water _around_ the affected area and drains it out on the low side.

The concept is that you reduce the amount of water entering the area. As opposed to a center drain that would funnel all water to the middle (creating more mud along the way).

It is even possible with some proper grading, you can divert water without a drain system.

I'm in Delaware County. It has been a really wet winter this year. My drains are working overtime right now.  I couldn't imagine a paddock where the grass is done. Even my low lying grassy areas are soaked.

Edited to add: I noticed some comment about a creek. Depending on the type of waterway, that may or may not be an issue. There should be no problem draining your run-off into the creek, per se. That's where all the run-off goes anyway. The problems typically come when you interfere with the watercourse or restrict the runoff from reaching it. Again, as others have mentioned a good excavator can give you the best answers for your situation.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

The problem comes with the "contaminants" it contains as it is flowing across land used to house domestic animals.


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