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Drainage

This document discusses the design of drainage systems. It describes two types of drainage: land drainage for large areas and field drainage for agricultural areas. Field drainage aims to remove excess water from crop root zones. Surface drainage involves removing water from the soil surface using land forming or ditches. Subsurface drainage removes groundwater below the soil surface using buried drains or ditches. Key considerations for subsurface drain design include drainage coefficient, drain depth and spacing, drain diameter and gradient, and drainage filters.

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141 views30 pages

Drainage

This document discusses the design of drainage systems. It describes two types of drainage: land drainage for large areas and field drainage for agricultural areas. Field drainage aims to remove excess water from crop root zones. Surface drainage involves removing water from the soil surface using land forming or ditches. Subsurface drainage removes groundwater below the soil surface using buried drains or ditches. Key considerations for subsurface drain design include drainage coefficient, drain depth and spacing, drain diameter and gradient, and drainage filters.

Uploaded by

Pranav
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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CHAPTER FOUR: DRAINAGE &

DESIGN OF DRAINAGE SYSTEMS


4.1 INTRODUCTION
Drainage means the removal of excess water
from a given place.
Two types of drainage can be identified:
i) Land Drainage: This is large scale
drainage where the objective is to drain
surplus water from a large area by such
means as excavating large open drains,
erecting dykes and levees and pumping. Such
schemes are necessary in low lying areas and
are mainly Civil Engineering work.
ii) Field Drainage:
This is the drainage that concerns us in
agriculture. It is the removal of excess
water from the root zone of crops.
Water in Soil After Heavy
Rain
The main aims of Field drainage
include:

i) To bring soil moisture down from saturation to


field capacity. At field capacity, air is available to
the soil and most soils are mesophites ie. like to
grow at moisture less than saturation.
ii) Drainage helps improve hydraulic conductivity:
Soil structure can collapse under very wet
conditions and so also engineering structures.
iii) In some areas with salt disposition, especially
in arid regions, drainage is used to leach excess
salt.
The main aims of Field drainage
Contd.

iv) In irrigated areas, drainage is


needed due to poor application
efficiency which means that a lot of
water is applied.
v) Drainage can shorten the number of
occasions when cultivation is held up
waiting for soil to dry out.
Two types of drainage exist: Surface
and Sub-surface drainage.

4.2 DESIGN OF SURFACE DRAINAGE


SYSTEMS:
Surface drainage involves the removal of
excess water from the surface of the soil.
This is done by removing low spots where
water accumulates by land forming or by
excavating ditches or a combination of the
two.
Surface Drainage
Surface Drainage Contd.
Land forming is mechanically changing the land
surface to drain surface water.
This is done by smoothing, grading, bedding or
leveling.
Land smoothing is the shaping of the land to a
smooth surface in order to eliminate minor
differences in elevation and this is accomplished
by filling shallow depressions.
There is no change in land contour.
Smoothing is done using land levelers or planes
Surface Drainage
Concluded
Land grading is shaping the land for
drainage done by cutting, filling and
smoothening to planned continuous
surface grade e.g. using bulldozers or
scrapers.
Surface Drainage
Channels Contd.
The bed level of an open drain
collecting flow from field pipe drains
should be such as to allow free fall from
the pipe drain outlets under maximum
flow conditions, with an allowance for
siltation and weed growth. 300 mm is a
reasonable general figure.
Surface Ditch
Arrangements
The ditch arrangement can be random,
parallel or cross- slope.
Random ditch system: Used where only
scattered wet lands require drainage.
Parallel ditch system: Used in flat
topography. Ditches are parallel and
perpendicular to the slope. Laterals, which
run in the direction of the flow, collect water
from ditches.
Surface Ditch
Arrangements
4.3 DESIGN OF SUB-SURFACE
DRAINAGE SYSTEMS
Sub-surface drainage is the removal
of excess groundwater below the soil
surface.
It aims at increasing the rate at which
water will drain from the soil, and so
lowering the water table, thus
increasing the depth of drier soil above
the water table.
Sub-surface drainage can be done by
open ditches or buried drains.
Sub-Surface Drainage
Using Ditches
Sub-Surface Drainage Using
Ditches
Ditches have lower initial cost than buried
drains;
There is ease of inspection and ditches are
applicable in some organic soils where drains
are unsuitable.
Ditches, however, reduce the land available
for cropping and require more maintenance
that drains due to weed growth and erosion.
Sub-Surface Drains Using
Buried Drains
Sub-Surface Drainage Using
Buried Drains
Buried drains refer to any type of buried
conduits having open joints or perforations,
which collect and convey drainage water.
They can be fabricated from clay, concrete,
corrugated plastic tubes or any other suitable
material.
The drains can be arranged in a parallel,
herringbone, double main or random fashion.
Buried Drains
Arrangements of Sub-
Surface Drains
Sub-Surface Drainage
Designs
The Major Considerations in Sub-
surface Drainage Design Include:
Drainage Coefficient;
Drain Depth and Spacing;
Drain Diameters and Gradient;
Drainage Filters.
Design Water table depth (H):
This is the minimum depth below the
surface at which the water table should
be controlled and is determined by
farming needs especially crop tolerance
to water.
Typically, it varies from 0.5 to 1.5 m.
Design Depth of Drain
The deeper a drain is put, the larger the spacing and the
more economical the design becomes.
Drain depth, however, is constrained by soil and
machinery limitations.

Table : Typical Drain Depths(D)


Soil Type Drain Depth (m)
Sand 0.6
Sandy loam 0.8 - 1.0
Silt loam 0.8 - 1.8
Clay loam 0.6 - 0.8
Peat 1.2 - 1.5
Drain Diameters and
Gradients
There are two approaches to design:
(a) Transport approach: Assumes that pipes are
flowing full from top to end of field. Assumes
uniform flow. Widely used in United States,
Canada and Germany. Used to design collector
drains.
(b) Drainage approach: Assumes that water
enters the pipe all down the length as it is
perforated. This is more realistic. Widely used in
United Kingdom, Holland and Denmark. This is
used to design lateral drainage pipes.
4.3.4 Drainage Filters
Filters for tile drains are permeable materials eg.
gravel placed around the drains for the purpose
of improving the flow conditions in the area
immediately surrounding the drains as well as
for improving bedding conditions.
Filters provide a high hydraulic conductivity
around the drains which stabilizes the soil
around and prevent small particles from entering
the lateral drains since they are perforated.
Soils that Need Filters

a) Uniform soils will cause problems while


non-uniform ones since they are widely
distributed stabilize themselves.
b) Clays have high cohesion so cannot be
easily moved so require no filters.
c) Big particles like gravel can hardly be
moved due to their weight.
* Fine soils are then the soils that will actually
need filters especially if they are uniform.
Laying Plastic Pipes:
A Trench is excavated, the pipe is laid in the
trench, permeable fill is added, and then the
trench is filled. This is for smooth-walled rigid
plastic pipes or tile drains.
A Flexible Corrugated Pipe can be laid by
machines, which lay the pipes without
excavating an open trench (trench less
machines).

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