Wednesday, July 8, 2009 6:08 PM CDT
Farmers, check your fields — Do you need a grassed waterway?
By Sharon Kuhns, University of Illinois Extension
You probably know your fields better than the backs of your hands – every slope and the soil. And you probably know the natural paths that water follows as it meanders across your fields in search of a place to drain. However, after this spring’s rainfall, that has been excessive at times, Bob Frazee, University of Illinois Natural Resources Educator reports that it may be very obvious to many farmers and landowners that some of fields are definitely in need of a grassed waterway.
In fact, many fields throughout Illinois are now showing significant damage from ephemeral erosion caused by concentrated water flow. Illinois Department of Agriculture statistics from the most recent T-Transect Survey show 25 percent of Illinois cropland acreage is now incurring major damage from concentrated water flow and ephemeral erosion.
What are ephemeral gullies? Ephemeral gullies are formed when small rills of water flowing on the soil surface converge to create a more concentrated flow. Ephemeral means temporary. Frazee states that ephemeral gullies are viewed as temporary because they can be crossed by farm equipment, and because they can also be filled with normal tillage operations.
Unlike rills, ephemeral gullies will often reappear in the same places of the field year after year. Typically, these ephemeral gullies will cut only as deep as the depth of tillage, but they may be broad, ranging from one foot to several feet wide. However, Frazee emphasizes that just because these ephemeral gullies can be made to disappear with the use of a field cultivator, does not mean that major long-term damage is not occurring to your fields.
If after checking your fields this spring, you notice that a watercourse is causing severe erosion, Frazee suggests that it may be time to convert it into a grassed waterway. In addition to controlling erosion, grassed waterways drain storm water safely off the land into designated outlets. They can also be used as outlets for the concentrated water coming from terraces, diversions, or adjacent properties.
If you decide that a grassed waterway is needed, Frazee states that you have four main tasks ahead: designing and constructing the waterway, establishing vegetation, and maintaining the waterway. During the design stage, work closely with your soil conservationist at the Natural Resources Conservation Service to calculate the grade of the watercourse, measure the drainage area, select and size the waterway, and calculate the number of acres in the grassed waterway. To ensure quality construction work, obtain several cost estimates for the job and make sure your contractor is a member of the Illinois Land Improvement Contractors Association. Also, check with your neighbors to find out whom they have used and how satisfied they have been with the contractor’s work and rates.
Frazee recommends timing the construction to coincide with a period of time when the land will not be involved with crop production. The waterway should be seeded immediately after earth moving is complete as long as it is during the recommended seeding period. To maintain the design and operation of the grassed waterway for the long-term, it is important to avoid damaging the waterway with tillage equipment, herbicides, burning, grazing, or using the waterway as a roadway.
Sharon Kuhns is county director for University of Illinois Extension in Coles County.
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father bob wrote on Jul 9, 2009 9:45 AM: