# How to Keep Gravel from Washing Out of Drainage Ditch



## Jaylyn (Jan 27, 2011)

Hi,

I have a 200' drainage ditch that I dug with a 12" backhoe to the grade of the land so it would drain. Then laid down 4"perforated drainpipe with landscape cloth, sand, and followed with gravel. Because of the grade the ditch is shallow at one end then gradually deepens to 15" and flows into the ditch at the road which is a 2' drop from my ditch. It has worked well except this winter we have had more rain than usual and in large amounts over a 24hr period. 

The shallow end of the ditch is actually at a man-made pond that has other ditches flow into it. The drainage ditch is the overflow ditch to take care of the water problem. With the excessive rain the end of the drainage ditch that goes into the ditch at the road has now had almost 20' in length of the gravel wash out into the road ditch. 

How do I prevent this from further happening? Someone had suggested I put bags of sakrete on each side of the pipe and that would keep the gravel from washing out and then refill with the gravel in the summer. I can't quite grasp the reasoning behind the bags of sakrete keeping the gravel from washing out with the water. Plus would I also place sacrete across the opening at the road?

The water in the ditch at the road is over a foot deep so it makes getting my gravel out of it impossible, until it drains down some.

I would really appreciate any suggestions!
Thank you,
Jaylyn


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## tcleve4911 (Nov 6, 2010)

Bigger rocks.............


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## Jaylyn (Jan 27, 2011)

Hi and Thank you,
I tried that and it didn't work. Maybe boulders would work.

I'm thinking I need to build a damm at the end of the pipe and on top of it, so it is higher than the actual ditch and that should force the excess water to flow through the pipe.

If I put 3 bags of sakrete on each side of the pipe and on top of one another, plus side by side to completely fill in the ditch and then higher than the ditch plus one or two across the pipe. That should form a damn and as the water and rain hit it the sackrete should harden.

I think; does that sound like it'll work?
Thanx,
Jaylyn


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

Ayuh,... It would look better if ya use tcleve4911's Idea,...
Use Rocks, as big as bags of sacrete....

Btw,... If you dam it up, Higher than where it's pouring out, it's go Around yer dam, as well as through the pipe....
I imagine that's the problem Now, the pipe can't handle the flow, 'cause it's to small...

Ideally, if it was merely the pipe, covered by Big rocks, you wouldn't be having this problem,....
Get rid of the gravel, 'n use nothing but Rocks,... Bigger the better...


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## Jaylyn (Jan 27, 2011)

Thank you tcleve4911 and Bondo!

You hit the nail right on the head with what is happening.

I talked with the County Public Works guys and they agreed with you. 
Unfortunately the ground is saturated and I won’t be able to get the tractor back there until May. 

They suggested the following as a work around until I can get the tractor and backhoe in there.
I have a rock pile of 4” to 10” rock close to that ditch. They suggested: 
· At the road I line the front of the ditch to where the pipe starts with this rock. It’s about a 4’ length. This should help with erosion.
· Then put sand bags along the sides at the end of the pipe. The sand bags are 60lb sand tubes.
· Put the rock over and around the sandbags. 
· Use whatever rock is left to fill in the ditch on top of the gravel. That should fill in about 30’ of the ditch.
· Come summer replace the gravel with large rock.

Hopefully this will work for the winter.

When I filled in the ditch with gravel, I didn’t fill it in completely to the top of the ditch. I was going to do some landscaping around it and had an accident and didn’t get back to it.

I've got a couple of more ditches to dig next summer so I'll plan on doing those with large rock also.

Thank you both for your help!
Jaylyn


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