Field ditching

[doobin]

Gentlemen,

 

I am in the process of digging new ditched on a clients field.

 

I have surveyed the runs with a laser level, and plotted this on a spreadsheet, giving an accurate graph of the ups and downs (and there are a few!) From this I can see where to put outlets.

 

Question- I understand that a field ditch should have a fall somewhere in the region of 0.5%? If this is the case (and please correct me if you think this is too much/too little) then does that mean a uniform trench with a constant fall of 0.5%? Or, as I presume, so long as the fall between the highest point and the outlet is 0.5% overall (assuming no high ground in the middle of run), is that OK?

 

My head is hurting!

[csservices]

Never got that technically involved usually dig them at a constant depth follwing the natural fall of the field and if its wet enough to need ditching/draining the ground water will show you if you've got the fall right

[doobin]

Never got that technically involved usually dig them at a constant depth follwing the natural fall of the field and if its wet enough to need ditching/draining the ground water will show you if you've got the fall right

 

Field is very much up and down but multiple outlets should sort that.

 

So you're saying option B, as long as the fall is there overall it's all OK?

[ballibeg]

Thought you needed license to dig ditches? I got told off for not having license to place spoil from ditches I was maintaining back on field.

 

Think the young guy was giving me grief because I was giving him grief about his civil servant produce nothing charge the earth attitude. I was digging a ditch and why my taxes needed to pay for him to roll up and question an agriculture activity centuries old I have no idea.

 

Dave

[SteveA]

I say dig it until it looks about right, let it rain, fine tune. A bit of water sitting in the bottom doesn't do any harm.... let it pool where it wants and it will eventually level itself out. Leave the ditch for long enough and it will be like ours (completely infilled; a non-ditch).

[SteveA]

Thought you needed license to dig ditches?

 

Dave

 

Yes, definitely need this in place.

[Justme]

You dont need a licence to dig the ditch.

 

You need an exception certificate to spread the spoil on the land.

[SteveA]

You dont need a licence to dig the ditch.

You need an exception certificate to spread the spoil on the land.

 

Yes, it's an "Agricultural Waste Exemption" under the environmental permitting (England & Wales) regulation 2010.

 

I think all new registrations have to be in by the end of October 2013 otherwise they send the waste police around..... if you've been really bad they might compost you!

 

The worst one is that if you cut a piece of wood and want to turn it into a walking stick then you have to have a permit (i kid you not).... it's called "use of waste to manufacture finished goods U9 but you are only allowed to use 100 tons of wood to make crooks or walking sticks".

[agg221]

Useful heads up, thanks, as I need to re-dig the ditches on the field we're buying.

 

Looks like you need exemptions U1 (using soil for the purposes of landscaping), U10 and D1 to cover anything you might want to do with dredgings.

 

Takes less than 5mins to register them too - details here:

 

Environment Agency - Farm exemptions

 

video here:

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBeoqD3jqGc&list=UU8XLubOua8P9B1hT0Qb5Tbg]Registering online for your agricultural waste exemptions as a Sole Trader/Individual - YouTube[/ame]

[hedgesparrow]

normal is a 1 in 6 fall so with a level if you just dig and so far along check what the bottom of ditch was when you started if its lower than the hight at start it should run. or put in drainage pipe covered in teram water goes in pipe and runs to end into channel or stream. no ditches around so whole field can be used