Water Management

A few months ago, I had a question on the blog about water management. Since our farm is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, we have very hilly land. I never realized how important water management would be, especially since there is a creek running through our property that is shared with other farmers.

When our driveway was designed, my husband knew that water management would be key to managing erosion. It was also necessary for preventing our driveway from washing away (which has almost happened on several occasions). Our driveway is 4/10 of a mile long and is not flat in any one place. This has made it necessary for us to install pipes. The pipe in this photo is metal and 16" wide. We have tried plastic pipes, but they tend to collapse easier than the metal. When the trenches were dug on the side of the road, we added different types and sizes of rock. The rock in this photo is called 'rip rap', a rather large rock that generally does not wash away during those severe thunderstorms.

Occasionally the rocks cannot hold back the water and maintenance on pipe cleaning takes place. In the 3 years since we've been in our house, this will be the first year that pipe maintenance is necessary.