Do you have sufficient outlet for drainage water movement? It’s a key question every farmer needs to ask before they start tiling land.
On this episode of Talking Tile, Land Improvement Contractors of Ontario consultant Sid Vander Veen shares why it’s important for farmers to ensure they have a place where they can discharge tile drainage systems before they call a tile drainage contractor and get the equipment in the field.
“It’s a case of putting that tile into a place where it’s going to discharge safely,” says Vander Veen. “If you don’t have your outlet, it’s like building a farm laneway that leads nowhere — it’s kind of pointless.”
In the video, Vander Veen digs into the different aspects of sufficient outlet. The first thing to consider is capacity. He says farmers need to ask whether the place where they’re planning to discharge the tile drainage system actually has the capacity to handle the flows.
“For example, if you’re planning to put in an eight-inch main, and you’re going to connect it to a four-inch lateral, it’s not a sufficient outlet,” says Vander Veen. (Story continues after the video.)
The second thing farmers have to consider is whether it’s legal to drain their land. Vander Veen says it’s a common misconception that property owners, including farmers, believe that their land has the right to drain. “There are only certain property owners that have the right to drain, and that is landowners abutting the natural watercourse, or if you have a municipal drain on your property, or if you have a mutual agreement drain that is a shared agreement. Otherwise, properties do not have the right of drainage.”
Vander Veen discusses what happens when drains get blocked, including who’s responsible for cleaning them out. He also shares tips on how farmers can best connect to their municipal drainage system.
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