Issues and Answers

Document
Description
Agricultural drainage is the use of surface ditches, subsurface permeable pipes, or both, to remove standing or excess water from poorly drained lands. During the late 1800s, European settlers in the Upper Midwest began making drainage ditches and channelizing (straightening and reshaping) streams to carry water from the wet areas of their farms to nearby streams and rivers. Later, farmers increased drainage by installing subsurface drainage pipes generally at a depth of three to six feet. Until the 1970s, most subsurface drainage pipes were made from short, cylindrical sections of concrete or clay called "tile." That is why terms like tile, tile drainage, and tiling are still used, even though most drainage pipe today is perforated polyethylene tubing. When installing a subsurface drainage system, pipes are either strategically placed in a field to remove water from isolated wet areas or installed in a pattern to drain an entire field. In some areas, surface inlets or intakes (risers extended from underground pipes to the surface) remove excess surface water from low spots in fields.
Date Issued
2002 (year uncertain)
Number of Pages
8
Decade
Publisher
University of Minnesota Extension (St. Paul, Minnesota)
Rights Holder
Minnesota Water Research Digital Library
Rights Management
Creative Commons