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How to drain a swamp in a dacha or the area around it? What does draining swamps lead to? What methods exist to drain a swamp?

Land drainage consists of removing excess water from the soil to improve its water-air regime, to ensure active microbiological processes in order to mineralize accumulated plant residues of swamp vegetation. Lands on which the peat layer exceeds 30 cm are classified as swamps, and those with a smaller layer thickness are classified as wetlands.

In swamps and wetlands, as a result of excess moisture and lack of oxygen, many harmful compounds are formed for plants and increased acidity soil. On these soils, marsh vegetation grows in its natural state - sedge, mosses, reeds, etc.

There are lowland swamps that are fed by river, groundwater and surface wastewater. The reaction of their mass is slightly acidic, neutral, and sometimes alkaline. Raised bogs have an acidic environment. In water mode they main role play precipitation. Without radical improvement, such lands are unsuitable for active use in agriculture.

Sources of excess moisture in swamps can be: precipitation in quantities exceeding evaporation; surface water that flows from adjacent slopes; spring and summer flood waters; groundwater that occurs at shallow depths in the soil. When draining these lands, the following main tasks arise: to protect the drained areas from the influx of surface and groundwater from the outside; reduce groundwater levels. To solve these problems, drainage systems are built.

Drying system- this is a complex of hydraulic and engineering structures located on the drained territory to drain excess surface and ground water. A properly constructed drainage system should provide: optimal water-air regime in the area where plant root systems are located and the possibility of (free) accessible regulation; possibility of carrying out early dates sowing work; accessibility to the use of a variety of agricultural machinery and the possibility of transporting crops from the drained area.

The drying system includes: drained territory, a reservoir into which excess water is discharged (lake, river, flowing ponds, individual reservoirs and other places); water drainage system of channels with hydraulic and road structures.

Based on the methods of drainage (removal) of excess water collected by the drainage network from the reclaimed territory, drainage systems are divided into three types: gravity, machine and mixed.

On gravity systems, the most common in Ukraine, water from the drainage system flows (discharged) into water intakes by gravity.

In machine systems, water from the drained system is discharged to the water intake using pumping stations. Such systems are built when the water level in the water intake is higher than the water level in the main canal.

Mixed drainage systems are constructed where the water level in the receiving water body changes dramatically throughout the year.

IN dry years sometimes on drained lands there is not enough water for plants during the growing season. In this regard, double-action drainage systems are now being built: when there is an excess of water in the soil, it is discharged, and when there is a shortage, it is brought into the root layer of the soil. Such a system is called drainage and irrigation.

For the first time in our country, the Irpen drainage and irrigation system was built in Ukraine.

By type, drainage systems are open, closed and combined.

Drainage by open canals is carried out by a network of canals created on drained meadows and pastures to accelerate the removal of spring melt or summer storm water, the accumulation of which leads to swamping of the territory and the death of natural economically valuable vegetation. Observations have established (Academician A.I. Kostyakov) that the permissible duration of flooding of plants by flood waters in the spring is 20-25 days for hayfields, and up to 36 hours during the full growing season. For vegetable crops The duration of flooding is only 5-6 hours.

Open channels are laid in the form of a sparse (every 300-600 m) network, as well as separate temporary or permanent ditches. Their depth can be from 1 to 3 m, depending on the need for depth to lower the groundwater level, the purpose of the canal, the nature of swamping (surface or groundwater), the properties of the rock underlying the peat, the drainage rate and other reasons.

The drying norm is considered(called) the depth of groundwater, which provides the moisture in the root layer of soil necessary to obtain high yields of agricultural crops. It should be considered as the depth of groundwater, which makes it possible to obtain highest yields agricultural crops.

The rate of drainage, as well as soil moisture, varies depending on the characteristics of the soil, time of year, weather conditions, depending on the type of plants and their growing season. Thus, at the beginning of field work, the drainage rate should be such that soil cultivating and sowing units can move freely across the fields and create favorable conditions for seed germination and emergence of crop seedlings. During this period, according to the Ukrainian Research Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Land Reclamation, the optimal groundwater levels, depending on weather conditions, are 50-70 cm. Later, with the growth of plants and their root systems, for example, for grain crops and perennial grasses the drainage rate is 70-90 cm, and for sugar beets - 115-130 cm.

Cost-effectiveness of open channels is that their creation does not require large expenditures and they are distinguished by their simplicity of construction, which can be completely mechanized. Their disadvantage is that a significant part of the area (10-15%) on which a uniform network of canals is located is excluded from economic use, and the network itself divides the field into parts that make it difficult to use high-performance equipment. In addition, in this area it is necessary to build various types of bridges, crossings, passages, passages for equipment, passages for animals, which requires corresponding operating costs. Therefore, to the extent possible, open channels are replaced with closed drainage.

Drainage (English drain - drain, drain) is a system of underground drains (pipes, cracks, passages in the ground), as well as open channels for draining water from the soil. Closed drainage helps to increase the use of land, eliminate the breeding grounds of weeds, and improve the conditions for mechanization of work. This type of drainage is more durable, causes less costs for the construction of transitions and repairs open system, helps to increase soil fertility, agricultural culture, increase labor productivity and reduce production costs.

Drainage can be trench or trenchless. Trench drainage includes pottery, plastic, wood, stone, gravel, fascine and others, and trenchless drainage includes mole and slot.

Trench drainage Most often used to drain excessively moist mineral soils. The most famous and more common are pottery and plastic drains. In forest areas and peat bogs, wooden drainage is used from boards, poles, fascines - bundles of brushwood (small branches or willow grass) tied with wire with a diameter of 20-30 cm. When constructing trench drainage, a trench is laid in which pottery or other drains are laid to the appropriate depth. Taking into account the largest mass of plant root systems in the soil, the depth of the drains also depends on the depth of freezing of the soil and soil.

Trenchless drainage It is also used primarily for draining deep peat bogs and heavy mineral soils.

Mole drainage- this is a system of molehills, pipe-like holes with a diameter of 6-10 cm, made by a special tool at a depth of 40-70 cm. The working parts of this tool, called a plow, are knives and a drainer - a steel cylinder pointed at the front with an increased diameter at its end. A knife is attached to the plow body, which forms a gap, and a drain, attached by a cable to the bottom of the knife at the required depth, forms a drain (molehole) with compacted walls when the tool moves. The formation of drains begins with an open channel into which water will subsequently flow from them.

The distance between drains depends on the soil characteristics. On mineral soils they are laid at a distance of 2-10 m, and on peaty soils - 10-20 m from one another with an inclination towards the collector.

Slot drainage is used on compacted, weakly decomposed peatlands, as well as on swamps with buried (hidden) trees from felling using drainage-slot tools, which make deep (0.9-1.5 m) slits-drains about 12 cm wide. At the top of the crack covered and compacted with rollers.

Methods of drying

Agriculture develops successfully when the moisture level does not exceed the required norm. Excess water from the site is well removed by drainage.

There are the following methods for draining a swamp:

Open. To accomplish this, network channels are laid across swampy area. The main and gross channels are connected to the main channel. They connect with each other. The main importance is played by the central channel, from which water flows beyond the boundaries of the site.
Closed. It is characterized by drainage. Special attention need to be given to the planning and placement of slopes. Pipes made of cast iron, asbestos, and plastic are best suited for drainage.
Combined. It is performed by combining two methods and is especially popular in dacha-type plots. In this case, heavy soil is selected before the groundwater begins, after which the area is filled using loose soil with a suitable composition.

Instructions for draining the swamp

Before starting work, it is necessary to establish the cause of the waterlogging. Therefore, a site survey should be carried out. After which a three-dimensional plan is drawn up, according to which the swamp is drained.

Many people are interested in the question of how to drain a swamp on their own. If you follow these tips, everything will turn out in better quality:

Sand or other type of soil will not help solve the problem of draining the swamp

The main thing that determines the result of choosing to dry your area is the drying method. You should not settle for the cheapest method; it can cause harm rather than benefit. Especially when it comes to peat areas. Therefore, there is no need to pour sand or other type of soil onto the swamp. The problem will not be solved this way.
First you need to dig trenches, the slope of which is done in one direction. It digs deep into groundwater. In addition, the trenches have closed systems. The bottom is covered with crushed stone. After that, pipes with a drainage system with open holes are placed in them.
Construction of drainage is the most effective method to dry out the swamp. The most popular are systems made with layers or slots. It is better to use a proven method rather than backfill the soil. This choice can be costly.
Decorative ponds have a good drainage effect. According to the laws of physics, moisture accumulation occurs only in the lake, after which it evaporates.
The problem can be partially solved by planting trees. Moisture is drawn into tree species in different ways. So, moisture from the birch evaporates through the leaves. Therefore, you can notice dry soil around it. When planting a birch tree on dry soil, you can observe that nothing grows around it. Wetlands are well suited for adaptation of rose hips and dwarf willow. Plants having root system, which develops in the upper part of the earth is also suitable for such a site.

Draining a swamp using drainage

Doing drainage on the site with your own hands will give reliability and confidence. You won't need any special difficulties. How is the drainage system performed? A trench is dug, the width of which should reach up to half a meter. The depth is affected by groundwater. In order for moisture removal to be successful, you need to make a slope of at least one centimeter per linear meter.

Ruberoid is necessary to create waterproofing

The bottom of the trench is covered with brushwood. After this, waterproofing should be done. For this, ordinary roofing material is used. It can be used either used or new.

Next, dry grass is placed. It takes a lot, so it needs to be mowed. To avoid having to fight wild grasses, you should mow them before they bloom and have seeds. It is important to remember that the grass must be dried. It is filled with dry fine peat. Then the soil dug up earlier is poured into the ditch. When filling ditches, you should carefully compact everything that is there. As a result of such actions, there will be almost no excess soil.

It happens that the drainage area can be covered with mounds. Their comparison with the ground will take place after the rains. They will shrink a little and the surface will be leveled. This helps the owner to make his work easier and get rid of adding soil.

An unnatural drainage system reduces the amount of groundwater, rids the soil of methane, and makes it loose.

This is only the first part of the work. The second involves annual digging of the soil, done manually. For large areas, motor cultivators are used. In addition, sand and clay should be used when digging. They compact peat deposits. The soil also requires mineral fertilizers.

If you follow the recommendations, the result will be an excellent plot of land. For those who love originality, you can eliminate the swamp by transforming it into a pond. It is necessary to deepen the required area, strengthening the banks of the pond, and improve the surrounding area.

More than 10% of Russia's territory is occupied by swamps. We can say that this is one of the main natural indicators of the country. But whether swamps are wealth, and whether draining swamps makes sense, we will consider in this article.

It would seem like a complete benefit

Russia is a huge country with big amount population. And this population needs to be fed. And, if the degree of swampiness in some areas is more than 30%, where can we get fertile soil for crops? This is one of the main goals of such a phenomenon as draining swamps. It is known that swamps cover flat areas that are most suitable for creating meadows and arable lands. The same applies to forest areas. In wetlands, the forest practically does not grow, and if it does, then it is impossible to use this wood, since it is difficult to extract and export.

The second reason justifying the drainage of forest swamps is fires. Everyone has already realized how dangerous burning peat becomes. A swamp is formed by overgrowing a reservoir. At first, the main vegetation consists of reeds and reeds, then the water stagnates and becomes covered with duckweed, and sedge and cinquefoil begin to grow. The last plant has a powerful root system and is not so easy to remove. Gradually, vegetation covers the entire water surface, and sphagnum or, in other words, peat mosses form on it. Peat is dry, its moisture content is no more than 2%, and therefore is easily flammable, but there may be many meters of water underneath it.

Now imagine that due to someone’s, often human, carelessness, a spark hits a peat mound and it catches fire. Fire on peat bogs - terrible phenomenon. Firstly, peat burns in breadth and depth, because when high temperature the water underneath begins to evaporate. Secondly, it is not possible to extinguish such a fire with conventional equipment - it simply will not penetrate into wetlands. As a result, the process becomes uncontrollable and brings multimillion-dollar losses to the country.

Draining swamps is a violation of the ecological balance

However, draining swamps also has a negative side. Along with obtaining high-quality fuel, which is peat, expanding fertile lands and forests, forest drainage leads to adverse environmental consequences.

Swamps are real repositories clean water. The fact is that the notorious sphagnum mosses are excellent antiseptics, and, therefore, a complete natural filter. Further, draining swamps reduces the nutrition of small animals, and, accordingly, large rivers. Fresh water, flows into the ocean and becomes salty.

Draining the forest leads to the death of vegetation that needs moisture. This primarily concerns coniferous trees, berries - cloudberries, cranberries, etc. Moreover, not only the forest in the vicinity of the drained swamps suffers, but also those located tens of kilometers away, since groundwater follows the principle of communicating vessels. As the flora of the area changes, the fauna also changes. Fish, birds, invertebrates and animals whose life depends on dying vegetation and proximity to a body of water die.

Draining the forest will have irreversible consequences if you do not approach this issue wisely. Needs to be regulated water regime, leaving ponds in the upper reaches of rivers and marshy areas in watersheds. Swamps located on sandy and sandy loam soils, as well as those on which cranberries, cloudberries, and blueberries grow, cannot be drained. It is important to preserve the swamps where they grow rare species plants, including medicinal ones, and animals.

What if we are talking about a summer cottage?

However, if we're talking about about an ordinary summer cottage in a wetland, which, after a long struggle with the management of the district, a lot of wasted money and nerves, comes to you for use, it’s even funny to talk about the dangers of drainage. It is unlikely that significant damage will be caused to the ecosystem if you drain your 6-10 acres. Especially if you do not plan to make cloudberries your main garden crop.

) 11 References 15

Introduction
It's no secret that wetlands are absolutely impossible to use in any way, and besides, a swamp can be a source of potential threats, for example, various diseases. For these reasons, people should not settle, construct structures, or establish agricultural land near wetlands. Also, do not forget that a swamp is a complex ecosystem and its drainage has an extremely negative impact on the environment. All natural processes are disrupted, which can lead to partial or complete destruction of the surrounding fauna and flora. However, draining swamps also brings undoubted benefits: the land becomes suitable for use, that is, construction can be carried out in this place, the soil is saturated with oxygen and mineralized thanks to sulfuric acid, which is obtained from the oxidation of pyrite. This creates one of the best soils for planting crops.
Drainage of swamps is usually carried out on an industrial scale, but summer residents in their garden plots also face the problem of excessive humidity and high groundwater levels. To eliminate problems of this kind, drainage systems are used.

There are three ways to drain swamps - closed, open and combined.

Swamps hinder development greenhouse effect. They, no less than forests, can be called “the lungs of the planet.” The fact is that the reaction of education organic matter from carbon dioxide and water during photosynthesis, in its overall equation, is opposite to the oxidation reaction of organic substances during respiration, and therefore, during the decomposition of organic matter, carbon dioxide, previously bound by plants, is released back into the atmosphere (mainly due to the respiration of bacteria). One of the main processes that can reduce the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere is the burial of undecomposed organic matter, which occurs in swamps that form peat deposits, which are then transformed into coal. (Other similar processes are the deposition of carbonates (CaCO 3) at the bottom of reservoirs and chemical reactions flowing in the earth's crust and mantle). Therefore, the practice of draining swamps, carried out in the 19th-20th centuries, is destructive from an environmental point of view.

On the other hand, swamps are one of the sources of bacterial methane (one of the greenhouse gases) in the atmosphere. In the near future, an increase in the volume of swamp methane in the atmosphere is expected due to the melting of swamps in the permafrost region.

Swamps are natural water filters and orderlies for agroecosystems.

They grow in swamps valuable plants(blueberries, cranberries, cloudberries).

Peat is used in medicine (mud therapy), as fuel, fertilizer in agriculture, feed for farm animals, raw materials for the chemical industry.

Peat bogs serve as a source of finds for paleobiology and archeology - well-preserved plant remains, pollen, seeds, and bodies of ancient people are found in them.

For the latter, swamp ore was a source for the manufacture of iron products.

Previously, the swamp was considered a disastrous place for humans. Cattle that strayed from the herd died in the swamps. Entire villages died out due to the bites of malaria mosquitoes. The vegetation in the swamps is sparse: light green moss, small wild rosemary shrubs, sedge, heather. The trees in the swamps are stunted. Gnarled lonely pines, birches and alder thickets.

People sought to drain the “dead places” and use the land for fields and pastures.
^

Draining the swamps: full back!

("Deutsche Welle", Germany)

Draining swamps allows large areas to be brought into agricultural use, but at the same time sharply increases the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

There are few marshes left in Germany today. And once upon a time there was a lot. But then the idea of draining them and turning them into agricultural land triumphed. Only relatively recently have ecologists and biologists been able to convey to the general public that peatlands have accumulated a huge amount of carbon, which, during the process of draining the swamps, is released and goes into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide, increasing the greenhouse effect. Not to mention the fact that draining swamps leads to the disappearance of unique biotopes with their unique flora and fauna.

Therefore, today in Germany, concepts for the regeneration of previously developed peatlands are being actively developed by re-watering them and restoring the previous hydrological regime of former swamps. A number of such projects were presented at the recent annual session in Lüneburg Ecological Society.

^ Swamp VIP project

One of the projects is called VIP - but one should not think that we are talking about “a particularly important - or, if you like, a very eminent - person.” “Nothing like that! This abbreviation stands for Vorpommern-Initiative Paludikultur - that is, the West Pomeranian Wetland Reclamation Initiative. Palus is Latin for swamp,” explains Professor Michael Manthey, a plant ecologist at the University of Greifswald.

As part of this project, scientists hope to find out whether wetlands can serve as additional territory for the cultivation of industrial crops that are used as renewable energy sources and biomass. After all, today the whole world, and Germany is no exception, is experiencing an acute shortage of such resources, and experts have long puzzled over this problem. “This is the solution if the swamps are not drained. But that’s the rub,” says Professor Mantai.

^ Back to square one

The use of wetlands as hay and pasture lands has been practiced for a long time, but in this case peatlands are first drained, which is accompanied by the emission of huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. And the artificial regeneration of swamps, that is, their secondary watering, starts the process of formation of new peat, while carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is again absorbed and bound.

The only question is, can the restored swamp continue to be used for agricultural purposes? And if so, how? It is these questions that scientists are trying to answer within the framework of the VIP project: after all, in the northeast of Germany, in the territory of Vorpommern, there are a lot of eutrophic, that is, shallow, well-warmed lowland swamps, rich nutrients and fed by groundwater.

^ Reed can also be a biofuel...

The idea, in fact, boils down to cultivating plants there that naturally prefer marshy soils. “This is, first of all, an ordinary reed,” says Professor Mantai. - It is also possible that the reed canary grass would be suitable. But these can also be representatives of forest flora, that is, trees. For example, red alder. Or mixed vegetation - say, reeds and different kinds sedges."

The stems are of greatest interest to experts. Now, in particular, research is being conducted to determine how suitable cane is as a raw material for producing biofuels. “The current experiments are carried out jointly with high school in Stralsund, explains Professor Mantai. “These experiments concern not only the properties characterizing the combustion of reed, but also, say, its suitability for briquetting and granulation.”

...and as an additive to building materials

However, the possibility of using marsh grasses as an additive to building materials is also being considered, the scientist says: “Experiments are being conducted on the use of reed stems as a reinforcing filler in the production of fire-resistant wall panels for the interior decoration of buildings and premises using the dry method.”

For a long time, environmentalists have been advocating for the cessation of all agricultural activities in peat bogs. Now such activities, apparently, will help restore the swamps to their original appearance and at the same time allow the production of significant quantities of valuable plant materials.

^ There are still many unresolved issues

Biology professor Volkmar Wolters, president of the Ecological Society, explains: “Over the next 40 years we will have to increase plant biomass production by 60% compared to current levels, otherwise we will not be able to meet the needs of humanity. If we stop destroying nature through the production of biomass, if we learn, on the contrary, to regenerate it, especially such valuable biotopes as swamps, this will become a very important contribution to the general concept of nature conservation.”

However, with one caveat, adds Professor Wolters: “Measures must be taken to ensure that the agricultural use of wetlands is not too intensive. So that they don’t suddenly start introducing fertilizers or any other chemicals into the peatlands that disrupt the natural development of the swamps.”

^ What about methane?

And we still have to deal with the problem of methane, which, as is known, in the absence of oxygen is formed biogenically in waterlogged soils - it’s not for nothing that it is called swamp gas. It is necessary to compare the amount of carbon dioxide that regenerated swamps will absorb from the atmosphere with the amount of methane that the same swamps will release into the atmosphere. It is extremely important to take into account that the greenhouse activity of methane is 21 times higher than that of carbon dioxide. And if it turns out that the regeneration of swamps will ultimately cause more harm to the climate of our planet than good, then the VIP project and all other similar concepts will apparently have to be buried.

What does improper drainage of swamps lead to?

Bibliography

Great Encyclopedia of Oil and Gas http://www.ngpedia.ru/id225514p1.html
P. Vvedensky "Guide to draining and cultivating swamps"
Avakyan A. B., Shirokov V. M.: Rational use water resources: Textbook for geogr. , biol. and builds. specialist. universities - Ekaterinburg, publishing house “Victor”, 1994. - 320 p.
Karlovsky V.F.: The impact of land reclamation on the environment. In the book. Land reclamation and protection environment. Collection scientific works. - Minsk, publishing house BelNIIMiVH, 1989. 212 p.

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