Sediment Capture Research

By James Hoorman, Hoorman Soil Health Services

Dr Jon Witter, Ohio State University water management specialist shared research on how farmers and landowners may capture sediment in runoff, reducing water quality problems.  Dr. Witter has been conducting long-term research on two-stage ditches and several other ditch modifications for several years.  He found ways to capture sediment that save landowners money on clean out, are faster, more convenient, and are over all cheaper to maintain.

A typical man-made ditch in Ohio is called a trapezoidal ditch with 3:1 side slope which is common throughout Ohio. The bottom is flat, and the sides are fairly steep.   Northwest Ohio has at least 10,000 miles of these ditches.  When they were constructed to drain the drain the black swamp, the spoils were used to make roads.  Often, steep trapezoidal ditches are located next to roads.  They tend to erode, and they tend to fill up with sediment and nutrients from runoff. … Continue reading