Drainage issue

Field east

I have a 20 acre beside a river . The river bank is high but every four or five yrs the river overflows bank and floods the field in parts. About half the field gets flooded.the water in the field is trapped when the river level drops. There is one point where a two foot drain could be dug over about 5 yards to drain off the water - but the river could come back up the drain unless a one way flap valve is fitted. If I could drain off the water I could stretch the grazing season by about one and half months. Has anyone out there had experience of fitting flap or similar valves and where can they be sourced? Any guidance/ information would be appreciated

patsy_mccabe

Around here they are called sluice gates. The OPW fitted them on all the streams and drains flowing into Shannon estuary. When the tide comes in the gates close. Tide goes out, gates open again. They are just non return valves. Hinge is metal but flap is timber. Pipe is concrete.

Say my name

Would the non return valves on a sewage pipe do?
A 4 inch or 6 inch pipe would move some amount of water too.
I'd imagine you'd have to concrete in around the the pipes at the valves to hold them in place.

https://goo.gl/images/c3dDAw

Field east

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Around here they are called sluice gates. The OPW fitted them on all the streams and drains flowing into Shannon estuary. When the tide comes in the gates close. Tide goes out, gates open again. They are just non return valves. Hinge is metal but flap is timber. Pipe is concrete.

I appreciate the two replies posted. I have googled 'flap valves' , ' one way valves' etc but nothing came up re photos, dimensions, etc. Your post gave me an idea. Which is as follows :- fit a heavy duty iron band tightly around a 9 inch concrete pipe and close to one end of it. . Then weld an iron bracket onto it and weld a hinge onto that. The hinge will have your timber flap secured to it . I might find some material that will fit to the timber to improve the seal between the timber and the concrete pipe.

Genghis Cant

Field east wrote: »

I have a 20 acre beside a river . The river bank is high but every four or five yrs the river overflows bank and floods the field in parts. About half the field gets flooded.the water in the field is trapped when the river level drops. There is one point where a two foot drain could be dug over about 5 yards to drain off the water - but the river could come back up the drain unless a one way flap valve is fitted. If I could drain off the water I could stretch the grazing season by about one and half months. Has anyone out there had experience of fitting flap or similar valves and where can they be sourced? Any guidance/ information would be appreciated

Is the river tidal?
If not I can't see a valve working. Unless I'm taking it up wrong, would the level of the river not prevent any water exiting the valve. If it does its too high to drain away. If the water level is sufficiently low to allow the flooded area to drain via the dug drainage channel there's no need for a valve as river is below it, and it'll drain away itself.
Maybe I'm reading totally wrong.

Field east

Genghis Cant wrote: »

Is the river tidal?
If not I can't see a valve working. Unless I'm taking it up wrong, would the level of the river not prevent any water exiting the valve. If it does its too high to drain away. If the water level is sufficiently low to allow the flooded area to drain via the dug drainage channel there's no need for a valve as river is below it, and it'll drain away itself.
Maybe I'm reading totally wrong.

Definately not tidal. If it rains heavily upriver , and in the rivers catchment area for a few days , the field gets flooded. This might happen two or three times a year. The water rises to overflow the bank that surrounds the field and the said water is then trapped when the river level drops. It only leaves the field by soakage. If a channel - 5 yards long and one and half foot deep in my case- was dug it will completely drain the field but if a flap valve or sluice gate is not fitted the area will flood again when the river rises. The job to solve it really a micro job re effort and financial outlay. I hav'nt seen it done anywhere and was just wondering if any landowner out there has some experience of what I am trying to achieve including photos , dimensions of mechanism used , etc

Mooooo

May be a bit extreme but can you change the fall of the field?

patsy_mccabe

I don't think you need a flap valve. It it only happens 2 /3 times a year, then use a simple shut-off valve. Just open and close it then when needed. Flap valves can get lodged open with debris and also need a large head (height) of water to keep them closed.

Field east

Mooooo wrote: »

May be a bit extreme but can you change the fall of the field?

Not really. But the area that is still flooded after the river has receded could have the shallow parts filled in with top soil. That would aid the flow of water into the deeper areas of the trapped water and if relieved by a channel will bring the top soiled area into production quicker. I suppose that this is a way of micro- managing the fall in the field

Field east

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

I don't think you need a flap valve. It it only happens 2 /3 times a year, then use a simple shut-off valve. Just open and close it then when needed. Flap valves can get lodged open with debris and also need a large head (height) of water to keep them closed.

Good points. For me , it would be down to personal preference. The flap would need less attention once it is checked just before a flood is expected - to make sure it is closed. If I go for the flap I would put a small counter balance on the flap door to keep it closed -

patsy_mccabe

I'll get a pic of the sluice gate near me, the next time I am down in the area.
This is a pic of the inlet side of the concrete pipe. Pipe is full covered in the pic. The tidal water can come right up to the top of the earthen bank on the other side.

patsy_mccabe

This is a side on view. The valve is right under the metal frame to the right of the gate. I'll have to time my trip with low tide.:rolleyes:

Rushy Fields

http://www.svrplastics.co.uk/pages/pre-fabricated-flap-valves1


Depending on the pipe. you could use a headwall and a heavy cast iron flapvalve not a cheap solution....