Drain Tile Recommendations for a Swamped Hay Field

[emilynhc23]

Hello helpful humans,

I am looking for advice on how to install drain tile (corrugated, perforated drainage pipe) in approximately 2 acres of swamped hay field. The section of field produces hay, but we cannot get equipment on it since it is so wet. The ranch is in Colorado and there are no people in my area that typically install hay field drainage since it is a minimal problem in this region. The ranch is associated with a small construction company that can complete the work, but we just don't want to install the drainage wrong. Questions are 1) What are the benefits of using 4" pipe vs 6" pipe and vice versa? 2) How far apart from each other do the drain tile sections need to be for even drainage? 3) What is the recommended depth for drainage? - we are thinking 3ft with a slope of 2%, but that is just from internet research and no real experience. Any help or recommendations would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance for any suggestions!

 

[zelgar]

You probably should contact your local soil conservation services as they may be able to help you a lot with this or the NRCS. The NRCS may be able to assist with the design.
1. Your 6" pipe will be able to drain more liquid than a 4" pipe.
2. I think it's typically 300' apart, but it will be dependent on your soils and seasonal high-water table (SHWT).
3. Typically 3' below ground. It all depends on the root depth of your crops and the SHWT. Note: sometimes you may wish to have an adjustable output so you can retain water in the soil during dryer periods.

There's also this field tile calculator:

https://www.prinsco.com/resources/drainage-calculator-by-acreage/