Highschool Baseball Field Drainage 2

[GoldDredger]

Part of my grading plan will be the design of a baseball and softball field for a new high school.

The infield scratch surface will grade away from the mound, both towards the dugouts and backstop. However, I am not sure how to collect the drainage from that point.

The dugouts and grandstand will both be on concrete at grade. If I don't drain the infield over the dugout and grandstand, somehow I need to pick up this drainage from the mound.

I was thinking perhaps an interceptor drain along the interface of infield and dugout/grandstand concrete. I imagine perf pipe with course rock backfill to the finished grade. From there, towards outfield and other site drainage

Anyone have an idea or experience with draining the inside perimeter of the infield.

It seems a width of rock at surface along this area might be problematic or unsightly.

The site is mosly clay, so I don't expect much infiltration. A prefab trech drain slots would be too wide, and would collect the infield scratch material.

 

[RWF7437]

There are many ways to do this. I've done several, including a minor league field using 6-inch sub-drains arrayed in a herringbone pattern directed to the fence in centerfield. Finished grading is almost always done with imported topsoil. Look out for comflicts with the irrigation lines.

With careful grading and topsoil you can get grades as flat as 0.50%. Also, you can use warning track areas to good advantage as collection areas. Steeper grades on warning tracks also serve as a reminder to fielders that they are approaching the fences.

Go look at a few good examples in your area and talk to the people who groom these fields.

I grew up on Chicago playing on 30' wide City streets and alleys with manhole covers for bases so don't go by me.

good luck.

Yours in Baseball,

Russ

 

[bimr]

The document in the link below shows some typical drainage diagrams. Pipe drains and/or strip drains are normally used around the perimeter of the field.

http://www.fielderschoiceinc.com/Field-Construction-Services/Baseball-Fields/

Baseball and Softball Fields: Design, Construction, Renovation, and Maintenance.
Puhalla, Jim; Krans, Jeff; Goatley, Mike
(John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ , 2003)

Offers guidelines, specifications, and tips for the creation, reconstruction, maintenance, and management of baseball and softball facilities. Stadium and field design, fences, dugouts, bullpens, irrigation and drainage, soil selection, turf management, field aesthetics, renovation, and skinned-area maintenance are covered, along with material w ith material addressing growing zones and seasons in North America. 240p.

ISBN-9780471447931

http://www.amazon.com/Baseball-Softball-Fields-Construction-Maintenance/dp/0471447935

 

[Ron]

As a former player, I hated muddy dugouts and sloppy areas around the batter's box/backstop area!

Underdrains work fine, just make sure you use a double filtration method (perforated pipe wrapped in sock plus fairly large volume trench wrapped in filter fabric (geotextile). The trench cross section should be at least 4x the pipe diameter (no reference on that..just what I use when I design underdrains)

Since you have clayey soils in your area, be sure to select a filter fabric that will prevent passage of most of such materials.

 

[cvg]

be careful with the filter fabric. if you are trapping that much silt on the fabric, you may clog it - preventing drainage. it might be better to use a sand and gravel mixture which is graded to provide a filter match to the surrounding soil. then no fabric necessary. Gravel filter design can be done using USACE methods, see reference.

(per EM 1110-2-1901, Appendix D)

 

[BigH]

Years ago, I was able to find information from some organization in Washington State that was regarding the design of sand playing fields. We used it on a job in the Vancouver area of BC - worked fine. Try googling sand playing fields - they had a manual, gradation requirements, spacing of drains, etc. Remember, you can't have too much crown - Also, why not calling one of the Boussard Brothers - Cleveland/White Sox (if I remember correctly) and ask them. They are/were undoubtedly the best groundskeepers in baseball.

 

[BigH]

http://www.amazon.com/Baseball-Softball-Fields-Construction-Maintenance/dp/0471447935

- see the table of contents. The second chapter appears to be all about drainage.

 

[civilperson]

Replace all the top clay with a sandy loam for better drainage.