Water Drainage Systems (Essay Sample)

Water Drainage Techniques, Materials, Processes and Maintenance
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Proper water drainage to remove excess water is important in controlling the water-related diseases. In contrast, poor water drainage destroys property and homes. Nijland, Croon, and Ritzema (2005) contend that the water collecting outside homes causes many problems. Hence, it is important to use excellent water drainage techniques to avoid unprecedented damages of property and homes. The conventional drainage techniques include surface, horizontal subsurface, and vertical subsurface. Fundamentally, the construction of the drainage systems utilizes block stone as the main material. In this respect, the nature of the block stone affects the style of the constructed drainage systems. Thus, the block stone should have the right quality. In addition, the maintenance of the drainage systems is critically important. This paper discusses the water drainage techniques, materials, processes, and maintenance.
The conventional drainage techniques used to drain excess water include vertical subsurface, horizontal subsurface, and surface drainage. Nijland, Croon, and Ritzema (2005) argue that surface drainage involves getting rid of excess of water on the soil to avoid unnecessary flooding. The technique entails digging of the open drains and trenches. Similarly, engineers construct beds and broad-based ridges. Then, the water is discharged via depressions between the beds. A research by Hanson and Ayars indicates that surface drainage removes excess water in heavy soils that have poor infiltration capacity. Hanson and Ayars (2002) assert that the surface drainage technique is crucial in permeable soils, which have shallow groundwater table. The common materials used in surface drainage are block stones, drain pipes, and gravel. The stone is important in connecting drainage pipes to the permeable layers of the soil (Nijland, Croon, and Ritzema, 2005). Likewise, gravel is used to prevent soil particles from entering the drain pipes. Thus, it is essential to choose quality materials for surface drainage technique.
Vertical subsurface drainage entails the use of pumped boreholes to remove groundwater. Essentially, a network of piped drains is used in vertical subsurface drainage. A study by Valipour shows that a network of pumped wells maintains low water tables. The vertical subsurface technique is limited to irrigated lands. Valipour (2012) contends that the installation of the drain pipes facilitates the removal of underground water. Engineers argue that the drain pipes should be installed well in order to intercept adequate ground water. It is worth noting that pipes are the main materials used in vertical subsurface drainage technique. In essence, vertical subsurface drainage technique is suitable for draining the underground water.
Horizontal subsurface drainage removes water from the underground. The field drains are either open ditches or many pipes installed in horizontal format below the surface. Basically, the horizontal subsurface drainage is used to claim waterlogged and saline lands in irrigated, as well as semi-arid regions (Valipour, 2012). The drainage maintains favorable long-term water and salt balances in the crop root zones. In addition, the technique is effective in controlling the rise of groundwater tables. Such control is essential in productive agriculture.
The maintenance of drainage systems is important. The drain outlets should be regularly cleaned using drain jetters. Jetters contain high pressure that flushes any kind of dirt from the drain pipes (Nijland, Croon, and Ritzema, 2005). Essentially, the jetters remove sediments, iron deposits, and any dirt from the drain pipes. Engineers recommend the use of un-perforated plastic pipes on the ends of drain pipes to protect the outlets from unneces...