Here comes the rain again
- col-karen-gotter
- February 19, 2019
- 1308
It seems like the weather this year is having a tough time making up its mind about what season we’re in. I’ve never really liked roller-coasters, and that’s exactly what the past few weeks have felt like.
Despite the unpredictability of our forecasts, we know spring will be here soon. And as much as we are all craving the return of longer days and warmer temps, we can trust that between now and summer there’s going to be a lot of water to deal with.
Here’s what you can be doing to be proactive about managing the inevitable runoff:
Take inventory of problem spots. Where are stream banks slumping, culverts filling up or ground that is bare of vegetation? Are there trees down across a creek or even just a large limb starting to catch sticks and washed-out debris?
Pay close attention to the deposition of stone and sediment in a sandbar that might cause the stream to move from its traditional flowpath. If you notice there are creeks that have started to meander and are now threatening roads or buildings, washing out fence posts, or causing water to back up in new spots, please contact a local official before it causes bigger problems.
Our office is happy to connect you to the proper person if you don’t know who else to contact, but your township trustees are a great place to start. When the ground is frozen, get equipment to clear logjams and snags and remove the detritus while staying on the banks.
This is not only safer than entering the streambed, but also is within good Army Corps practices and requires no notification or permit from them or the EPA. Keep the floodplains clear of logs, tree tops and anything that can be picked up and carried into the channel in order to prevent future backups and flooding.
If you do have questions about working in or around your streams, try calling the Army Corps of Engineers at 330-343-3613. If you stockpile manure, stay away from stream channels and out of floodplains.
A 300-foot setback is a good rule of thumb for stockpiled manure, but there are other stipulations found in the Natural Resources Conservation Service “Manure Job Sheet” that we would be happy to share with you if you have questions about your situation.
For winter manure spreading, NRCS recommendations advise solid manure should be limited to 5 tons per acre and liquid at 5,000 gallons per acre on slopes of less than 6 percent.
Two-hundred feet is the set-back requirement for ditches, streams and creeks, but pay attention to waterways or swales in a field that could receive manure-contaminated runoff and plan your applications accordingly.
Remember to prioritize any manure spreading on a field with a growing crop, and on some of these surprisingly warm winter days, hay fields and winter-hardy cover crops are probably growing more than we think. They will be able to store those nutrients and put them to good use this spring.
Pasture and buffers: Think about frost seeding soon in pastures that have been overgrazed or on grassy areas that have a thin stand or few legumes. Clovers are good candidates for frost seeding to get early growth, but if a clover isn’t a good fit for your site, at least plan for a planting as early as temperatures allow.
The earlier the seed can be planted, the sooner they can start putting down roots, holding soil in place, and reducing both mud and compaction issues. Plan for future work. Identify those areas that need stabilized but are not in immediate danger of collapsing or threatening infrastructure.
These spots would be great candidates for us to visit, where we can help brainstorm or make recommendations to shore them up. “Soft” engineered practices such as a revetment using old Christmas trees or fascines made from willow or dogwood stakes are inexpensive to implement, require no permits from the Army Corps or EPA, make excellent service projects for groups interested in helping their local landscapes, and most of all can be more effective in protecting vulnerable streambanks from collapsing than “hard” measures.
However, the best things we can be doing to reduce flooding are those practices that require the most patience: increasing organic matter levels in all of our soils, not just our agricultural fields; planting trees, not just where they are convenient or pretty; and allowing certain streams to flood in places so they may recover their natural geometry, which is a long-lasting and more stable system.
One last thing to remember about waterways on your property is this: If you want to treat it like a ditch, it must be maintained as a ditch. If you cannot commit to constant review, maintenance, repair and expenses of a ditch, then you must allow it to be a stream, which means accepting a certain degree of meandering and flooding, which is the natural behavior for a waterway.
This is why prior planning before constructing buildings, placing culverts or installing new landscaping is a must and will save you a lot of time, money and regret from coming back later and trying to find a solution.
Our office likely won’t have all the answers, but we are willing to help be part of the process.