Drainage Innovation
Huronview Demo Farm
77722 London Rd Clinton, ON
Installation is complete - stop by anytime to see the site!
Huronview Contoured Drainage Demo
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Field drainage improves agriculture and reduces soil erosion, but there is concern over its environmental impact. Innovations in controlled drainage design may be the key to improving rural water quality. And while controlled drainage can work on flat fields in Ontario, it hasn’t yet been installed or studied on a slope.
In mid-June 2019, Huron Soil & Crop Improvement Association installed innovative systems for side-by-side research and demonstration on 60 acres near Clinton, ON.
Subsurface: Drainage tile laterals was laid on contour across the slope with a 0.1% grade and control gates at the main, 24 gates in total. The aim is to hold water back in the tile as needed, to reduce nutrient loss and downstream flows, potentially contributing to subsurface irrigation. The water quality and flow rates will be compared with a conventional tiled and an un-tiled area.
Surface: Three contoured terraces will be built on a smaller sub-basin of the field to intercept and redirect water to a grassed waterway down to a wetland. The terraces will be broad-based to allow for regular cropping.
FARM BACKGROUND
Clinton, ON: 47 acres of rolling land owned by Huron County and rented to Huron Soil & Crop Improvement Association for 15 years in order to demonstrate best practices to improve soil and water. The field is a Harriston silt loam with 2-7% slopes, adjacent to the Bayfield River. The property currently includes 2 shallow wetlands, 2 grassed waterways and a berm/laneway. It has minimal drainage, with several springs in the field that make it difficult to farm. With several dedicated partners, including Huron County and the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority, this site is the ideal place to install and monitor innovative drainage systems!
Project Partners
This project was funded in part through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (the Partnership), a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. The Agricultural Adaptation Council assists in the delivery of the Partnership in Ontario.
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