14th ditch root excavations

Today Alistair and myself tackled the increasing problem of root development inside the 14th ditch pipework leading to the 14th pond. Over a number of years willow roots from a nearby tree has infested their way into the pipework blocking flow of water from the 14th ditch into the pond. The slow moving water has caused issues further down the pipe. The water flow was slow and stagnant and given all the recent rainfall, water levels in the ditch were high, causing the banks of the ditch to be soft and very difficult to cut.

We estimated the roots had grown around 6 meters up the pipe, causing issues. The only way to solve the problem was to remove the effected pipework. Work began removing the pipes from the pond end.

Once the first sections of pipework were removed it was evident how bad the roots problem was.

After around 6 meters the roots were still blocking the base of the pipework so we had to continue to excavate out the pipe sections until all of the roots were removed.

It wasnt until we had removed 12 meters of pipework that all the roots were removed, once we had cleared them the water level in the ditch dropped around 8 inches, this will help dry up the surrounding banks and ensure water flow remains constant in the ditch.

When we have time we will excavate the remaining soil to enlarge the pond, this area will be GUR until this time.