What happens if you drain the swamp? Drainage of swamps, wetlands and excessively wet areas. Drainage using ditches

The idea of ​​restoring drained peat bogs in the Moscow region will require significant funds and gigantic volumes of water, the sources of which in the central part of Russia are limited, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Kirill Dyakonov, head of the Department of Physical Geography and Landscape Science of the Faculty of Geography of Moscow State University, told RIA Novosti.

Swamps are found in almost all natural areas and are characterized by great diversity. They differ in vegetation cover, peat deposit structure, location in the relief, as well as in water and mineral nutrition conditions.

According to one of the classifications, according to the characteristics of peat accumulation, five categories of bogs are distinguished:
- peat-free swamps, where, due to the characteristics of the natural environment, peat does not accumulate (for example, deltaic and floodplain swamps, where peat is not formed due to the drift and demolition of residues);
- thin (polygonal) bogs - peat accumulation proceeds at a slow pace; these swamps do not create their own hydrological system and microrelief;
- mosaic-focal peat bogs, where peat deposits occur unevenly over the entire area (hilly bogs of the North, ryam and flood bogs of Siberia);
- typical peat bogs (swamps in the forest zone);
- cloak peat bogs - peat accumulation occurs so intensively that it practically does not depend on relief conditions (swamps in the coastal regions of Western Europe, in a less pronounced form, the swamps of Kamchatka and Sakhalin).

Drainage of bogs leads to a change in the general hydrological regime of the territory and transforms them from ecosystems that fix carbon into territories that emit carbon dioxide during the mineralization of peat, which occurs when it dries out due to aerobic microbiological processes. Drainage caused great damage to the Non-Black Earth Region in the European part of Russia, where thousands of rivers and streams disappeared and a general drying out of the territory began, the yield of field crops and meadows decreased. In a number of cases, arable land on drained peatlands turned out to be unproductive.[...]

Drainage consists of artificially lowering the groundwater level in swamps, which leads to a change in the ratio of elements of the water balance and redistribution of runoff. This is achieved by creating artificial drainage. In the practice of reclamation work, drainage of swamps is carried out using a system of open drainage ditches or closed drains (“mole holes”). Water flowing into the swamp from the outside is intercepted by “upland” ditches. In some cases in the subtropics, the level can be reduced by planting eucalyptus trees, which have a high transpiration capacity, in combination with calmatage.[...]

Drained swamps are of great value to the national economy. Highly productive agriculture develops in drained low-lying swamps: swamps are sown with fodder, grain, vegetable crops, etc. The highest yields are obtained by creating double-action drainage systems: acting as drainage devices during periods of excess moisture and as moisturizing (irrigating) systems during periods of excess moisture. lack.[...]

Drainage of waterlogged forest lands is an effective method for increasing wood growth. However, not all wetland forests are responsive to drainage. Thus, observations in Polesie showed that it is inappropriate to drain high-moor peat bogs with pine forests growing on them. Draining transitional type swamps to grow forests provides the greatest silvicultural efficiency.[...]

After the swamps are drained, a diverse flora of capped saprophytic fungi develops on the forest floor, producing gradual mineralization of the forest floor and decomposition of the underlying layers of peat. Ultimately, this leads to the formation of very fertile soils in place of former peat bogs.[...]

However, drainage should be carried out within reasonable limits. A decrease in the groundwater level when draining swamps more than 1.5 m from the soil surface contributes to the rapid oxidation of peat and the removal of nutrients into drainage ditches. With a further decrease in their level, the root horizon becomes detached from the capillary fringe, which leads to the death of forests.[...]

Massive drainage of swamps, deforestation, changing the direction of river flow, etc. forms of anthropogenic activity have had a harmful impact on various ecological systems in the form of destruction of the stable connections that have developed in them and certain environmental characteristics of the planetary scale (for example, the ecologically stable Earth system has a constant mass and a constant average temperature) and have created the threat of global environmental disasters. [ .. .]

Protection of raised bogs. Raised bogs play an important role in maintaining the ecological balance of the environment and established natural complexes. They serve as a source of nutrition for many rivers, regulate spring flow, making floods less stormy and destructive; The spring and rainwater accumulated in them maintains the level of groundwater that feeds the surrounding fields and meadows. In addition, swamps are a habitat for game birds and animals and provide rich harvests of berries. In good years, up to 3 t/ha of cranberries, 2 t/ha of lingonberries and blueberries, and a lot of blueberries and other berries are harvested from the swamps. In monetary terms, this gives an income several times greater than arable land of the same area. For these reasons, draining swamps must be approached with extreme caution, carefully weighing the possible consequences.[...]

In a number of cases, after draining the swamps, the damage revealed turned out to be much greater than the expected positive effect, as a result of which the swamps had to be restored again, spending additional funds on this.[...]

In the presence of vivianite in drained swamps, the positive effect of phosphorus fertilizers is usually insignificant or practically absent.[...]

Massive deforestation and drainage of swamps contribute, along with the ever-increasing consumption of previously buried organic compounds, to an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere.[...]

The role of wetlands in natural balance is absolutely irreplaceable. They are important regulators of river flow, accumulating excess moisture during a flood and gradually releasing it with the onset of a dry period. Ill-considered, uncontrolled drainage of swamps often irreversibly disrupts this balance, turning water meadows into barren salt marshes and depriving arable lands of moisture.[...]

Drainage (from English - to drain) - drainage of agricultural land using special hydraulic structures (wells, canals, ditches, etc.). Drainage is used as a mandatory technical technique when draining swamps, combating water erosion of soils, protecting ground transport communications, from landslides, floods, etc. [...]

Copper fertilizers. They are used on drained swamps and peat soils for flax, hemp, and sugar beets.[...]

It is necessary to note the successes of the British in draining swamp soils and coastal lowlands. The second example of this kind (in terms of time it is the first) is Holland, where at the same time the previously carried out drainage of lakes and sea estuaries sharply intensified. Over a period of 10-15 years on the drained polder, with the use of fertilizers and alfalfa crops, soil was obtained that was “more productive than natural.” True, incredible labor was required, and the people who farmed here developed a proverb: “The first farmer dies, the second suffers, the third lives” (Bondarev, 1979, p. 52).[...]

It is most effective when fertilizing drained swamps, carbonate peat soils, and soils containing little copper. Wheat, sugar beets, sunflowers, and peas respond well to pyrite cinders. The rate of application to the soil is 5-6 c/ha. As a water-insoluble fertilizer, it is not suitable for seed treatment and foliar feeding. In Bashkiria, waste from copper smelters in the Trans-Ural region should be widely tested as copper fertilizers.[...]

DRAINAGE [fr. drainage from English drain - drain] - a method of draining waterlogged lands by draining surface and ground water (so-called drainage water) using special ditches and underground pipes - drain. D. is used in draining swamps, combating water erosion of soils, protecting land transport communications from landslides, floods, etc.; in the southern regions - for desalinization of saline soils. ECOLOGICAL DUPLICATION - relative functional interchangeability of populations (coenopopulations) of species of the same trophic group in an ecosystem. D.e. - one of the mechanisms for ensuring the reliability (sustainability) of ecosystems, since under D.e. an extinct or destroyed species is usually replaced by a functionally similar one.[...]

Despite the fact that the area of ​​peat bogs alone around the world is more than 1 million km2, a serious problem of protecting peat bogs has now arisen. For this purpose, as well as to study the prospects for their rational use, a special international organization was created in 1967, uniting scientists from 18 countries. The rate of drainage of swamps is now so high that in many places it threatens their complete disappearance. However, such an outcome is completely unacceptable. Even purely economic aspects convince us of this: for example, according to American data, just renting out hunting grounds in swamps, with huts and huts, provides greater profit than turning these swamps into agricultural areas. Usually, hundreds of species of birds and valuable fur-bearing animals (nutria, muskrat) are found in abundance in swamps. Often swamps are magnificent berry fields: there, without any use of human labor or fertilizers, 2 quintals of cranberries and 7-8 quintals of cloudberries grow per hectare.[...]

Russian foresters have long shown interest in the issues of draining wet forest lands and thereby increasing forest productivity. The drainage of swampy forests carried out in the Leningrad region, the Baltic states, Belarus and the central regions of Russia indicates the undeniability of the positive effect of drainage on forest growth. In the 80s of the last century, work was carried out to study and drain the swamps in the provinces of Novgorod (started in 1875), Olonets and Yaroslavl (started in 1879), Pskov (1880) and some others. But the experience of draining forest lands has not become widespread. This was hampered by socio-economic conditions and the low level of technology of that time.[...]

Disappears as a result of habitat destruction (due to drainage of swamps, development of peat bogs). It is necessary to organize reserves in the most representative places in different parts of the range.[...]

Shreter E.I. News of the work carried out in the Ryabovaya manor during the drainage of the swamps. - Proceedings of VEO, part 3, St. Petersburg, 1783, pp. 3-25. .[...]

Surface-layer peat extraction is mechanized. After draining the swamp, it is treated with a milling cutter, tooth or disc harrow to a depth of 5-10 cm; as soon as this layer dries, the peat is raked into piles with special large shovels (horse- or tractor-drawn). Peat dried in them can be taken out to the field in winter. It is better to apply it as a fallow crop for winter crops.[...]

Water management specialists in the United States were the first to realize that indiscriminate drainage of swamps and small lakes in order to expand agricultural land and industrial sites, and eliminate breeding sites for mosquitoes and other unpleasant insects is a thing of the past. The harm from draining water systems, which leads to a change in soil fertility, deprived of regulation of flow during low-water periods, and the death of wildlife and, above all, birds, far exceeds the benefit from the formation of new fields. In the United States, they developed and implemented a program for the revival of what they call “swamps.” By 2000, 16 thousand hectares of wetlands had been restored in the upper Mississippi and Alabama. The work was carried out by dredging and alluvium.[...]

Solid waste was previously disposed of in coastal areas, including swamp drainage areas. However, this method turned out to be unsatisfactory: almost catastrophic pollution of spawning areas and oyster habitat areas was observed. These and other environmental factors have necessitated the prohibition of this waste disposal practice.[...]

Human intervention in nature disrupts the existing balance. Deforestation, drainage of swamps, destruction of dams and straightening of riverbeds lead to the fact that spring waters freely roll into rivers and go into the sea. Stormy spring streams erode slopes and banks, silt up riverbeds and close springs. Soil erosion is facilitated by cutting down coastal bushes and plowing land to the water's edge.[...]

A high effect is obtained from phosphorus and especially potassium fertilizers alone on meadows of drained swamps and mineral soils poor in potassium.[...]

Violation of the habitat due to deforestation, plowing of steppes and fallow lands, drainage of swamps, flow regulation, creation of reservoirs and other anthropogenic impacts radically changes the breeding conditions of wild animals, their migration routes, which has a very negative impact on their numbers and survival.[ .. .]

Today's reduction of relict taiga in Russia is mainly due to deforestation and drainage of swamps. But the influence of the construction of transport highways and industrial zones for the extraction and processing of minerals is beginning to be felt on an increasingly large scale.[...]

Habitat disruption due to cutting down and burning of forests, plowing of steppes and fallow lands, drainage of swamps, flow regulation, creation of reservoirs and other anthropogenic impacts radically changes the breeding conditions of wild animals, their migration routes, which has a very negative impact on their numbers and survival . Habitat destruction is recognized as the main cause of species extinction or decline in numbers. It put more than 390 species of vertebrate animals in a threatened state, which, without taking into account pollution factors, accounts for 50% of all other causes of their extinction (Yablokov et al., 1985).[...]

When assessing the impact on flora and fauna, it is necessary to determine the areas of deforestation and drainage of swamps, the zone of influence of pollutants discharged by the facility, changes in the nature of land use in the construction area, as well as negative consequences associated with the listed factors. Information about the state of vegetation in a certain area must be linked to relief parameters and soil characteristics. In this case, it is necessary to group forest, meadow and other areas of the territory according to the main taxometric characteristics, highlighting common plant associations and indicating the degree of their disturbance (degradation).[...]

An increase in forest productivity is also achieved by replacing tree plantations with more productive species and draining swamps. The main form of forest care is thinning. It is known that natural thinning of forests occurs with age. Foresters replaced this process with an artificial one. They cut down trees of low value and create favorable conditions for the growth and development of good-quality trees. Conducting thinning contributes to the formation of a forest from trees of valuable tree species and high quality, accelerating growth and increasing forest productivity. In addition, by removing old and infected trees, the sanitary condition of the forest improves. Thinning and sanitary cuttings are also carried out in young growth. In 1999, the volume of thinning and sanitary felling amounted to 19.5 million m3. Reducing the volume of these fellings could lead to a deterioration in the quality of forests.[...]

Mounted swamp cutter FBN-0.9. Working width 0.9 m. Designed for destruction of soil layers after plowing in drained swamps and wetlands, as well as for destruction of organic or mineral hummocks in meadows and pastures. It is aggregated with tractors DT-54A and DT-55A.[...]

Let us also mention that in the Far North, on the Arkhangelsk experimental field, superphosphate gives large growths of grass in a drained swamp, and the results are of the following order: without fertilizer - 70 pounds of hay, with superphosphate - 270 pounds, and the effect of superphosphate lasts for several years (see . reports by I. I. Benevolensky in the Northern Economy).[...]

Deforestation, increasing the area of ​​deserts, replacing natural cenoses with highly specialized agrocenoses, draining swamps, and creating artificial reservoirs change the albedo of the earth's surface and the structure of the natural cycle of chemical elements. All egos have a detrimental effect on the climate and productivity of biota.[...]

Peat, compared to snow, is not only a spatial but also a temporal indicator of pollution, since peat bogs accumulate information about environmental pollution over a long period of time. The most reliable data is provided by raised bogs, due to the low geochemical background and slow biological cycle. The informativeness of drained swamps when studying the dynamics of pollution is significantly reduced (Doncheva, Kazakov et al., 1992). Vegetation is widely used as indicators of disturbances of geosystems; in particular, epiphytic lichen and moss vegetation are among the optimal indicators of the early stages of disturbance of landscapes in the forest zone. A good indicator when studying the response to anthropogenic impacts is the soil, including soil microflora.[...]

Human economic activity in the river catchment area and its banks also affects the hydrological regime. Drainage of swamps, water extraction for domestic and industrial needs, wastewater discharges, etc. lead to changes in the water content of the river. Particular attention should be paid to cases when water is withdrawn for economic needs from the catchment area of ​​one river, and water is used or returned to nature in the catchment area of ​​another. This greatly affects the natural distribution of water and can lead to the drying out of some areas and swamping of others.[...]

In the zone of increased moisture, the main factor influencing the water balance is drainage amelioration systems. Drainage of swamps leads to desiccation and sedimentation of the peat layer. At first, the runoff increases somewhat, but in different landscapes this process occurs differently and depends on the subsequent use of these territories. When created on site bo-. In a lot of highly productive agricultural land, it may turn out that to ensure transpiration it will be necessary to periodically use artificial irrigation. In general, any measures to intensify agriculture and increase productivity, and therefore transpiration, lead to a restructuring of the water balance towards a reduction in surface runoff.[...]

On soil maps or simply on land use plans, areas of newly developed land (forests from uprooting, drained swamps), as well as river floodplains and excessively moist soils, patches of solonetzic soils, etc. are especially highlighted, since special areas are being developed for such areas fertilizer application plans.[...]

Often, the quality of soils and their structure deteriorate due to imperfect technologies of agrochemical measures - land irrigation, drainage of swamps, deforestation, digging canals, etc. They are the main reasons for the destruction of humus, water and wind erosion of soil, and its leaching (replacement of calcium with potassium).[...]

Changing the habitats of animals is the most common phenomenon that has assumed enormous proportions. Deforestation, plowing steppes, draining swamps, building reservoirs and canals, building roads, etc. radically changed the appearance of entire continents. Naturally, for a number of animals these changes turned out to be unfavorable, and either the species became extinct or their numbers sharply decreased; often they survived only in protected areas.[...]

Anthropogenic vegetation is a community of plants that arises as a result of human activity: crops, planting trees, grazing, draining swamps, etc. The relationship between atmospheric pollution and the circulation of substances is shown in Fig. 8.[ ...]

Conservation of the white whooping crane perfectly illustrates the potential for saving rare birds. However, such an event requires a lot of effort. This crane was once a common swamp bird in North America. Direct persecution and drainage of swamps led to the fact that at the beginning of the 20th century. he, like a nesting bird, disappeared in the USA. Only 20-30 birds survived in Canada, the nesting sites of which were unknown. In 1937, their last wintering place was found in the Arkansas reserve in the swampy meadows of Texas, where by 1941 only 15 birds remained. Only in 1954 were their nests discovered in a remote corner of the Canadian Wood Buffalo National Park.[...]

In general, it is not difficult to guess that, as the population grows, people will be forced to transform more and more mature (climax) ecosystems into simple young productive ones (for example, by destroying tropical forests, draining swamps, etc.). To maintain these systems at a “young” age, the use of fuel and energy resources will increase. In addition, there will be a loss of species (genetic) diversity and natural landscapes (Table 10.1).[...]

Large-scale transformations of nature - plowing virgin lands, construction of giant hydroelectric power stations with the construction of large reservoirs and flooding of floodplain areas, projects for turning rivers, construction of large agro-industrial complexes, drainage of swamps - all these are powerful factors of environmental risk for nature and humans.[...]

Despite the successes achieved in the past, soil conservation tends to “rest on its laurels” and lags behind the times. For example, too much effort is currently being made to increase the area of ​​arable land; Huge amounts of money are spent on regulation, drainage of swamps, etc., and at the same time nothing is done to save excellent land from destruction associated with poorly planned urban development. Land surveyor training programs are largely outdated; they should be expanded to include a greater role for the sciences and social sciences, introducing courses in pollution ecology and human ecology. In other words, the problem of soil conservation, in particular and the science of land use in general, should focus not only on agriculture and forestry, but also deal with the rural-urban landscape complex, where the most urgent problems now exist (see Yu. Odum, 1969a ).[...]

In developed countries, arable land has stabilized. It is considered more economically profitable to intensify agriculture than to expand arable land. It is believed that the area of ​​arable land can be increased to 20-25% of the land area by irrigating lands in arid conditions, draining swamps and shallow waters, clearing small forests, and removing stones. According to FAO, up to 70% of the world's land resources are in low-productivity areas.[...]

In field experiments, in addition to types, forms, doses, times and methods of application, a combination of issues of agrochemistry with methods of cultivating a particular crop, varieties of agricultural plants, characteristics of soil-climatic zones (liming of acidic soils, gypsum of solonetzes, drainage of swamps in the northern regions) can be studied. areas, irrigation in areas of insufficient moisture), organizational and economic conditions, etc. However, with all the variety of topics and under any conditions, it is necessary to think in advance and write down a plan or procedure for conducting field experiments based on the previously stated general guidelines for experimental work and use additional literature.[...]

Oxygen man-made barriers most often arise when pumping gley (less often hydrogen sulfide) water from mines, adits, quarries and wells. These barriers, like the alkaline ones considered, do not affect the general course of migration of elements in the biosphere. However, there are also man-made oxygen barriers that arise over large areas. They are the result of drainage of swamps and control the migration of Fe, Mn, Co on a scale approaching the biosphere. Even more dangerous are the consequences of the oxidation of previously buried large masses of undecomposed organic matter (mainly peat) on these barriers. The scale of these consequences can be judged by the terrible fires in the Moscow region in 2002. Extinguishing these fires with all modern means for several months did not give positive results. Only the beginning of the rainy season led to the extinguishing of the fires. You should think about this before drawing up plans to drain the swamps of Siberia and create new oxygen barriers.[...]

In water treatment practice, various technological techniques and methods for improving water quality are used. The choice of rational schemes for the treatment of natural and waste waters presents significant difficulties. This is explained by the complexity of the composition of natural and waste waters and high requirements for the quality of treatment; changes in the composition of the water in a reservoir as a result of the release of wastewater from new industrial enterprises, the development of water transport, the drainage of swamps (located upstream), the expansion of peat mining, etc. Such violations complicate not only the design of new, but also the improvement of long-running treatment facilities. The considerations underlying the classification we developed made it possible, using the example of natural water treatment, to systematize existing water treatment methods.[...]

In the Ural economic region, there are about 5 thousand small rivers, with a total length of over 110 thousand km (i.e., the vast majority). Small rivers are intensively used for water supply, irrigation and bear the main burden of anthropogenic impact: pollution by industrial and domestic wastewater of varying degrees of purification, clogging with wood and wood waste, siltation due to natural erosion and discharges from the mining industry, waterlogging and disruption by drainage processing, depletion and drying out due to deforestation, drainage of swamps, etc. Hydrometeorological studies of small rivers are carried out in isolated cases; there are not sufficient series of observations of their flow and other regime parameters necessary for predicting the state and planning the use of river resources.

Having purchased a plot of land, the owners make plans to build a house and plant plants. Suddenly it turns out that the dacha plot is located in a wetland. The problem of draining the swamp immediately arises. It is interesting to know how this process is carried out.

The swamp at the summer cottage requires drainage

Methods of drying

Agriculture develops successfully when the moisture level does not exceed the required norm. Excess water from the site is well removed by drainage.

There are the following methods for draining a swamp:

1. Open. To accomplish this, network channels are laid across the swampy area. The main and gross channels are connected to the main channel. They connect with each other. The main importance is played by the central channel, from which water flows beyond the boundaries of the site.
2. Closed. It is characterized by drainage. Particular attention should be paid to the layout and placement of slopes. Pipes made of cast iron, asbestos, and plastic are best suited for drainage.
3. Combined. It is performed by combining two methods and is especially popular in dacha-type plots. In this case, heavy soil is selected before the groundwater begins, after which the area is filled using loose soil with a suitable composition.

Instructions for draining the swamp

Before starting work, it is necessary to establish the cause of the waterlogging. Therefore, a site survey should be carried out. After which a three-dimensional plan is drawn up, according to which the swamp is drained.

Many people are interested in the question of how to drain a swamp on their own. If you follow these tips, everything will turn out in better quality:

Sand or other type of soil will not help solve the problem of draining the swamp

1. The main thing that determines the result of choosing to dry your area is the drying method. You should not settle for the cheapest method; it can cause harm rather than benefit. Especially when it comes to peat areas. Therefore, there is no need to pour sand or other type of soil onto the swamp. The problem will not be solved this way.
2. First you need to dig trenches, the slope of which is done in one direction. It digs deep into groundwater. In addition, the trenches have closed systems. The bottom is covered with crushed stone. After that, pipes with a drainage system with open holes are placed in them.
3. Building a drainage is the most effective method to dry up a swamp. The most popular are systems made with layers or slots. It is better to use a proven method rather than backfill the soil. This choice can be costly.
4. Decorative ponds have a good drainage effect. According to the laws of physics, moisture accumulation occurs only in the lake, after which it evaporates.
5. The problem can be partially solved by planting trees. Moisture is drawn into tree species in different ways. So, moisture from the birch evaporates through the leaves. Therefore, you can notice dry soil around it. When planting a birch tree on dry soil, you can observe that nothing grows around it. Wetlands are well suited for adaptation of rose hips and dwarf willow. Plants that have a root system that develops in the upper part of the ground are also suitable for such a site.

Draining a swamp using drainage

Doing drainage on the site with your own hands will give reliability and confidence. You won't need any special difficulties. How is the drainage system performed? A trench is dug, the width of which should reach up to half a meter. The depth is affected by groundwater. In order for moisture removal to be successful, you need to make a slope of at least one centimeter per linear meter.

Ruberoid is necessary to create waterproofing

The bottom of the trench is covered with brushwood. After this, waterproofing should be done. For this, ordinary roofing material is used. It can be used either used or new.

Next, dry grass is placed. It takes a lot, so it needs to be mowed. To avoid having to fight wild grasses, you should mow them before they bloom and have seeds. It is important to remember that the grass must be dried. It is filled with dry fine peat. Then the soil dug up earlier is poured into the ditch. When filling ditches, you should carefully compact everything that is there. As a result of such actions, there will be almost no excess soil.

It happens that the drainage area can be covered with mounds. Their comparison with the ground will take place after the rains. They will shrink a little and the surface will be leveled. This helps the owner to make his work easier and get rid of adding soil.

An unnatural drainage system reduces the amount of groundwater, rids the soil of methane, and makes it loose.

This is only the first part of the work. The second involves annual digging of the soil, done manually. For large areas, motor cultivators are used. In addition, sand and clay should be used when digging. They compact peat deposits. The soil also requires mineral fertilizers.

If you follow the recommendations, the result will be an excellent plot of land. For those who love originality, you can eliminate the swamp by transforming it into a pond. It is necessary to deepen the required area, strengthening the banks of the pond, and improve the surrounding area.

In our large country, swamps and wetlands occupy significant areas. Ordinary plants, which constantly need oxygen to nourish their underground parts - roots and rhizomes, cannot grow and develop in swampy soils. Standing, motionless water quickly becomes deprived of oxygen, and most plants die. Only those that have managed to adapt to life in the swamp survive - swamp plants.

Meanwhile, in terms of their chemical composition, swamp soils are extremely fertile. They can produce high yields of a wide variety of agricultural crops. But to do this, you must first drain the swamp. Then barren lands harmful to human health will turn into rich fields and pastures. Fat cornfields will begin to sprout where recently only stunted marsh grasses and low-growing shrubs grew.

In our country, a lot of work is being done to drain and develop swamps. The agriculture of the socialist country has already received millions of hectares of new fertile land.
Swamp drainage is now almost entirely mechanized. Soviet scientists and engineers have created many wonderful machines that do all the hard, tedious and monotonous work for people.

How are swamps drained?

First of all, you need to remove excess moisture from the soil, that is, let it drain. And the water should, of course, flow into the nearest river. Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to deepen and widen the bed of such a river, and in some places straighten it. Here you have to remove the soil mainly from under the water.

Nowadays, soil is removed from the river by floating and land excavators, as well as dredging units.

Floating excavators are used in cases where the width of the river allows dumping of excavated soil onto the shore. This soil thrown out by an excavator is leveled with bulldozers.

Depending on their performance, floating dredgers are used on both large and small rivers. The soil they extract from the bottom of the river, mixed with water - pulp - is pumped through pipes to the shore and spread over the surface of the soil. There is no need for a bulldozer here.

But standing swamp water will not flow into the river on its own even after its channel has been deepened and widened. For drainage, more canals have to be laid across the entire area of ​​the swamp. First they dig the main, i.e. main, canals, then the collector canals. The latter collect water flowing from the swamp through a shallow closed or open drainage network and divert it into the main canal.

An open network of small drainage ditches serves to receive and drain surface water into collector channels, as well as to lower the groundwater level in the drained area.

Along with an open network of ditches, a closed network - drainages - is used when draining swamps. They are made of planks, pottery, fascine or mole. Board drainage is made from boards, which are knocked together in the form of rectangular pipes. Pottery consists of pottery, i.e. fired, clay pipes. Fascinous drainage is made from brushwood of various tree species, cleared of leaves and small branches. And finally, the mole channel is a system of underground channels resembling mole tunnels.

Main and collector channels with a depth of 1.5 to 2.5 m are laid by excavators specially adapted for working on swampy soil.

Plow ditchers work to lay an open shallow drainage network of ditches. This is a highly productive machine: in an hour it can dig ditches up to 2 km long and up to 80-100 cm deep.

A trench for laying the drainage is dug using a multi-bucket excavator or a plow ditch digger, then the drainage is lowered into it and covered with earth on top.

To lay mole drainage, mole plows and mole drainage machines have been created. They are driven by a tractor specially equipped for working on swampy soil.

Immediately after laying the canals, their slopes are strengthened with turf or sown with grass to avoid landslides.

But time passes, and open channels and ditches are gradually filled with sand or silt, overgrown with marsh grasses, become shallow, collapse and, as a result, begin to drain water poorly, or even become clogged. They have to be cleaned and repaired periodically.

So, the swamp has been drained. All of it was covered with a network of large and small canals. Standing water that has accumulated in the soil for years flows freely through these channels into the nearest river. But this is only the first part of the work of land reclamation workers - this is the name given to people involved in radically improving the natural conditions of lands with unfavorable water regimes. Now the drained swamp needs to be reclaimed and prepared for sowing crops. To repair and clean ditches and canals, special cleaning machines are used: some for cleaning ditches of a small drainage network, others for cleaning collector and main canals.

The first step is to clear the soil of small bushes, stumps, hummocks and woody debris. You can't do much here with an ax and a shovel - this is a very labor-intensive task.

A brush cutter mounted on a tractor easily cuts bushes and small trees and removes hummocks.

However, it is beneficial to use brush cutters in cases where the swamp is overgrown not only with bushes, but also with small forests. If the bush does not have small forests, it is simply plowed deep into the ground. This work is performed by a unit for plowing bushes. Such a hydraulically controlled unit, driven by a tractor, consists of two parts: a hollow drum and a ski with a knife are hung in front of the tractor, and a plow body is hung behind it. The drum, rotating, tilts the bush forward and presses it to the soil surface; the knife cuts the layer with rhizomes in a vertical plane, and the plow body wraps the layer and plows the shrubs to a depth of 20 to 50 cm.

Uprooting stumps and removing woody debris is one of the most difficult jobs in the process of developing drained swamps. Stumps are uprooted by the direct pull of a tractor with hooks on chains or cables, or with a rooter, or with a powerful bulldozer that turns out huge stumps, or with a uprooter-collector.

After clearing the drained area of ​​bushes, stumps, hummocks and woody debris, it begins to be prepared for agricultural use. It includes three processes: plowing, cutting and rolling.

Plowing of peat soils in a drained swamp should be deep, with complete coverage of the surface vegetation cover. For this purpose, special swamp plows with a wide grip are used, which plow the ground to a depth of 50 cm, while wrapping the layer and embedding all vegetation deep into the soil.

The layer of earth wrapped by the plow must then be loosened to the greatest possible depth so that oxygen can freely penetrate into the soil. The layer is loosened using disc harrows or special milling machines.

Then the surface of the drained swamp is rolled - leveled with special swamp loading rollers.

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It happens that a summer resident gets a wetland for use. There is little joy in this, but do not despair, because many effective ways to combat this disadvantage have been developed. Even the territory of the world-famous Versailles was once an impassable swamp, and many botanical gardens, for example, in Sukhumi, are located where even a hundred or two years ago it was impossible to even pass.

Swampy areas

Many people try to deal with excess moisture by filling the area with brought sand or soil - this is a gross mistake that will not bring results. The swamp is very tenacious, being the most resistant hydraulic system, so in just a year or two the land will become swampy again. To fight effectively, you need to resort to other, longer, more complex and expensive technologies, but all the efforts are worth it.

The easiest way to have a beautiful front lawn

You've certainly seen the perfect lawn in a movie, on an alley, or perhaps on your neighbor's lawn. Those who have ever tried to grow a green area on their site will no doubt say that it is a huge amount of work. The lawn requires careful planting, care, fertilization, and watering. However, only inexperienced gardeners think this way; professionals have long known about the innovative product - liquid lawn AquaGrazz.

Pond in the garden

Plants disappear because the wet soil does not allow enough oxygen to pass through, and the roots suffocate, and groundwater contributes to their rotting. Also, toxic products (aluminum salt, nitrates, various types of gases, acids) are often formed in wet, swampy soil, which interfere with plant growth.

Methods for draining lowland swamps

Drainage of low-lying swamps is possible using the following methods:

Help from professionals

You can invite a team of specialists who, using pumps, will almost instantly pump out all the excess water from the area; significant drainage can be observed on the same day. But this is quite expensive, and sometimes the problem of waterlogging returns.

Sanding

Adding sand in equal proportions to the parent rock improves the quality of the soil, and also increases air exchange. In order to improve the yield of the resulting soil, it is recommended to add humus to it, which will allow you to grow vegetables and herbs on the site.

Drainage

To effectively and permanently drain a swampy area, all experts recommend making a drain or drainage. It is best done using a system of plastic pipes with small holes in the walls. They should be laid in specially dug ditches with a depth of about 60-70 cm for clay, 75-85 for loam and up to a meter for sandy areas. Drains must be dug with a slope, so the water will not stagnate in them, but can flow into a sewer pipe, well or reservoir; this should be the lowest point of the site.

Trees in a swampy area

It is most effective to use a herringbone system, in which small pipes collect excess moisture from around the area and carry it to the main pipe, which carries the water out of the area. In swampy gardens, as a rule, there is already a common drainage ditch; if it is missing, the water can be diverted to the nearest body of water. You can also dig a well, the lower boundary of which will be below the groundwater level, fill it with crushed stone, and water will flow into it. With such an integrated approach, the drying of the area will be noticeable within a couple of days to a week. The drains themselves can be covered with earth, but to make maintaining them easier, you can fill them with gravel or crushed stone.

Open ditches

To remove excess moisture directly from the surface of the earth, you can make open ditches, the edges of which should be beveled by about 20 degrees to avoid shedding, but this method is not used in sandy areas, since the ditches quickly collapse and the sand is washed away. This method of drainage is very common; it can be seen in almost every garden. The disadvantage of this method is the gradual crumbling, clogging of the watercourse with plant particles and debris, and water blooming, so these structures must be regularly cleaned with a regular shovel.

French ditches

In France, drainage of wetlands is carried out using deep ditches filled with crushed stone. For the system to be effective, you need to either dig trenches and lead them into the well, or dig ditches down to a layer of sand that will allow water to pass through. Such ditches are more aesthetically pleasing, do not clog and do not bloom, but if they are clogged with earth, cleaning becomes very difficult. But the ditch can be disguised as a path by strewing it with pebbles, crushed stone or laying wooden slices on top.

Wells

The technology of their operation is similar to ditches; for this it is necessary to dig holes one meter deep, about half a meter in diameter at the bottom and up to two at the top. They should be dug at the lowest points of the site, and then covered with crushed stone. All excess water will flow into such wells.

Dig a pond

After the construction of a decorative pond, excess water will flow into it and evaporate, and soon a significant drainage of the area will be observed. For these purposes, the Cross Canal was built a long time ago in the French residence of the monarchs at Versailles - the effectiveness of the method is obvious.

Drainage of swampy areas

Tree planting

Some tree species can save a wetland from waterlogging. The most useful for these purposes are willows and birches, which can evaporate large amounts of moisture through the leaf blades. These trees effectively dry out nearby areas of soil, although it may take several years to completely dry the area. You can think through the design of the site in advance, initially planting only moisture-loving crops, and when the trees have completed their task, move on to the desired types of plants.

Raised beds

To be able to grow vegetables and herbs, owners of wetland areas must make raised beds, thus, excess moisture will collect in the ditches between the beds, and the areas themselves will become noticeably drier. Moreover, there is such a pattern: the higher the plot is raised, the more diverse crops can be grown on it. Many people think that it is impossible to farm in waterlogged areas, but you just need to look at photographs of a Dutch or Finnish vegetable garden surrounded by a complex system of canals to be convinced of the effectiveness of the method. After all, in these countries, with the help of technology and labor, almost everything is grown, and they also make good money from it.

Imported soil

The level of the site can be raised with the help of additionally imported land, which, after plowing, will be mixed with fertile but heavy marshy soils, as a result the site will become suitable for growing crops and very fertile; experts note that cultivated marshy lands do not require fertilization for several more years.

come to terms

It is not necessary to fight the swampy area; you can interestingly play up the unusual moisture content of your summer cottage: dig a pond, plant it with moisture-loving plants, choosing the design of a traditional swamp corner. In such conditions, lingonberries, cranberries, iris, Volzhanka, hydrangea, rhododendron, spirea, thuja, chokeberry and cotoneaster feel great. Ferns and virgin grapes will complement the beauty of the swamp garden. Perhaps you will like such beauty so much that you will no longer want to change anything.

Arrangement of the reservoir

Raised bog is formed on watersheds, that is, hills, and does not depend on the level of groundwater. Excess moisture in such areas is formed due to the fact that incoming precipitation is delayed, unable to penetrate below due to a waterproof horizon, most often clay. The soil of the raised bogs is not fertile and is quite acidic. To use such areas, it is necessary to reduce the acidity of the soil; dolomite flour, slaked lime and chalk are suitable for this. It is also necessary to constantly supply fertile soil and manure to such places in order to obtain a plot suitable for growing vegetables in a couple of years.

Having become the owner of a swampy area, you should not despair, because if you know what and how to do correctly, you can not only make this piece of land suitable for growing vegetables, berries and fruits, but also build a country house on it. You just need to approach this important matter comprehensively, responsibly and wisely. From all of the above, we can conclude that there are a huge number of ways to deal with a wetland, but it may turn out that even these effective methods will not help, and then all that remains is to resign yourself and equip such an area in your dacha. To do this, there are a huge number of different effective ways that will even help decorate such an area.