Chesapeake In The Know

Not only is it hurricane season but it’s also the time of year when those random afternoon thunderstorms can drop a lot of water in a short period of time. Now is the time to make sure your ditch is working at its very best by doing a little maintenance.

The easiest thing you can do for the health of your ditches is to never ever dump grass clippings, leaves, garbage, or any other debris into the ditch. In fact, it’s illegal to dump anything into a ditch.

Do not use chemicals such as root or weed killer in your ditch. Vegetation is critical to keep a ditch from eroding. Once a ditch starts to erode, sediment falls into the stormwater system and can cause serious blockages.  Vegetation also provides important natural filtration which improves the quality of the water being sent out to local waterways. 

If larger vegetation such as tree saplings or bushes are growing in the ditch, cut the main trunks as close to the ditch line as possible to help improve drainage flow. Avoid removing root balls so as to not damage the structure of the ditch. 

Keep in mind that there are limitations to how much water the stormwater system can move at once. Heavy downpours may temporarily fill up your ditch but the water should filter out within a day or so. Proper maintenance will help keep your ditch working as well as it possibly can.