Help & Advice

Land Drainage Explained

Land drainage is needed when soil becomes so saturated with water that it becomes unproductive and boggy. This article gives an overview of land drainage.

Why do you need land drainage?

Land drainage, also called a ‘French’ drain, is needed when soil becomes so saturated with water that it becomes unproductive and causes roots to rot. Very wet soil in agricultural land also makes it difficult for heavy machinery to traverse it. Land drainage also converts wetlands and boggy land into useful, usable land.

Types of land drain

plastic perforated pipes (coils or lengths)
clay ‘horseshoes’ or clay perforated pipes
shingle only
ditch/trench only

Land without drainage (roots are always wet). For building purposes, a high water table is not desirable.

With land drainage (roots with good drainage). Draining the land makes building on it easier.

Who Uses Land Drainage?

Farmers
Landscapers/gardeners
Housing developers
Flood prevention works

What's The History Of Land Drainage?

Land drainage has been an active part of agriculture for as long as agriculture has been around. The Romans were prolific and inventive land drainers often creating canals (dug out manually) to convert marshy land into productive agricultural land.

Clay pipes and tiles have been used for centuries in conjunction with gravel to create trench drains, but modern methods use plastic perforated pipes, shingle and geotextile fabrics.