The Rural Voice, 1978-10, Page 12The open gully is then lroken up with four check dams
situated along four points where the gully is the steepest.
These dams are made from railroad tics and stone. There is
stone between the two rails and this stone will break the water
velocity before it goes over the bank. Once over the ledge. the
water is again broken by more stone. By the time the water gets
to the banks of the Maitland, the speed and damage it once could
have done are cut to a bare minimum. if any damage is done at
all. "The spring flooding will be the time to tell how effective the
work we have done will be", commented Craig.
This example of erosion control in action will be available for
others to view long after the plowing match is over. Jim
Armstrong has given the Maitland Conservation Authority
permission to guide interested people through the site. Any
inquiries should be directed to the Authority office.
There are many examples of bad erosion in the Maitland
Valley watershed area, but "they are fairly easily solved"
pointed Craig.
For most problems. a few tips could be helpful.
Tips
Leaving a strip of land between 10 to 15 feet wide to act as a
buffer zone along a gully will make a difference. Even the weight
of farm machinery along the edge of the gully or creek can be
enough tomake the bank cave in.
Cattle are another problem along eroded areas. They tend to
make paths down to the water. which in turn concentrate water
run-off and cause deepening cuts along the bank. Fencing Targe
portions and allowing the cattle to drink from ode area. or the use
of ponds and. or. pumps would solve that problem.
Establishing a grassy waterway where run-off is heavy does
not mean a Toss of productive land since a good crop of hay could
be harvested here as well as stopping erosion.
"Where good land management techniques are used then
there is usually no need for control" pointed out Craig. "But
with all the pressures on farmers to produce more. then the
Authority understandswhy there are these problems".
Steep slopes should be contour plowed across instead of up
and down. The cheapest and most effective way of stopping
erosion is establishing a vegetation cover, with either ground
covers like grass or shrubs along banks.
If stones are used. then a trench must be dug in order to
anchor or tie the load down.
"Crop rotation and strip cropping are other effective means of
controlling erosion", commented Craig.
Assistance program
In order to assist farmers in setting up erosion preventative
measures, the Authority has an Erosion Control Assistance
Program which is available to anyone in the Maitland Valley
Watershed. In co-operation with land owners, the authority
shares 50% of the cost of setting up a control up to 55,000.
The only exception to this program are the Iakeshore
problems.
The cost of stopping erosion in that area would be more than
any one land owner could afford. In cases like those, the
Authority works in co-operation with the municipality. But the
Authority does offer free technical advice on erosion problems.
For groups interested in learning more about stopping soil
erosion there is a slide show available for presentation to any
agricultural group, including before and after slides of the Jim
Armstrong farm project.
The show also includes factsabout land erosion problems in
the watershed and suggests solutions.
The Authority has been busy this past summer documenting
the erosion damage along the Belgrave Creek and have come to
the conclusion that the fish habitat is deteriorating and valuable
land is being lost.
Letters have been written to the land owners involved and
sometime this winter, a member of the Authority will contact
them personally to explain the problem and suggest solutions.
PG. 12 THE RURAL VOICE/OCTOBER 1978
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