New drain blocking method – blanket bog

All this rain over the preceding weeks has meant we have had no difficulties in seeing if our new drain damming trial site in Lanarkshire has recharged with water. The whole place is absolutely soaking! The project is a fascinating one, and has involved developing some new, much faster methods for damming drains on bog with in situ material. The new method has meant we can place the dams much closer together, to ensure all the drain side walls are re-wetted, and also has meant we can make the dams much wider so they cover the entire oxidised cross-section of the old drains thus ensuring they don’t still remain a preferential flow path. The results so far look very promising, and it will be great now to watch the site (which is extensive) to see how the dams help to hold water on the site as we move into the spring-summer drought period – assuming it ever comes! This project will also be one to watch because of its relevance to Natural Flood Management.