Farm Spoon Drain Repair at Dixons Creek VIC – 0182

PROJECT OVERVIEW

An aged 150mm concrete spillway had collapsed into its banks allowing soil and silt to be washed into the creek and waterways. Client required the banks to be stabilised with a system that would allow vegetation to grow and control water flow into the creek without washing the soil away with it.

WORKS UNDERTAKEN

• Excavator with a mud bucket was first used to add some compactible clay to the gully in 250mm layers.
• Excavator used to shape and compact the soil along the bank with a compaction wheel and by track rolling the bank.
• Excavator used to apply light level of topsoil.
• Excavator used to dig a shallow swale drain in the bank for the water to concentrate in the middle.
• Quick roll over the area with the excavator’s compaction wheel.
• Excavator dug trench on top and along sides of bank to secure mat in place.
• The Flexible Concrete Mats were lifted and shaped into position with excavator.
• Mat edges were trenched into the soil to anchor them, then rolled over with compaction wheel.
• Area was then seeded with grass.

RESULTS & BENEFITS

• Eroded farm drain and spillways are reinforced to allow efficient water flow.
• Encourage vegetation growth into the future, which helps with filtration of sediment and anchoring mat to the slopes
• Hard surface is safer for farmer to maintain the drains.
• Reduce sediment loss.
• Promotes landscape rehabilitation.
• Cost-saving with quick and easy installation.

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

• Forklift to move mat from delivery truck to tractor trailer.
• One excavator with mud, tilt, narrow bucket and compaction wheel.
• One excavation operator.
• Mat positioning and seeding of ground done by owner.