#13 Approach Drainage Installation
#13 approach has been a bit of a thorn in the grounds team's side for a while now. With any amount of rain, large or small, 13 approach would get saturated to the point that we couldn't get it mowed or maintained in a satisfactory way. We decided it was time (December 2021) to dig it up and install a drainage system.
The video to the left shows the horizontal trench we cut and dug across the approach on #13. Its significant to note because it will serve as the main artery bringing draining water to the catch basin we installed pictured below.
This catch basin is located in between 13 Green complex and 5 Tee complex and will serve as the area that we route our drainage system to.
Old drainage line discovery (above). Connecting to old drainage line with a Y coupling (below).
While digging our initial trench across the approach, we found old drainage lines. This would become a common trend throughout the rest of the project, and it's important to note because in some cases, we found the old drainage to be moving water, just not enough. This allowed us to tie in and connect to those old lines, increasing its efficacy all throughout.
Preparing to dig the first vertical (going up the approach) trench.
Before the excavator can freely dig, we had to find the irrigation line to protect it from getting damaged by the excavator bucket.
Second vertical trench well on its way to being dug.
We use a handy transit-laser to make sure we have our grades correct. This ensures that the water will flow where we want it to go.
When we backfill, we add a thick layer of pea-stone to ensure water can percolate through to the perforated drain pipe.
On top of the pea-stone, a layer of 2mm sand is added to provide for quality rooting once the sod is replaced.
Reynaldo and Christian carefully replace the sod, adding sand as they go to ensure proper leveling.
A couple trenches left waiting for sod.
Juan making sure there is no mess once we're done.
The last of the sod replaced.
Here is a panoramic view of the finished drainage. The black stacks you see sticking out of the ground will act as vantage points for us to be able to see if water is moving through the system. They will be cut and capped with drain caps once the sod settles.
5 trenches later, the project comes to a close. The next step is to wait for a rain event, and see how the new drainage system performs. If we see that we need to add to or change the system, we will act accordingly.