Gully Erosion
What is gully erosion?
Gully erosion is the removal of soil along drainage lines by surface water runoff. Once started, gullies will continue to move by headward erosion or by slumping of the side walls unless steps are taken to stabilise the disturbance. Repair work done in the early stages of newly formed gullies is easier and more economical than letting the problem go unchecked for too long. Large gullies are difficult and costly to repair.
What causes gully erosion ?
Gully erosion occurs when water is channelled across unprotected land and washes away the soil along the drainage lines. Under natural conditions, run-off is moderated by vegetation which generally holds the soil together, protecting it from excessive run-off and direct …show more content…
Diversion |
|banks are a simple way of achieving this (see figure 1). |
|contour cultivation where possible to slow down run-off and spread the water over a wide area |
|maintaining farm tracks and culverts so that drainage is evenly dissipated and prevented from concentrating along any section. |
|using trees and deep rooted perennial pastures to assist in both utilising excess water and reducing run-off. Again the development of a |
|land management plan can be of assistance by identifying those areas which can be used for tree planting and pasture improvement. |
Stabilising …show more content…
Improvements like grass chutes, pipe structures, rock chutes or drop structures can be installed to do this effectively.
Structures might also be required along gully floors since some grades can be quite steep and allow water to rush down under peak flows, ripping away soil and vegetation. These may take the form of rock barrages, wire netting or logs across gullies. Sediments held in the water will then be deposited along the flatter grades as a result of slower water flow, allowing vegetation to re-establish.
If erosion control and revegetation work is undertaken, then damaged areas should be fenced off from stock, until restoration is complete. Further advice on how to build simple erosion control structures is available from the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) offices. Dams can also be constructed to slow the flow of water into the gully head, but special care needs to be taken to get the overflow water back into the gully floor safely.
Preventing the problem
As with other forms of erosion, prevention is better than cure. In most cases gullies can be prevented by good land management practices aimed at maintaining even infiltration rates and a good plant
Gully erosion is the removal of soil along drainage lines by surface water runoff. Once started, gullies will continue to move by headward erosion or by slumping of the side walls unless steps are taken to stabilise the disturbance. Repair work done in the early stages of newly formed gullies is easier and more economical than letting the problem go unchecked for too long. Large gullies are difficult and costly to repair.
What causes gully erosion ?
Gully erosion occurs when water is channelled across unprotected land and washes away the soil along the drainage lines. Under natural conditions, run-off is moderated by vegetation which generally holds the soil together, protecting it from excessive run-off and direct …show more content…
Diversion |
|banks are a simple way of achieving this (see figure 1). |
|contour cultivation where possible to slow down run-off and spread the water over a wide area |
|maintaining farm tracks and culverts so that drainage is evenly dissipated and prevented from concentrating along any section. |
|using trees and deep rooted perennial pastures to assist in both utilising excess water and reducing run-off. Again the development of a |
|land management plan can be of assistance by identifying those areas which can be used for tree planting and pasture improvement. |
Stabilising …show more content…
Improvements like grass chutes, pipe structures, rock chutes or drop structures can be installed to do this effectively.
Structures might also be required along gully floors since some grades can be quite steep and allow water to rush down under peak flows, ripping away soil and vegetation. These may take the form of rock barrages, wire netting or logs across gullies. Sediments held in the water will then be deposited along the flatter grades as a result of slower water flow, allowing vegetation to re-establish.
If erosion control and revegetation work is undertaken, then damaged areas should be fenced off from stock, until restoration is complete. Further advice on how to build simple erosion control structures is available from the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) offices. Dams can also be constructed to slow the flow of water into the gully head, but special care needs to be taken to get the overflow water back into the gully floor safely.
Preventing the problem
As with other forms of erosion, prevention is better than cure. In most cases gullies can be prevented by good land management practices aimed at maintaining even infiltration rates and a good plant