ABSTRACT

There is a certain logical order in applying soil and water conservation measures to cultivated fields, proceeding from the simple and less expensive to the more complex and expensive. The engineering measures are not a substitute for the agronomic measures, but should be superimposed upon them. The engineering measure to be established is the protected, or permanent, waterway. This is, in effect, both an agronomic and an engineering measure. Once the site of a waterway has been selected, a channel of the proper dimensions must be shaped in the draw. To establish a grassed waterway, two operations are required: shaping and grassing. The grass cover should be clipped or mown regularly to keep the channel clear and encourage a better cover. A diversion ditch is a channel that is generally built across the slope to divert surface flow from its natural course to another outlet. Diversion ditches commonly suffer from very poor maintenance.