Railroad lines often have ditches that run parallel to the tracks to prevent sheet flow across the track from adjacent land. The railroads spend a large amount of time maintaining these ditches. When that constant maintenance is removed, these ditches begin to naturalize, curving, carving, and moving the stream to where the water wants it to be for optimal flow. The problem is that this can cause damage to the old rail line, or in this case, the rails-to-trails greenway that was put on top of it.

 

Along a section of the Cardinal Greenway, in the Prairie Creek Watershed, the old ditch on the north side of the path was beginning to naturalize. Usually this process is a slow one, but due to the sheet flow from the adjacent farmland, the erosion was extreme. Gullies were forming on the north side, a head cut was moving the erosion upstream, and large hillsides were being carved out of the south side, threatening the greenway in many places. Combine this with the fact that the stream was sparsely vegetated due to its intermittent flow and there comes the potential for a catastrophic collapse of a bank, sending unknown tons of sediment into the reservoir. This erosion led to an estimated fifty tons of sediment pollution during normal years; imagine the amount of sediment pollution if a bank collapse were to occur. Additionally, there is a large potential for Nitrogen and Phosphorus pollution from the adjacent field, especially during wet planting seasons.

The White River Watershed Project decided to fund the repair of this ditch using our EPA 319 monies for 75% of the price and using our private grant monies, made possible by the Ball Brothers Foundation and the Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, to cover the rest.

Extensive surveys of the area were performed to get an understanding of the problems facing the ditch. Using a slight modification of the Rosgen Method, the layout of the ditch was altered to reduce the erosion on the areas most affected by it. Coir logs, erosion fabric, and log and stone weirs were placed to slow the water and protect the banks and base from erosion. Native vegetation was seeded to increase the root mass and hold the soil together. Stakes of native dogwood and willow were placed in the areas that needed extra protection from erosion. These waddle fences, brush layers, and fascines will grow into live plants that will help to “armor” the eroded areas. The work performed will not only help to reduce pollution in the watershed, it will help a community resource provide a safe and enjoyable recreation for everyone to enjoy.