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Drainage Canals & Irrigation Systems

Ditches - Canals - Laterals - Holding Ponds

Irrigation has been used since ancient times as a means for civilizations to grow food and prosper within geographic areas which would not typically support populations. Expansion of irrigation in today's world allows agricultural crops to be grown in extensive, fertile, arid regions and golf courses to be developed like oases in the desert. This same efficient transport of water has encouraged the growth of cities in previously desolate areas. Efficient movement of water is critical to the survival and economic growth of these regions.

Surface water drainage systems are critical to many developed areas where there are high groundwater tables, limited relief, abundant precipitation, and/or nearby waterways prone to flooding. Drainage of wet-lands and floodplains in the past has left many developed areas wdependent upon an efficient network of ditches and canals to take water away. Failure of these systems can cause significant economic loss from flooding.