The Haldimand Soil & Crop Improvement Association, and Land Improvement Contractors of Ontario (LICO) recently hosted Haldimand Drainage Day in Fisherville, Ontario. As LICO members, we were thrilled to join the event and continue learning about Ontario’s farm drainage. The event consisted of four sessions throughout the afternoon, and was hosted by industry experts.
Session 1: The History of Drainage + Installation Demonstration
Session 2: How to Drain Heavy Clay Soil
Session 3: Resources to Help Plan Your Farm Drainage
Session 4: Managing Drainage Outlets
In this blog we’ll be exploring the ways you can move water through your subdrain and off your property. A critical part of your subdrain planning is understanding where your mains and outlets need to be located in order to dispose of the excess water from your field. There are a few primary ways you can legally move your drainage off of your property.
1. If your land includes a natural watercourse, you have the right to drain your field into that watercourse through the Right of Drainage Act.
2. If you do not have a watercourse on your property but your neighbour does, it is in everyone’s best interest to come to an agreement for you to drain your water through their property and into their watercourse. In most cases, you are likely to be responsible for the cost of the installation, and to respect the timing of your neighbour’s farm needs as to create minimal disruption to their field. It’s best if these agreements are attached to the property deeds, so that if either neighbour sells their land the new buyer is grandfathered into this agreement.
3. If your neighbour does not agree for you to pass your drainage through their land, you can request an appeal through the Ontario Drainage Act. This is often a multi-year process that can lead to the owners of all affected properties to pay for their share of the government-installed mains drainage solution.
4. If you or your neighbour does not have a natural watercourse, an appeal for assistance can be made to your municipality.
If you’re ready to begin the process of planning your drainage outlet, a great resource is AgMaps. AgMaps allows you to find municipal and private drainage outlets and mains that could assist you with your field drainage plan. You can find AgMaps, along with usage instructions here.
If you have any questions about how subdrain can work for your needs, please reach out to our team by phone or email at any time. You can also explore the other things we learned at drainage day here:
Session 1: The History of Drainage + Installation Demonstration
Session 2: How to Drain Heavy Clay Soil
Session 3: Resources to Help Plan Your Farm Drainage
Session 4: Managing Drainage Outlets
