Check Dams (gully rehabilitation and reclamation)

Soil erosion is a challenge throughout the world. Soil erosion results in the loss of soil and loss of usable land. If left unmanaged erosion will result in gullies. It is important to manage erosion in order to prevent the loss of valuable soil and to maintain the area of usable land. One technique for managing soil erosion and gullies is the construction of check dams. The check dams trap the sediment behind the check dam and slowly reclaim the land. This also helps to prevent downstream impacts. Eventually the land can be reused. There are different types of check dams depending on the severity of the gully and the rate of flow of the water e.g. simple vegetation barriers, to more hardy stone based check dams. This video demonstrates how to construct check dams in erosion channels or for gully reclamation.

[ethanpetrea]

Free knowledge of complex systems and simple solutions should never be undervalued. Thank you.

[brooksanderson]

Thank you for giving such detailed instructions! I wish that more videos would do that. This could be done here in Mexico. Much of our land has been degraded by overgrazing, slash and burn agriculture, deep plowing, erosion, climate change and other causes leading to desertification.

[hanifissa]

Hearing that song again brought tears to my eyes. Ah!! schooldays in Malawi.

[ernesto]

I like your videos so from colombian citizen living in London...god BLESS you

[tonydoggett]

Very good informative video, from Australia

[IncogNito-xxto]

Greetings from Texas, USA! Wow what a great video production! You were very effective in use of time & teaching. You explained all the benefits, even long term. Thank you so much! I heard of vetiver grass before but didn’t know cows don’t eat it. Can you explain the word panga please? Again THANK YOU!!!

[Catlady]

Brilliant! I love using materials you have to solve problems. Literally " bloom where you are planted!"

[crpth]

Very good video. Simple, basic and straight to the point. Well done! ;-)

[ralphaaron]

Very good and cheapest method to fight erosion. you are the best like it thanks for sharing it.

[networkbike]

Good instructional vid and granddaughter.

[snipperie]

You must armour the banks of the whole dam, upstream and downstream. Otherwise there will be erosion above and below your dam. Construct your dams in a V configuration. If you do, the force is directed towards the middle. If you don't, the force will wash away the sides and destroy your dam

[downbntout]

Why won't YT let me do more than a like? It's a ❤

[bacilluscereus]

That vetiver grass at 2:30, it's hedgerows can be used in conjunction with these check dams to control soil erosion.

At 3:20, why not plant the vetiver grass at the interface of the soil and the ends of the dam, to forestall any breakthrough by the water there.

[forcesightknight]

I have a creek that runs through my place almost yearly. The water shed can be very extreme. I have willows growing to help with erosion. I also recycled used carpet. It makes great erosion control padding.

[johnrowland]

still, short term thoughts planting in the gaps better to put trees either side of the gully water will seep into water table and feed cropland next to the gully plus give you clean water for longer in the gully

[gissie]

Herbs like parsley which has vitamin A in it and chives etc.soil you removed can be used can it not what about potting plants up like avocado's putting pots in ground?

[traildude]

Tops of check dams should not be level -- the center should be lower. The one made of broken brick in the middle of the video has it right.

[wrightgregson]

woould that there had been videos of the check dams doing their jobs.

[luigicristiani]

The vetiver is not in free sale in Italy; it is sold only by very few gardening and consolidation companies.
Provided that they do the necessary work.
This is what is called a monopoly "

[swarajyalakshmi]

Check dam between one kilometre to another one kilometres beside dom two sides built nearly twenty feet hight tank and pumping to the dam to. The