How to Make a Sandbag Wall

This video was recorded before March 2020. When physical distancing can’t be maintained, wearing a mask outdoors may also be a sensible choice for people who are not up to date with COVID-19 vaccination and for other people who may be at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19, such as older adults, and people with certain medical conditions. Please be respectful of other residents when accessing City sand and sandbag locations

The City of Ottawa provides sand and sandbags to residents who live in areas prone to Spring flooding at various locations across the City.
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One way to keep flood water from affecting part of your property is to build a sandbag wall.

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Descriptive Video:

Text: How to Make a Sandbag Wall

Visual: Completed Sandbag Wall

One way to keep flood water from affecting part of your property is to build a sandbag wall.

Text: The Bag

First, let's take a look at the bag.

Visual: Close up of an empty bag

Empty sandbags can be purchased at most building supply stores in Ottawa.

Visual: Graphic showing 2/3rds of the way filled.

Only fill each bag two-thirds of the way as Overfilled bags are not as effective and become too heavy to remove later once saturated with water.

Visual: Placing a ladder onto two wooden horses and putting pylon into place.

A propped ladder and a pylon makes for a stable workspace. Carefully cut the pylon to create a syphon for the sand.

Visual: The top of a pylon being cut.

Visual: Filling the sandbags.

Visual: Close up a filled bag being tied up and thrown onto a pile

To build our wall we created a base layer four bags wide, overlapping the sides slightly.

Visual: Base layer of four bags wide already in place.

When you lay your sandbags, make sure to overlap the seams.

Visual: Graphic of sand bags positioning

Position the bottom seam of the bag towards the water, and the tied end toward the shore.

Visual: Shore labeled at the top of the screen

Visual: Water labeled at the bottom of the screen

Visual: Close up of stacking bags

Then, stack sandbags in a pyramid style on all sides. With this pyramid design, if you want a higher wall, you will need to make it wider at the base to begin with.

A ten-metre wall, two feet in height, would require approximately 100 bags.

Visual: Completed sandbag wall

This is one way to build a sandbag wall.

Visual: Ottawa logo