maintain subsurface drains

Site Location : Community Garden at TAFE

Tools and Equipment Used : trowel, shovel, bucket, wheelbarrow, hose

OH&S issues/ hazards : potential for contaminants to splash into eye or mouth, spiders and other insects or reptiles nesting in silt traps and pipes, sharp debris.

P.P.E. used : protective eyewear/visor, gloves, (preferably PVC gloves), face mask, full sleeve shirt, long pants.

Silt is a major cause of drainage systems not working properly. Desilting is a necessary practice on all drainage systems. It can occupy the smallest spaces in a system, such as a slot in agricultural pipe and holes of geo-textile fabric. We had to manually desilt, scooping up with a trowel or shovel and empting into a bucket.

A hose was fed down the pipe and water used to move along and flush debris.

Inspection openings were monitored for clear water to indicate no blockage.