posted 3 years ago
Around here you often see either hay bales placed at regular intervals (every 10-20 feet or so) in roadside ditches to slow water flow; commonly where there are construction sites.
I wonder if it is to slow the movement of the water and/or to trap silt so that the water flowing into the larger creeks/rivers are not muddied with soil, compromising fish spawning habitat?
Could this be a short term ( a year or two before degradation would make the bale no longer a "dam") solution to water run off? I would think one could use bad (mouldy?) bales for little to no cost...
For those in areas that flood, sand bags are basically considered "toxic waste" and end up in the landfill. Perhaps it would be worth salvaging them and using them for mini dams?
Lorinne Anderson: Specializing in sick, injured, orphaned and problem wildlife for over 20 years.