What are two-stage ditches?
Two-stage ditches are drainage ditches that have been modified by adding benches that serve as floodplains within the overall channel. This form is more consistent with fluvial form and process, and therefore leads to greater channel stability. The benches can also function as wetlands during certain times of the year, reducing ditch nutrient loads. This results in a more sustainable ditch that restores some of the beneficial natural processes within the ditch environment while providing the drainage capacity necessary for production.
Understanding Two-Stage Ditches
Presentations (video) from Two-Stage Ditch Symposium at Ohio State University
Designing Two-Stage Ditches
Two-Stage Ditch Design, by Andy Ward and Dan Mecklenburg
Spreadsheet Tools for River Evaluation, Assessment and Monitoring, from Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Financial Incentives
The Nature Conservancy has been actively supporting two-stage ditch implementation in Indiana, Ohio, and Minnesota. This has been supported by USEPA through the Section 319 program.
The NRCS supports two-stage ditches through EQIP only in Indiana, through CPS 582, Open Channels.
Water Quality Benefits
Recent evidence has shown that the two-stage ditch has great potential to improve nutrient processing compared to conventional ditches, by creating an in-ditch bench that facilitates denitrification and nutrient uptake while enhancing the stability of the channel and reducing sediment movement.
State Resources
Natural Resources Conservation Service
- Part 654 National Engineering Handbook. Stream Restoration Design. Chapter 10: Two-Stage Design
- Indiana Conservation Practice Standard for Open Channels (582), which can apply to two-stage ditches
Press Articles
- Farm Progress: Two-Stage Ditch Idea Gains Momentum in Indiana
- WBEZ radio: Two-Stage Ditches Helping Nature Clean Farm Runoff
- Corn and Soybean Digest: