Methods and methods for draining swamps. Environmental problems If you drain all the swamps, what will happen?

It is well known that a wetland is unpromising: it is impossible to grow or build anything on it, it can cause flooding of cellars or vegetable gardens located in the neighborhood, and, in addition, it often becomes a breeding ground for various diseases.
Therefore, for a long time, swampy areas were deserted, and now people try not to build anything near such areas.
In addition, a swamp is a complex ecosystem, and its drainage negatively affects the environment, because the natural processes occurring in this place are disrupted, plants and animals die.

Current rates of marsh drainage

Despite this, draining swamps is beneficial to man, so he is actively involved in it. Crops can be grown on drained lands; they are saturated with oxygen and mineralized thanks to sulfuric acid produced by the oxidation of pyrite. Any crops can take root and grow well in enriched soil. Construction can also be carried out on drained land.

In fact, reclamation of wetlands is carried out in several main areas:
extraction of peat and other minerals;
preparing land for agriculture;
improvement of park areas, construction of football and golf fields;

construction dewatering before the start of soil excavation for the construction of foundations and utility networks;
restoration of areas subject to industrial swamping that occurred during the construction of roads, embankments, etc.;
improvement of private construction sites and adjacent areas.

Swamp drainage is usually carried out on a large industrial scale. The situation is completely different when people face the problem of waterlogged soil in their garden plots. This is where modern drainage systems come to the rescue, represented by various types of pipes, wells and other necessary equipment.

Types of drainage systems used to drain swamps

Three methods have been developed and are actively used to drain swamps: open, closed and combined.

The open method is nothing more than a network of canals that drain excess ground and surface water from the developed site. Depending on the requirements for the territory, drainage trenches can be located:
along the perimeter - used for areas for development or landscaping;
over the entire surface - main purpose: mining.
The open method is quite simple, but ineffective in winter and adjacent periods of the year. It is also necessary to understand that for the effective operation of the entire complex of canals, a large amount of excavation work is required, primarily related to excavation and arrangement of slopes. The depth of the drainage trench must exceed the required water level by at least 1.5 meters.
Important Note: roadside ditches are not a drainage system; their main purpose is to drain storm and flood waters.

More possibilities are provided by closed drainage, the functionality of which is not limited by the seasons.
The closed method is much more complicated and requires special equipment, but the main advantage is the almost 100% guarantee of drying of both the surface and the entire soil layer located above the drainage pipelines. For this reason, underground drainage is used in almost all facilities where reliable and constant drainage is required, regardless of the amount of precipitation or time of year.
In the middle of the last century, pipes were made of cement, asbestos, ceramics or cast iron, but the development of technology gradually made its own adjustments.
Currently, the best and most relevant material for drainage pipes is polypropylene and polyethylene. Corrugated drainage pipes made of plastic, of different diameters, with or without additional protection from geotextiles, are remarkable in their properties.
Typically, single-walled or double-walled pipes are used to construct a drainage system, in which the outer layer is corrugated and the inner layer is smooth.

The very first stage of designing any system is design.
When drawing up a project, factors such as relief features, scope of work, hydrological studies, vertical layout of the site and soil composition are taken into account. It is very important not to make a mistake with the choice of drainage pipes used, which primarily differ:
material - it can be polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP) or classic concrete;
wall design - single-walled with an internal corrugated surface or double-walled, corrugated on the outside and smooth on the inside;
type of delivery - pipes are supplied both in lengths and coils;
ring stiffness class - from SN2 to SN16.

Important steps in installing a drainage system

After approval of the project, you can begin the first stage of work - digging a trench for drainage. The width of the trench is determined as follows: the diameter of the pipe plus 20-40 cm. The depth is determined depending on the diameter of the pipe, the expected result and the purposes for which the drained area will be used. Thus, trees require a maximum pipe level of no more than one and a half meters, bushes - no more than 50-60 cm, lawn grass - no more than 20 cm. The deeper the drains are, the less moisture reaches the surface of the earth. The choice of drain diameter is also important. The optimal diameter is considered to be 110mm; this size reduces the cost of installing the system.

The degree of slope depends on the diameter of the pipe: the greater the slope, the smaller the diameter. This relationship is due to the fact that the throughput of the pipe becomes greater as the diameter increases. The less water is in the pipe, the more difficult it is for it to flow down the main line. The minimum permissible slope for pipes (no matter what diameter) is at least 3 degrees. The average slope is 2-3 cm for every 10 m of pipe. Too much slope can cause holes to appear around the pipes, so you should be extremely careful when making calculations.

So, the trench is ready. The next stage is laying drainage pipes. First, a layer of sand is laid at the bottom of the trench, a layer of crushed stone is placed on it, then the pipe is laid. From above the drain is poured into reverse order: first with crushed stone, then with sand. A layer of soil is poured on top of the sand, and, lastly, a layer of turf. The arrangement of the layers should remain the same, since each of them plays a specific role. Due to a change in the order of layers of sand and crushed stone, the pipe may become unusable. Pipes need to be laid at a depth that does not freeze during the cold season.

The network of drains is discharged into a natural reservoir or an artificial reservoir. From the latter, it is subsequently pumped out by pumps or seeps into the lower layers of the soil if a filter is installed at the bottom of the reservoir.

If there are already buildings on the site, drainage should be laid at a distance of 0.5-1 m from the foundation.

The combined method of installing a drainage system is especially common in dacha and cottage areas. In fact, it is the best method for draining the soil and further regulating the moisture level in it.

To drain swamps, open main ditches are used, which are located along and along the perimeter of the central road. In addition, to ensure general flow into the main drainage network along the boundaries of the garden plot, it is necessary to dig ditches 40 cm wide and 30 cm deep.

If it is possible to reach an agreement with a neighbor, a drainage ditch is made along its perimeter to drain the area. Another option is to dig a separate small hole, which is filled with solid waste and construction waste. From above it is covered with a layer of soil up to 30 m thick. Such a ditch helps remove excess water and lowers its level in the ground. It is often used for planting plants. A well up to three meters deep can play the same role.

The soil can be drained using a “hedge” of serviceberry, rose hip, hawthorn, willow, sea buckthorn, etc. In low areas, it is advisable to plant fruit trees that have a superficial root system.

If the site has not been used before, it must be developed. To do this, the top layer of earth is removed, which can be used to build a house, summer kitchen, barn and other household premises, or lay paths in the garden. This land is used to fill pits for berries and fruit crops, as well as in the garden plot.

If tree stumps are removed using special equipment, then infertile layers of soil will appear on the surface, which will lead to compaction of the area and will force you to cultivate it for a long time. To reduce the amount of work in the stump, it is worth making a depression and filling it with ammonium nitrate. The hole closes at the top. After 2-3 months, the wood is set on fire using kerosene. The roots and stumps of the trees will burn, resulting in land suitable for planting in this place.

Drainage of wetlands

Drainage of bogs leads to a change in the general hydrological regime of the territory and transforms them from ecosystems that fix carbon into territories that emit carbon dioxide during the mineralization of peat, which occurs when it dries out due to aerobic microbiological processes. Drainage caused great damage to the Non-Black Earth Region in the European part of Russia, where thousands of rivers and streams disappeared and a general drying out of the territory began, the yield of field crops and meadows decreased. In a number of cases, arable land on drained peatlands turned out to be unproductive.[...]

Drainage consists of artificially lowering the groundwater level in swamps, which leads to a change in the ratio of elements of the water balance and redistribution of flow. This is achieved by creating artificial drainage. In the practice of reclamation work, drainage of swamps is carried out using a system of open drainage ditches or closed drains (“mole holes”). Water flowing into the swamp from the outside is intercepted by “upland” ditches. In some cases in the subtropics, the level can be reduced by planting eucalyptus trees, which have a high transpiration capacity, in combination with calmatage.[...]

Drained swamps are of great value for national economy. Highly productive agriculture develops in drained low-lying swamps: swamps are sown with fodder, grain, vegetable crops, etc. The highest yields are obtained by creating double-action drainage systems: acting as drainage devices during periods of excess moisture and as moisturizing (irrigating) devices during periods of excess moisture. lack.[...]

Drainage of waterlogged forest lands is an effective method for increasing wood growth. However, not all wetland forests are responsive to drainage. Thus, observations in Polesie showed that it is inappropriate to drain high-moor peat bogs with pine forests growing on them. Draining transitional type swamps to grow forests provides the greatest silvicultural efficiency.[...]

After the swamps are drained, a diverse flora of capped saprophytic fungi develops on the forest floor, producing gradual mineralization of the forest floor and decomposition of the underlying layers of peat. Ultimately, this leads to the formation of very fertile soils in place of former peat bogs.[...]

However, drainage should be carried out within reasonable limits. A decrease in the groundwater level when draining swamps more than 1.5 m from the soil surface contributes to the rapid oxidation of peat and the removal of nutrients into drainage ditches. With a further decrease in their level, the root horizon becomes detached from the capillary fringe, which leads to the death of forests.[...]

Massive drainage of swamps, deforestation, changing the direction of river flow, etc. forms of anthropogenic activity have had a harmful impact on various ecological systems in the form of destruction of the stable connections that have developed in them and certain environmental characteristics planetary scale (for example, the ecologically stable Earth system has a constant mass and a constant average temperature) and created the threat of global environmental disasters.[...]

Protection of raised bogs. Raised bogs play an important role in maintaining the ecological balance of the environment and established natural complexes. They serve as a source of nutrition for many rivers, regulate spring flow, making floods less stormy and destructive; The spring and rainwater accumulated in them maintains the level of groundwater that feeds the surrounding fields and meadows. In addition, swamps are a habitat for game birds and animals and provide rich harvests of berries. In good years, up to 3 t/ha of cranberries, 2 t/ha of lingonberries and blueberries, and a lot of blueberries and other berries are harvested from the swamps. In monetary terms, this gives an income several times greater than arable land of the same area. For these reasons, draining swamps must be approached with extreme caution, carefully weighing the possible consequences.[...]

In a number of cases, after draining the swamps, the damage revealed turned out to be much greater than the expected positive effect, as a result of which the swamps had to be restored again, spending additional funds on this.[...]

In the presence of vivianite in drained swamps, the positive effect of phosphorus fertilizers is usually insignificant or practically absent. [...]

Massive deforestation and drainage of swamps contribute, along with the ever-increasing consumption of previously buried organic compounds, to an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere.[...]

The role of wetlands in natural balance is absolutely irreplaceable. They are important regulators of river flow, accumulating excess moisture during a flood and gradually releasing it with the onset of a dry period. Ill-considered, uncontrolled drainage of swamps often irreversibly disrupts this balance, turning water meadows into barren salt marshes and depriving arable lands of moisture.[...]

Drainage (from English - to drain) - drainage of agricultural land using special hydraulic structures (wells, canals, ditches, etc.). Drainage is used as a mandatory technical technique when draining swamps, combating water erosion of soils, protecting ground transport communications, from landslides, floods, etc.[...]

Copper fertilizers. They are used on drained swamps and peat soils for flax, hemp, and sugar beets.[...]

It is necessary to note the successes of the British in draining swamp soils and coastal lowlands. The second example of this kind (in terms of time it is the first) is Holland, where at the same time the previously carried out drainage of lakes and sea estuaries sharply intensified. Over a period of 10-15 years on the drained polder, with the use of fertilizers and alfalfa crops, soil was obtained that was “more productive than natural.” True, incredible labor was required, and the people who farmed here developed a proverb: “The first farmer dies, the second suffers, the third lives” (Bondarev, 1979, p. 52).[...]

It is most effective when fertilizing drained swamps, carbonate peat soils, and soils containing little copper. Wheat, sugar beets, sunflowers, and peas respond well to pyrite cinders. The rate of application to the soil is 5-6 c/ha. As a water-insoluble fertilizer, it is not suitable for seed treatment and foliar feeding. In Bashkiria, waste from copper smelters in the Trans-Ural region should be widely tested as copper fertilizers.[...]

DRAINAGE [fr. drainage from English drain - drain] - a method of draining waterlogged lands by draining surface and ground water (so-called drainage water) using special ditches and underground pipes - drain. D. is used in draining swamps, combating water erosion of soils, protecting ground transport communications from landslides, floods, etc.; in the southern regions - for desalinization of saline soils. ECOLOGICAL DUPLICATION - relative functional interchangeability of populations (coenopopulations) of species of the same trophic group in an ecosystem. D.e. - one of the mechanisms for ensuring the reliability (sustainability) of ecosystems, since under D.e. an extinct or destroyed species is usually replaced by a functionally similar one.[...]

Despite the fact that the area of ​​peat bogs alone around the world is more than 1 million km2, a serious problem has arisen in the protection of peat bogs. For this purpose, as well as to study the prospects for their rational use, a special international organization was created in 1967, uniting scientists from 18 countries. The rate of drainage of swamps is now so high that in many places it threatens their complete disappearance. However, such an outcome is completely unacceptable. Even purely economic aspects convince us of this: for example, according to American data, just renting out hunting grounds in swamps, with huts and huts, provides greater profit than turning these swamps into agricultural areas. Usually, hundreds of species of birds and valuable fur-bearing animals (nutria, muskrat) are found in abundance in swamps. Often swamps are magnificent berry fields: there, without any use of human labor or fertilizer, 2 quintals of cranberries and 7-8 quintals of cloudberries grow per hectare.[...]

Russian foresters have long shown interest in the issues of draining wet forest lands and thereby increasing forest productivity. The drainage of swampy forests carried out in the Leningrad region, the Baltic states, Belarus and the central regions of Russia indicates the undeniability of the positive effect of drainage on forest growth. In the 80s of the last century, work was carried out to study and drain the swamps in the provinces of Novgorod (started in 1875), Olonets and Yaroslavl (started in 1879), Pskov (1880) and some others. But the experience of draining forest lands has not become widespread. This was hampered by socio-economic conditions and the low level of technology of that time.[...]

Disappears as a result of habitat destruction (due to drainage of swamps, development of peat bogs). It is necessary to organize reserves in the most representative places in different parts of the range.[...]

Shreter E.I. News of the work carried out in the Ryabovaya manor during the drainage of the swamps. - Proceedings of VEO, part 3, St. Petersburg, 1783, pp. 3-25. .[...]

Surface-layer peat extraction is mechanized. After draining the swamp, it is treated with a milling cutter, tooth or disc harrow to a depth of 5-10 cm; as soon as this layer dries, the peat is raked into piles with special large shovels (horse- or tractor-drawn). Peat dried in them can be taken out to the field in winter. It is better to apply it as a fallow crop for winter crops.[...]

Water management specialists in the United States were the first to realize that the indiscriminate drainage of swamps and small lakes in order to expand agricultural land and industrial sites, and eliminate breeding sites for mosquitoes and other unpleasant insects is a thing of the past. The harm from draining water systems, which leads to a change in soil fertility, deprived of regulation of flow during low-water periods, and the death of wildlife and, above all, birds, far exceeds the benefit from the formation of new fields. In the United States, they developed and implemented a program for the revival of what they call “swamps.” By 2000, 16 thousand hectares of wetlands had been restored in the upper Mississippi and Alabama. The work was carried out by dredging and alluvium.[...]

Solid waste was previously disposed of in coastal areas, including swamp drainage areas. However, this method turned out to be unsatisfactory: almost catastrophic pollution of spawning areas and oyster habitat areas was observed. These and other environmental factors have necessitated the prohibition of this waste disposal practice.[...]

Human intervention in nature disrupts the existing balance. Deforestation, drainage of swamps, destruction of dams and straightening of riverbeds lead to the fact that spring waters freely roll into rivers and go to the sea. Stormy spring streams erode slopes and banks, silt up riverbeds and close springs. Soil erosion is facilitated by cutting down coastal bushes and plowing land to the water's edge.[...]

A high effect is obtained from phosphorus and especially potassium fertilizers alone on meadows of drained swamps and mineral soils poor in potassium.[...]

Violation of the habitat due to deforestation, plowing of steppes and fallow lands, drainage of swamps, flow regulation, creation of reservoirs and other anthropogenic impacts radically changes the breeding conditions of wild animals, their migration routes, which has a very negative impact on their numbers and survival.[ .. .]

Today's reduction of relict taiga in Russia is mainly due to deforestation and drainage of swamps. But the influence of the construction of transport highways and industrial zones for the extraction and processing of minerals is beginning to be felt on an increasingly large scale.[...]

Habitat disruption due to cutting down and burning of forests, plowing of steppes and fallow lands, drainage of swamps, flow regulation, creation of reservoirs and other anthropogenic impacts, radically changes the breeding conditions of wild animals, their migration routes, which has a very negative impact on their numbers and survival . Habitat destruction is recognized as the main cause of species extinction or decline in numbers. It put more than 390 species of vertebrate animals in a threatened state, which, without taking into account pollution factors, accounts for 50% of all other causes of their extinction (Yablokov et al., 1985).[...]

When assessing the impact on flora and fauna, it is necessary to determine the areas of deforestation and drainage of swamps, the zone of influence of pollutants discharged by the facility, changes in the nature of land use in the construction area, as well as negative consequences associated with the listed factors. Information about the state of vegetation in a certain area must be linked to relief parameters and soil characteristics. In this case, it is necessary to group forest, meadow and other areas of the territory according to the main taxometric characteristics, highlighting common plant associations and indicating the degree of their disturbance (degradation).[...]

An increase in forest productivity is also achieved by replacing tree plantations with more productive species and draining swamps. The main form of forest care is thinning. It is known that natural thinning of forests occurs with age. Foresters replaced this process with an artificial one. They cut down trees of low value and create favorable conditions for the growth and development of good-quality trees. Conducting thinnings contributes to the formation of a forest from trees of valuable tree species and high quality, accelerating growth and increasing forest productivity. In addition, by removing old and infected trees, the sanitary condition of the forest improves. Thinning and sanitary cuttings are also carried out in young growth. In 1999, the volume of thinning and sanitary felling amounted to 19.5 million m3. Reducing the volume of these fellings could lead to a deterioration in the quality of forests.[...]

Mounted swamp cutter FBN-0.9. Working width 0.9 m. Designed for destruction of soil layers after plowing in drained swamps and wetlands, as well as for destruction of organic or mineral hummocks in meadows and pastures. It is aggregated with tractors DT-54A and DT-55A.[...]

Let us also mention that in the Far North, on the Arkhangelsk experimental field, superphosphate gives large growths of grass in a drained swamp, and the results are of the following order: without fertilizer - 70 pounds of hay, with superphosphate - 270 pounds, and the effect of superphosphate lasts for several years (see . reports by I. I. Benevolensky in the Northern Economy).[...]

Deforestation, increasing the area of ​​deserts, replacing natural cenoses with highly specialized agrocenoses, draining swamps, and creating artificial reservoirs change the albedo of the earth's surface and the structure of the natural cycle of chemical elements. All egos have a detrimental effect on the climate and productivity of biota.[...]

Peat, compared to snow, is not only a spatial but also a temporal indicator of pollution, since peat bogs accumulate information about environmental pollution over a long period of time. The most reliable data is provided by raised bogs, due to the low geochemical background and slow biological cycle. The informativeness of drained swamps when studying the dynamics of pollution is significantly reduced (Doncheva, Kazakov et al., 1992). Vegetation is widely used as indicators of geosystem disturbances, in particular as optimal indicators early stages disturbances in the landscapes of the forest zone include epiphytic lichen and moss vegetation. A good indicator when studying the response to anthropogenic impacts is the soil, including soil microflora.[...]

Human economic activity in the river catchment area and its banks also affects the hydrological regime. Drainage of swamps, water extraction for domestic and industrial needs, wastewater discharges, etc. lead to changes in the water content of the river. Particular attention should be paid to cases when water is withdrawn for economic needs from the catchment area of ​​one river, and water is used or returned to nature in the catchment area of ​​another. This greatly affects the natural distribution of water and can lead to the drainage of some areas and swamping of others.[...]

In the zone of increased moisture, the main factor influencing the water balance is drainage amelioration systems. Drainage of swamps leads to desiccation and sedimentation of the peat layer. At first, the runoff increases somewhat, but in different landscapes this process occurs differently and depends on the subsequent use of these territories. When created on site bo-. In a lot of highly productive agricultural land, it may turn out that to ensure transpiration it will be necessary to periodically use artificial irrigation. In general, any measures to intensify agriculture and increase productivity, and therefore transpiration, lead to a restructuring of the water balance towards a reduction in surface runoff.[...]

On soil maps or simply on land use plans, areas of newly developed lands (forests from uprooting, drained swamps), as well as river floodplains and excessively moist soils, patches of solonetzic soils, etc. are especially highlighted, since special areas are being developed for such areas fertilizer application plans.[...]

Often, the quality of soils and their structure deteriorate due to imperfect technologies of agrochemical measures - land irrigation, drainage of swamps, deforestation, digging canals, etc. They are the main reasons for the destruction of humus, water and wind erosion of soil, and its leaching (replacement of calcium with potassium).[...]

Changing the habitats of animals is the most common phenomenon that has assumed enormous proportions. Deforestation, plowing of steppes, draining swamps, construction of reservoirs and canals, construction of roads, etc. radically changed the appearance of entire continents. Naturally, for a number of animals these changes turned out to be unfavorable, and either the species became extinct or their numbers sharply decreased; often they survived only in protected areas.[...]

Anthropogenic vegetation is a community of plants that arises as a result of human activity: crops, planting trees, grazing, draining swamps, etc. The relationship between atmospheric pollution and the circulation of substances is shown in Fig. 8.[...]

Conservation of the white whooping crane perfectly illustrates the potential for saving rare birds. However, such an event requires a lot of effort. This crane was once a common swamp bird North America. Direct persecution and drainage of swamps led to the fact that at the beginning of the 20th century. he, like a nesting bird, disappeared in the USA. Only 20-30 birds survived in Canada, the nesting sites of which were unknown. In 1937, their last wintering place was found in the Arkansas reserve in the swampy meadows of Texas, where by 1941 only 15 birds remained. Only in 1954 were their nests discovered in a remote corner of the Canadian Wood Buffalo National Park.[...]

In general, it is not difficult to guess that, as the population grows, people will be forced to transform more and more mature (climax) ecosystems into simple young productive ones (for example, by destroying tropical forests, draining swamps, etc.). To maintain these systems at a “young” age, the use of fuel and energy resources will increase. In addition, there will be a loss of species (genetic) diversity and natural landscapes (Table 10.1).[...]

Large-scale transformations of nature - plowing virgin lands, construction of giant hydroelectric power stations with the construction of large reservoirs and flooding of floodplain areas, projects for turning rivers, construction of large agro-industrial complexes, drainage of swamps - all these are powerful factors of environmental risk for nature and humans.[...]

Despite past successes, there is a tendency in soil conservation to “rest on our laurels” and lag behind the times. For example, too much effort is currently being made to increase the area of ​​arable land; Huge amounts of money are spent on regulation, drainage of swamps, etc., and at the same time nothing is done to save excellent land from destruction associated with poorly planned urban development. Land surveyor training programs are largely outdated; they should be expanded to include a greater role for the sciences and social sciences, introducing courses in pollution ecology and human ecology. In other words, the problem of soil conservation, in particular and the science of land use in general, should focus not only on agriculture and forestry, but also deal with the rural-urban landscape complex, where the most urgent problems now exist (see Yu. Odum, 1969a ).[...]

In developed countries, arable land has stabilized. It is considered more economically profitable to intensify agriculture than to expand arable land. It is believed that the area of ​​arable land can be increased to 20-25% of the land area by irrigating lands in arid conditions, draining swamps and shallow waters, clearing small forests, and removing stones. According to FAO, up to 70% of the world's land resources are in low-productivity areas.[...]

In field experiments, in addition to types, forms, doses, times and methods of application, a combination of issues of agrochemistry with methods of cultivating a particular crop, varieties of agricultural plants, characteristics of soil-climatic zones (liming of acidic soils, gypsum of solonetzes, drainage of swamps in northern regions) can be studied. areas, irrigation in areas of insufficient moisture), organizational and economic conditions, etc. However, with all the variety of topics and under any conditions, it is necessary to think in advance and write down a plan or procedure for conducting field experiments based on the previously stated general guidelines for experimental work and use additional literature.[...]

Oxygen man-made barriers most often arise when pumping gley (less often hydrogen sulfide) water from mines, adits, quarries and wells. These barriers, like the alkaline ones considered, do not affect the general course of migration of elements in the biosphere. However, there are also man-made oxygen barriers that arise over large areas. They are the result of drainage of swamps and control the migration of Fe, Mn, Co on a scale approaching the biosphere. Even more dangerous are the consequences of the oxidation of previously buried large masses of undecomposed organic matter (mainly peat) on these barriers. The scale of these consequences can be judged by the terrible fires in the Moscow region in 2002. Extinguishing these fires by everyone modern means for several months it did not give positive results. Only the beginning of the rainy season led to the extinguishing of the fires. You should think about this before drawing up plans to drain the swamps of Siberia and create new oxygen barriers.[...]

In water treatment practice, various technological techniques and methods for improving water quality are used. The choice of rational schemes for the treatment of natural and waste waters presents significant difficulties. This is explained by the complexity of the composition of natural and waste waters and high requirements for the quality of treatment; changes in the composition of the reservoir water as a result of the discharge of wastewater from new industrial enterprises, the development water transport, drainage of swamps (located upstream), expansion of peat mining, etc. Such violations complicate not only the design of new, but also the improvement of long-standing treatment facilities. The considerations underlying the classification we developed made it possible, using the example of processing natural waters systematize existing water treatment methods.[...]

In the Ural economic region, there are about 5 thousand small rivers, with a total length of over 110 thousand km (i.e., the vast majority). Small rivers are intensively used for water supply, irrigation and bear the main burden of anthropogenic impact: pollution by industrial and domestic wastewater of varying degrees of purification, clogging with wood and wood waste, siltation due to natural erosion and discharges from the mining industry, waterlogging and disruption by drainage processing, depletion and drying out due to deforestation, drainage of swamps, etc. Hydrometeorological studies of small rivers are carried out in isolated cases; there are not sufficient series of observations of their flow and other regime parameters necessary for predicting the state and planning the use of river resources.

"Fifteen
years ago I started mastering
an inherited plot of land on a peat bog. This turned out to be not an easy matter
(I had to study the relevant literature) and very labor-intensive. I'll tell you how
drain the swamp at your summer cottage. Maybe the experience I have accumulated can be useful to someone
will come in handy." This is the letter sent to our website by Gennady Veselov from
Leningrad region. Here is his story.

We rarely cultivate peat-boggy soils. Together with
However, they can bring good harvests. Naturally, when due
processed in a manner. The disadvantages of a summer cottage on a peat bog are known. This
saturation of swamp methane gas in the soil and lack of oxygen, as well as
proximity to groundwater surface. Therefore, to the question, a plot on a peat bog - what to do, the answer is with
the correct solution to the problem is simple: enriching the soil with oxygen, getting rid of
methane and lowering groundwater levels.

How
to drain the swamp at the dacha, where to start? The first summer I had to dig drainage
ditches 50 cm wide and 70 to 140 cm deep. They must be dug with a slope of approximately
1 cm per linear meter. Brushwood was laid at the bottom of the ditches. Covered the branches
old roofing felt, which I still had after re-roofing. On
roofing felt laid dry grass, which
I mowed it before the seeds appeared, so that the summer cottage would not be overgrown with weeds. This grass
covered it with crushed dry peat, and laid the excavated soil on top, so that
it turned out to be a small hill. After it settled, almost no bedding was required.
The construction of such drainage ditches on a summer cottage made it possible to make the land more
loose, get rid of methane gas and lower the groundwater level.

How to drain a swamp to make garden beds
plot.

Peat is known to be a source of nitrogen necessary for plant development. But
as long as it lies in a compressed layer, there is no benefit from it. However, it was worth
dig up and grind it, just like bacteria started working after taking a breath of oxygen,
turning peat into soil suitable for planting. Of course, here too it was necessary
work hard. After all, in order to get good harvests, on a summer cottage
draining the swamp is not enough. Necessary
It was necessary to add clay, sawdust from a cow farm and sand to the soil. The first few
years we had to feed our peat bog also with mineral fertilizers and additives
microelements.

Peat
retains moisture well and is an excellent mulch. Its top layer (3-5 cm)
must be kept dry. This will save your garden from pests and diseases, and the vegetable garden from
tedious weeding. In addition, peat soils freeze and thaw
slowly and do not freeze deeply. Therefore, in our beds, in place of drained
The swamps of the plant never froze even during winters with little snow and frost.

Thus, having drained the swamp at my summer cottage, I was able to
in a few years create fertile soil here that is suitable for
growing most agricultural crops. Moreover, having ennobled
plot, they planted plum trees, apple trees, cherries, pears, sea buckthorn and chokeberry trees on it
rowan, which began to produce abundant harvests. So the garden plot is
peat bog - this is quite feasible. You just need to put your hands to it.

Introduction
It's no secret that wetlands are absolutely impossible to use in any way, and besides, a swamp can be a source of potential threats, for example, various diseases. For these reasons, people should not settle, construct structures, or establish agricultural land near wetlands. Also, do not forget that a swamp is a complex ecosystem and its drainage has an extremely negative impact on the environment. All natural processes are disrupted, which can lead to partial or complete destruction of the surrounding fauna and flora. However, draining swamps also brings undoubted benefits: the land becomes suitable for use, that is, construction can be carried out in this place, the soil is saturated with oxygen and mineralized thanks to sulfuric acid, which is obtained from the oxidation of pyrite. This creates one of the best soils for planting crops.
Drainage of swamps is usually carried out on an industrial scale, but summer residents in their garden plots also face the problem of excessive humidity and high groundwater levels. To eliminate problems of this kind, drainage systems are used.

There are three ways to drain swamps - closed, open and combined.

Swamps hinder development greenhouse effect. They, no less than forests, can be called “the lungs of the planet.” The fact is that the reaction of the formation of organic substances from carbon dioxide and water during photosynthesis, in its overall equation, is opposite to the oxidation reaction of organic substances during respiration, and therefore, during the decomposition of organic matter, carbon dioxide previously bound by plants is released back into the atmosphere (mainly due to the respiration of bacteria). One of the main processes that can reduce the content carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the burial of undecomposed organic matter, which is what happens in swamps that form deposits of peat, which then transforms into coal. (Other similar processes are the deposition of carbonates (CaCO 3) at the bottom of reservoirs and chemical reactions occurring in the earth’s crust and mantle). Therefore, the practice of draining swamps, carried out in XIX-XX centuries, from an environmental point of view, is destructive.

On the other hand, swamps are one of the sources of bacterial methane (one of the greenhouse gases) in the atmosphere. In the near future, an increase in the volume of swamp methane in the atmosphere is expected due to the melting of swamps in the permafrost region.

Swamps are natural water filters and orderlies for agroecosystems.

Valuable plants grow in the swamps (blueberries, cranberries, cloudberries).

Peat is used in medicine (mud therapy), as fuel, fertilizer in agriculture, feed for farm animals, and raw materials for the chemical industry.

Peat bogs serve as a source of finds for paleobiology and archeology - well-preserved remains of plants, pollen, seeds, and bodies of ancient people are found in them.

For the latter, swamp ore was a source for the manufacture of iron products.

Previously, the swamp was considered a disastrous place for humans. Livestock that strayed from the herd died in the swamps. Entire villages died out due to the bites of malaria mosquitoes. The vegetation in the swamps is sparse: light green moss, small wild rosemary shrubs, sedge, heather. The trees in the swamps are stunted. Gnarled lonely pines, birches and alder thickets.

People sought to drain the “dead places” and use the land for fields and pastures.
^

Draining the swamps: full back!

Draining swamps allows large areas to be brought into agricultural use, but at the same time sharply increases the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

There are few marshes left in Germany today. And once upon a time there was a lot. But then the idea of ​​draining them and turning them into agricultural land triumphed. Only relatively recently have ecologists and biologists been able to convey to the general public that peatlands have accumulated a huge amount of carbon, which, during the process of draining the swamps, is released and goes into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide, increasing the greenhouse effect. Not to mention the fact that draining swamps leads to the disappearance of unique biotopes with their unique flora and fauna.

Therefore, today in Germany, concepts for the regeneration of previously developed peatlands are being actively developed by re-watering them and restoring the previous hydrological regime of former swamps. A number of such projects were presented at the recent annual session of the Ecological Society in Lüneburg.

^ Swamp VIP project

One of the projects is called VIP - but one should not think that we are talking about “a particularly important - or, if you like, a very eminent - person.” “Nothing like that! This abbreviation stands for Vorpommern-Initiative Paludikultur - that is, the West Pomeranian Wetland Reclamation Initiative. Palus is Latin for swamp,” explains Professor Michael Manthey, a plant ecologist at the University of Greifswald.

As part of this project, scientists hope to find out whether wetlands can serve as additional territory for the cultivation of such industrial crops, which are used as renewable sources of energy and biomass. After all, today the whole world, and Germany is no exception, is experiencing an acute shortage of such resources, and experts have long puzzled over this problem. “This is the solution if the swamps are not drained. But that’s the rub,” says Professor Mantai.

^ Back to square one

The use of wetlands as hay and pasture lands has been practiced for a long time, but in this case peatlands are first drained, which is accompanied by the emission of huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. And the artificial regeneration of swamps, that is, their secondary watering, starts the process of formation of new peat, while carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is again absorbed and bound.

The only question is, can the restored swamp continue to be used for agricultural purposes? And if so, how? It is these questions that scientists are trying to answer within the framework of the VIP project: after all, in the northeast of Germany, in the territory of Vorpommern, there are a lot of eutrophic, that is, shallow, well-warmed lowland swamps, rich nutrients and fed by groundwater.

^ Reed can also be a biofuel...

The idea, in fact, boils down to cultivating plants there that naturally prefer marshy soils. “This is, first of all, an ordinary reed,” says Professor Mantai. - It is also possible that the reed canary grass would be suitable. But these can also be representatives of forest flora, that is, trees. For example, red alder. Or mixed vegetation - say, reeds and various types of sedges."


The stems are of greatest interest to experts. Now, in particular, research is being conducted to determine how suitable cane is as a raw material for producing biofuels. “The current experiments are carried out jointly with high school in Stralsund, explains Professor Mantai. “These experiments concern not only the properties characterizing the combustion of reed, but also, say, its suitability for briquetting and granulation.”

...and as an additive to building materials

However, the possibility of using marsh grasses as an additive to building materials is also being considered, the scientist says: “Experiments are being conducted on the use of reed stems as a reinforcing filler in the production of fire-resistant wall panels for the interior decoration of buildings and premises using the dry method.”

For a long time, environmentalists have been advocating for the cessation of all agricultural activities in peat bogs. Now such activities, apparently, will help restore the swamps to their original appearance and at the same time allow the production of significant quantities of valuable plant materials.

^ There are still many unresolved issues

Biology professor Volkmar Wolters, president of the Ecological Society, explains: “Over the next 40 years we will have to increase plant biomass production by 60% compared to current levels, otherwise we will not be able to meet the needs of humanity. If we stop destroying nature through the production of biomass, if we learn, on the contrary, to regenerate it, especially such valuable biotopes as swamps, this will become a very important contribution to the general concept of nature conservation.”

However, with one caveat, adds Professor Wolters: “Measures must be taken to ensure that the agricultural use of wetlands is not too intensive. So that they don’t suddenly start introducing fertilizers or any other chemicals into the peatlands that disrupt the natural development of the swamps.”

^ What about methane?

And we still have to deal with the problem of methane, which, as is known, in the absence of oxygen is formed biogenically in waterlogged soils - it is not for nothing that it is called swamp gas. It is necessary to compare the amount of carbon dioxide that regenerated swamps will absorb from the atmosphere with the amount of methane that the same swamps will release into the atmosphere. It is extremely important to take into account that the greenhouse activity of methane is 21 times higher than that of carbon dioxide. And if it turns out that the regeneration of swamps ultimately causes more harm to the climate of our planet than good, then the VIP project and all other similar concepts will apparently have to be buried.

What does improper drainage of swamps lead to?

References

1. 
   Great Encyclopedia of Oil and Gas http://www.ngpedia.ru/id225514p1.html
2. 
   P. Vvedensky "Guide to draining and cultivating swamps"
3. 
   Avakyan A. B., Shirokov V. M.: Rational use water resources: Textbook for geogr. , biol. and builds. specialist. universities - Ekaterinburg, publishing house “Victor”, 1994. - 320 p.
4. 
   Karlovsky V.F.: The impact of land reclamation on the environment. In the book. Land reclamation and environmental protection. Collection of scientific works. - Minsk, publishing house BelNIIMiVH, 1989. 212 p.