How to Fix Ditch Erosion

Install a ditch liner to prevent the water from slowly eroding the sides of the ditch and compromising its integrity. The ditch can be lined with a prefabricated liner or lined using asphalt, concrete, rock or even vegetation. If vegetation is used, maximum effectiveness will not be achieved until the plant life has been given time to grow and fully establish itself on the sides of the ditch.

Reduce the velocity of the water flowing through the ditch by installing check dams and cross culverts. The dams will slow the water flowing through the ditch and help to prevent it from eating away at its sides. The cross culverts will prevent the ditch from being expanded by flowing water and destroying the road base.

Fill in the bottom of the ditch to reduce its depth and slow erosion from water. Many ditches are designed too deep which helps to quicken erosion. Use rocks or soil to fill in the ditch as deep ditches are also a safety hazard when they are located near roads and highways.

Place erosion netting on the sides of ditches to help slow erosion and prevent the sides of the ditch from collapsing. Large and powerful flows of water through a ditch can quickly erode the walls of a ditch not protected with netting. For maximum effectiveness, the netting should be anchored to the walls of the ditch.