DRAINAGE
Going underground Correct primary and secondary drainage systems can work wonders, reports Penny Comerford Sports pitches which remain consistently waterlogged despite routine aeration and surface maintenance may well have reached the point where installation of primary or secondary drainage systems is the only means of alleviating the problem. Primary drainage comprises a matrix of underground pipework that allows water to enter the pipes and then be carried away to an outfall point – usually a ditch but sometimes a soakaway system. The matrix is made up of a main or carrier drain that has a system of lateral drains feeding
46 | Turf Matters | MAY-JUNE 2019
into it, with the laterals usually being confined beneath the playing surface. The spacing between these laterals is determined by influencing factors, for example, soil type, annual rainfall
data for the locality and level of use required and this leads to a range of between 3m and 6m spacings. Following the creation of trenches, pipes are laid within them and