Drainage Patterns

Drainage is any system used to remove excess water from land.

Drainage can be either natural or artificial. Many areas have some natural drainage; this means that excess water flows into lakes and rivers. Natural drainage, however, is often inadequate, and artificial or man-made drainage is required.

Different Types of Drainage:

There are two types of artificial drainage: surface drainage and subsurface drainage.

Surface Drainage:

Surface drainage is the removal of excess water from the surface of the land. This is normally accomplished by shallow ditches, also called open drains.

Subsurface Drainage:

Subsurface drainage is the removal of water from the root zone. It is accomplished by deep open drains or buried pipe drains.