Low Land Question

[Lucky One]

I have 6+ acres that are low and depending on rain amounts can get very wet (also has a natural spring in one corner). I would like to plant some food plots in this area, but they tend to get flooded or too wet to allow plants to grow well. Does anyone have any suggestions for how I can drain this area to allow for successful food plots? I would be interested if you thought expanding a small drainage area and digging out a section to create a pond would help dry out the remainder of the wet areas. Any help would be very much appreciated.

[Mark Christianson]

I would contact your local DNR Wildlife office to be sure you can legally do anything with it.

If you can, they may have some suggestions as to what you could try.

Every single week in the Outdoor News, there are a lot of cease and desist orders in the Cuffs and Collars section. You dont want to be one of them in the event that location is off limits to be altering.

[Lucky One]

I was planning to do this, but really wanted to know if I had some options prior to contacting the DNR. Thanks for the advice though! I never want to see my name in the Cuffs and Collars pages!

[Powerstroke]

Sometimes there are legal ways to drain a wetland area, but it is very unlikely in your case since its not for any kind of ag use that could generate profit. Usually they would allow mitigation, meaning you can drain yours but you have to restore an equal or larger wetland nearby.

[Knute78]

Be careful when it comes to dealing with wet areas or wetlands.

Draining these areas without going through the proper leg work could get you a heafty fine if all the proper "red tape" isn't follwed. Definately contact the DNR. You may need to get a wetland deliniation done on the site to look for wetland plants and species etc... to determine if this is a true wetland. If it is you may be S.O.L.

Also, before you could drain the area I would think you would definately need a permit at the very least.

Again contact the DNR. I work with them everyday as a contractor, but they would definately know more about this matter than me.

[luckey]

My guess is you can't drain it. I have an area they called a type one wetland and I couldn't even build a road on the edge. This is land that is farmed. It may have some water in spring by is hard as a rock for most of the summer. Good luck

[chucker34]

If they won't let you drain it, could you go the other route and turn it into a full fledged wetland/slough by planting cattails and tall grass and all that other good stuff. Those are deer magnets on my land and the WMAs I hunt on.

[Lucky One]

Thanks for all of the input. I am considering turning it into a 'wetter' land. If I cannot put a pond in or drain some of it off I will look at this as an option. Just as an FYI, I did call the DNR and Soil and Water Conservation and neither one deals with this. I was told to contact the County Environmental Services. They are planning to come out and take a look this week. Thanks again!