AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL
ENGINEERING

COURSE CODE: AGEN 503

COURSE TITTLE: SOIL AND WATER
CONSERVATION II

A REPORT ON THE FIELD TRIP TO AREA F GULLY

EROSION SITES

BY

GLORIA ORIZU

(U11AE1017)

LECTURER: PROF. HENRY IGBADUN

FEBRUARY, 2016
INTRODUCTION
Gullies are formed by excess runoff flowing with high velocity and force that can

detach and carry away the detached soil particles from the area. The runoff flow can start

from bare land, faulty drainage, farm roads, neglected rills and furrows in the field. Gully

erosion involves the removal of soil by excessive concentration of running water,

resulting in the formation of deep narrow channels.

Gullies starts when concentrated, fast-flowing water hits a small surface depression,

caused naturally on the land surface or as a result of livestock tracks, furrows and ruts left

by farm machinery. The energy of the water scours away the soil and undermines the

vegetation. Once the vegetation and top soil are removed, gullies spread rapidly up and

drown drainage lines until there is insufficient runoff to continue the erosion that forms

the gully and it gradually becomes stable. Although they spread quickly and look

dramatic, once stable, the head of the gully loses very little soil and the bulk of the

sediment comes from new channel networks that are often generated from the gully

walls. Once formed, gullies can continue to generate sediment long after the triggering

causes have ceased.

THE STUDY AREA

The area visited was at Area E and this site is facing a severe case of gully, some of

which are small gullies, medium and even very large gullies, a section of the area have

been tried to be reclaimed by the university authority by tree planting, the trees are

planted at equal length horizontally, vertically and even diagonally. This gullies leads to

the siltation of the ABU Dam. Some of the sites gullies are shown below:

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Fig: 1: Gully scouring site

Fig 2: tree planting activity

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CAUSES OF GULLY IN THE SITE
The main cause of this gully is the excavation of the soil for the building of the university

staff quarters as a result the soil is well exposed to the activity of erosion, and this bring

about repeated erosion which in turn reduces soil fertility by; Removing soil which is

rich in nutrients and organic matter, Reducing infiltration of water into soil and

increasing runoff

RECLAIMATION OF THE GULLY

Gully reclamation is site specific and careful assessment is required before

rehabilitation options can be considered. Gullies can rapidly grow to large dimensions,

making effective control technically difficult or prohibitively expensive in some cases.

The potential high costs associated with stabilization of the gully can often be a major

disincentive for landholders, however, it must be emphasized that impacts of leaving the

channel to stabilize of its own accord would need to be carefully considered.

There are four stages of fixing gully erosion:

1. Remove existing land pressure

2. Assess the stability of the drainage line where the gully line occurs

3. Identify the source of the water causing the erosion

4. Identify the appropriate remediation options

1. REMOVE EXISTING LAND PRESSURE

The first step which must be taken to initially control or manage the eroding gully is to

remove the existing pressures. Gullies often indicate that the soil is beyond its capacity to

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cope with the current land use. A review of the land management practices and

alternative options for the land will provide the first step towards its rehabilitation.

2. ASSESS THE STABILITY OF THE DRAINAGE LINE

Gully erosion can look dramatic, but if the has stabilized is better to leave it alone.

Disturbing dispersive soil may reactivate the gully and cause more erosion. To check

whether the gully is active, careful assessment of the severity of the entire gully,

especially on foot, is required (this is the essence of our field trip).

Four main variables evaluated to determine the degree of gully floor activity are:

The type and condition of the vegetation present, if any.

The shape and profile of the drainage line and type and condition of the materials

on the drainage line floor.

The nature of the drainage line wall material, and

The nature of the bank edge and regulation of lateral flow into the drainage line

(that is, whether there are barriers or opportunity for water to flow into the gully

from the sides).

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 3. IDENTIFYING THE WATER SOURCE

Gully erosion result from lateral and upstream flow and also from sub-surface flow

(ground water). For the gully site visited it seems likely that the water comes from both

surface and sub-surface. For the surface water, rehabilitation work will involve diversion

of the water away from the gully by earthworks (hard management option) or the slowing

down of the water using vegetation (soft option). For the ground water source the best

option would be to revegetate the surrounding area to take up some of the ground water

and lower the water table.

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 4. IDENTIFY THE APPROPRIATE RECLAMATION OPTIONS

Vegetation cover- the soft option

For the small and medium gullies, adequate vegetation is vital for soil protection.

Varying layers of tree, shrubs and ground cover intercept the force of rain drops hitting

the ground and slowing the speed of surface runoff. Plants root holds the soil together,

improving soil physical properties such as stability and porosity (the capacity to have

water infiltrate into the soil, and also take up groundwater which may otherwise cause

sub-surface erosion. Grassed and vegetated areas also provide important for birds and

terrestrial animals.

Key points to keep in mind when considering vegetation as a remediation option include:

As a general rule of thumb, 70% groundcover is needed to protect soil. In areas of

high water flow this needs to be thicker up to 100% cover; in areas above gully

where rain is likely to fall.

The complete removal of stock from the gully area and runoff area above the

gully is preferred.

Deep-rooted perennial grasses are recommended for planting in and on the sides

of the gullies and ephemeral water ways that have the potential to become gully.

Trees and larger shrubs should be planted further away from the gully to take up

ground water.

Use of permanent structures

For the large gullies in the area that are so severe that simple vegetation and stock

exclusion techniques will not be adequate to arrest erosion let alone remediate area, in

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this cases earthwork is required the gullies can be reclaimed using the permanent

structures and temporal structures such as:

Drop structures

Chute spillways

Drop-inlet or pipe spillway.

Sand bags

Loosened rock dam

Rock filled dams

POTENTIAL THREATS IF THE GULLY IS LEFT AS IT IS

If the gully is left as it is, the gully will grow wider and wider until appropriate measures

are put to place and also more of the productive land will be lost, pest and invasive

weeds will continue to be harboured, property values will be very minimal. The

smothering of roads making them impassable, downstream sedimentation of waterways.

The transportation of nutrients and contaminants from agricultural catchments.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

In conclusion, based on the above given facts and conditions, the gully can be easily

reclaimed and also, Its highly recommended that the method to be considered should

weigh the cost-benefit of carrying out the work.

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REFERENCES
1 Boucher, SC & Powell, JM (1994), Gullying and tunnel erosion in Victoria, Austrian

Geographical Studies, 32, pp. 17-26.

2. Micheal A.M. and Ojha, T.P. (2014), Principle of Agricultural Engineering Vol. II

New Delhi. Pp. 754.

2 AGEN 503 Lecture Note by: Engr. Prof. Henry Igbadun