A hard path for storm water
Concrete-lined channels and ditches that carry storm water where it is supposed to go, built to the engineered plans.
Flood channels
It does not rain often here, and then it rains all at once. A summer storm can send muddy water down a wash or a dirt ditch in minutes, and bare soil does not stand up to that for long. Banks cut back, the bottom scours out and the water starts choosing its own route. Lining the channel with concrete gives it a bed that holds its shape.
A flood channel is drainage work, and the design belongs to an engineer. The width, the depth, the slope and the thickness of the lining are worked out from how much water has to pass through. We build what the plans show. If you have a ditch that is washing out and no plans yet, send a photo and we can talk about the next step.
Channel work
- Lined channel
- A concrete bottom and sloped sides along the run shown on the plans.
- Lined ditch
- A V shaped or flat bottom ditch, lined so the banks and the bed stop washing away.
- Tie-ins
- The concrete where a channel meets a pipe, a road crossing or another channel.
- Deepened edges
- Thicker edges at the ends and sides, where the plans call for them, to help keep water from getting under the lining.
How the job goes
- 1
Start from the design
We work from the engineered plans, which set the line, the grade and the shape of the channel. Your city or county may require a permit for work in a drainage, so check first.
- 2
Shape and compact
The channel is cut to the planned shape and slope, and the soil is compacted so the lining has firm ground behind it. Soft or washed out spots are dug out and rebuilt before any steel goes down.
- 3
Steel and concrete
Reinforcing is placed as the plans show and held up off the dirt. Concrete on the sloped sides uses a stiffer mix so it stays put, and it is placed from the truck chute or with a pump.
- 4
Finish, joint and cure
The surface is finished as the plans call for, and joints go in at the planned spacing. The lining is kept damp while it cures. We aim to pour when no storm is in the forecast, since fresh concrete and running water do not mix.
What makes it last
Concrete fails from the bottom up. These are the parts you will never see once the job is done, and they decide how the slab holds up.
- Built to the engineer's design
- Lining thickness, steel and slope are engineered for the flow the channel has to carry. Those numbers come from the plans, and we do not change them in the field without the engineer.
- Firm ground behind the lining
- Water that gets under a lining carries soil away and leaves the concrete hanging over a hollow. Compacting the ground and building the edges as drawn helps keep the water on top of the concrete.
- Protected ends
- The start and the end of a lining take the hardest hit, because that is where water crosses between dirt and concrete. Plans typically call for a deeper edge there, and we build it.
- Joints that can move
- A long run of concrete in the desert sun grows and shrinks a good deal between a summer afternoon and a winter night. Joints let it move without tearing itself apart.
Start with a photo.
435·220·5536Text us a photo of the spot and rough measurements. We will tell you what we can from the photo, or come out and take a look.
Get a quoteFlood channels: straight answers
Do I need an engineer for a channel?
For anything that carries real storm flow, typically yes. How much water arrives and how fast decides the size and shape, and that is engineering work. Your city or county may also require a permit, so check with them first.
Can you line a ditch on my property?
Yes, we pour concrete-lined ditches. Send a photo of the ditch, its rough length and where the water comes from and goes. Drainage that crosses a property line or feeds a public wash may have rules, so check with your city or county.
Will concrete stop the erosion?
It protects the part that is lined. Water leaves a concrete channel moving fast, so what happens at the downstream end matters as well. That is one reason the design should come from an engineer and not from a guess.
When do you pour channels?
When the weather allows. A storm on fresh concrete can ruin a pour, so we watch the forecast closely, most of all in the summer storm season. We set the date with you and move it if the sky says so.