Drainage trouble in Maeser does not always come from the sky. Irrigation ditches and laterals run through much of the area, and when a headgate is left open or a bank gives way, water spreads across yards and pastures. Add spring snowmelt and the odd summer cloudburst, and plenty of properties end up with standing water where nobody wants it.
We start by figuring out where your water comes from and where it can legally and safely go. From there we build what fits: regraded slopes, swales, French drains, culverts under driveways, and cleaned out ditch banks. The fix might be one long swale or a combination of several smaller ones. Either way, the plan is built around your Maeser property and how water already moves across it.
We know how Maeser ditches, laterals, and old field slopes move water, so we can find the source faster.
Excavators, skid steers, and laser levels let us dig swales and drains at an accurate, consistent fall.
If simple regrading or a cleaned ditch will fix it, we will tell you before suggesting pipe and rock.
We restore banks, put topsoil back, and clean up mud and spoils so your property looks finished, not dug up.
On a lot of Maeser properties, the water that causes trouble did not fall on that lot. It came down an irrigation lateral, off a neighbor’s flooded pasture, or across the road during a storm. That changes the fix. Sending water back where it came from is not an option, and pushing it onto the next property creates a new problem. We look at the whole path, including ditches, culverts, and low ground, before we suggest anything.
That often means walking past your fence line, at least with our eyes. We look at which way the lateral runs, where the neighbor’s tailwater collects, and whether a culvert under the road is plugged or undersized. Sometimes the answer is a swale along the property line that guides water back into the ditch system. Other times it is raising one corner of the yard so water slides past the house instead of toward it. Knowing the source also tells us how big the fix needs to be. A slow seep needs far less than a ditch that overtops for a few hours every time the water turns on.
Maeser drainage tends to have two seasons. In spring, around 20 inches of yearly snow melts off over a few weeks, often while the ground below is still frozen and cannot soak anything up. In summer, ditches run full and flood irrigation can leave tailwater sitting in the wrong place. A system that handles one may not handle the other, so we size swales and pipe for the bigger of the two at your site. Frozen outlets get extra thought, since a drain that ices shut in March does not help anyone.
Most properties need more than one tool. Here are the drainage solutions we build most often for Maeser homes and small farms:
Often the cheapest fix is simply better slope, which is why grading is usually part of the plan.
Russian olive and tamarisk love the moist banks along Maeser ditches and laterals. Left alone, they crowd the channel, trap debris, and slow water until it backs up and spills out. Roots also break down banks and plug culverts. Cutting them out and reshaping the ditch often solves an overflow problem without any new pipe. For heavier growth, brush clearing clears the banks first so we can get a machine in to restore the channel.
Barns and corrals are often built where the ground was handy, not where it drained best. The result is mud at the barn door every spring and gateways that horses churn into soup. We raise those areas with compacted fill, add a gravel layer where traffic is heavy, and shape the ground so runoff from the roof and the pen flows away instead of collecting at the entrance. Gutter water from barn roofs can also be piped away in a trenching run so it stops pooling at the foundation.
A drain is only finished when it works. Before we pack up, we run water through the system with a hose or by opening a ditch when that is possible, and watch where it goes. Low spots, slow outlets, and weak connections show up fast. We fix them on the spot so you are not finding out during the first big thaw. After that, a quick check each fall and spring keeps culverts and outlets clear. Call (801) 669-0512 and we will come look at the water with you.
We walk the property, follow the water from its source to where it pools, and look at ditches and outlets.
Your quote lays out the drainage plan, including swales, pipe, culverts, and grading, with a clear scope for each part.
We dig to grade, bed pipe in clean rock, set culverts, and reshape the ground so water follows the new path.
We test the system with running water and walk it with you so you know how it works and what to check.
