The Effect of Underground Pipe Drainage and Consequent Site Restoration by Drainage Inactivation on the Ability of Soils to Retain Water.

Drainage is often used to increase agriculture production, but it has adverse effects on biodiversity and water retention. Here, the effect ofsubsurface pipe drainage on peat meadows near Senotín (Czechia), which were drained from the mid-1980s to 1990s, was studied. Attemptswere made to restore the peat meadows by damming drainage pipes using clay-filled trenches in 1996. In this case study, the effect on thedepth of the water table, soil water retention, infiltration, and soil temperature were recorded. Measurements of the original peat meadow(undrained site), drained meadow (drained site), and restored meadow (restored site) before restoration and two decades after restorationwere recorded. The water table in undrained areas was higher than at drained and restored sites, indicating that drainage had a lasting effecton drained and restored sites. Infiltration was lowest at the undrained site, greater at the drained site, and highest at the restored sites. Fieldwater capacity was lowest at the restored site, greater at the drained site, and highest at the undrained site. Soil water content at maximumsaturation was lowest at the restored site, greater at the drained site, and highest at the undrained site. Soil temperature was highest at therestored site with no significant difference between the undrained and drained sites. Soil moisture levels were highest at the undrained siteand lowest at the drained site. In addition, the undrained and restored sites did not differ significantly in soil moisture content. In conclusion,restoration did not have a significant effect on the level of the water table, initiation of peat formation, or ability of soil to hold water.