SOILCARE

Soilcare rescues waterlogged playing fields 

Several school playing fields in Hampshire with a history of severe waterlogging are now being used year-round thanks to a cost-effective soil aeration technique that counters compaction problems. 

The work was carried out by Soilcare, the Suffolk-based drainage and soil aeration specialists, on playing fields at Woodley School in Borden, Liss Junior, Newlands Primary in Yateley and Tadley Primary.

"At all four schools soil compaction was causing waterlogging and turf growth problems which meant the children couldn't use the playing fields in the wetter months of the year," says David North, grounds maintenance officer for Hampshire County Council. "With the particularly high rainfall last winter, some of the pitches were so bad that the children couldn't even walk across them. 
"Some of the problems lay with the original construction of the playing fields while other sites have poor natural drainage."

Tadley Primary playing field has recently been rebuilt during which the surface became compacted. A large school with a relatively small playing field, the problem had been compounded by heavy usage. In recent years it has seen little use between October and Easter. 

When funds became available to tackle the compaction problems, Hampshire County Council sought a solution that would alleviate the poor drainage by improving the soil structure while causing minimal disruption to the turf. 
Using the latest Terralift technology, compressed air and nutrients are injected into the soil at depth," says John Warren, general manager of Soilcare. "This creates a network of fissures that promotes better drainage, aeration and water storage. Flakes of dried milled seaweed are blasted into the fissures that expand eight-fold when moist. By increasing the water storage capacity of the root zone, this helps prevent waterlogging while promoting healthy root growth."

David North is pleased with the results of the work. "We've experienced drainage problems with these pitches for some years," he says. "By de-compacting the soil to a depth of a metre, the waterlogging problems have been solved and the children are now able to use their playing fields throughout the winter."
January 2002