A Ditch In Time

Old Joke: A logger walks into a water bar… No, I am not talking about those trendy hot spots in the city. The water bar I am referring to is the ditch made in the woods to handle water flow coming down paths and roads.
Wikipedia describes it as;

A water bar or interceptor dyke is a road construction feature that is used to prevent erosion on sloping roads, cleared paths through woodland (for utility companies such as electricity pylons), or other accessways by reducing flow length. It is a diagonal channel across the road that diverts surface water (that would otherwise flow down the whole length of the road) off the road and into a stable drain way. By constructing a series of water bars at intervals along a road, the volume of water flowing down the road is reduced. Without water bars, flooding, washouts, and accelerated road degradation can occur.

 

Just before this wet weather system rolled in, Mike was busy on the bulldozer and with a shovel,  gouging out ditches for the water to slough off the side of the logging roads that he had built in the spring and summer.
With the heavy rain, more than an inch on one day, the water and ensuing mud flow could create a deep gully in the road making it impassable and tearing away precious soil.
After these heavy showers, the ditches will need to be checked and cleaned out to ensure they are doing their jobs.