Floodplains for the Future - 2021 Farm Drainage Survey

2021 Agricultural Drainage Survey

Floodplains for the Future (FFTF) is a collaborative group of organizations in the Puyallup Watershed with a goal of recovering floodplain functions and protecting the health and safety of the communities around them. Since 2013, FFTF has invested over $70 million into the watershed, and our efforts have conserved over 600 acres of agricultural land. One goal of FFTF is to improve farm drainage throughout the region.

The purpose of this survey is to establish a baseline understanding of farm drainage in the region and track changes to farm drainage overtime. Your participation in this survey will provide FFTF with the information we need to understand drainage issues in the area.

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* 1. Where is your farm located?

Clear/Clark's Creek Area

Orting Valley

Puyallup Valley

Buckley Plateau

South County (Eatonville, Graham, Roy, Nisqually, etc.)

Key Peninsula

Other (please specify)

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* 2. What is the acreage of your farm (including both owned and leased lands)?

0-20 acres

21-50 acres

51-100 acres

100+ acres

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* 3. How long have you or your family been farming this land?

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* 4. Over that time period, how much of an issue has drainage been to the productivity of your farm?

1 (not an issue at all)

10 (unable to farm land due to drainage problems)

Clear

i We adjusted the number you entered based on the slider’s scale.

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* 5. What agricultural activities on your farm are impacted by poor drainage?

Pasture

Hay fields

Nursery crops

Vegetables

Berries

Christmas trees

Farm access roads

Other (please specify)

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* 6. Describe how you have observed drainage issues changing over the last 5-10 years. Has drainage gotten better? Worse? How have those changes affected productivity?

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* 7. Roughly what percentage of your farm was affected by poor drainage in 2020?

0-20%

21-40%

41-60%

61-80%

81-100%

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* 8. Generally, when do you need to get out on your fields in the spring?

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* 9. When were you able to get out on your fields in 2020?

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* 10. How much of an issue was drainage for your farm's productivity in 2020?

1 (not an issue at all)

10 (unable to farm land due to drainage problems)

Clear

i We adjusted the number you entered based on the slider’s scale.

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* 11. How does drainage on your farm in 2020 compare to 2019?

Significantly worse

Worse

Roughly the same

Better

Significantly better

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* 12. What do you see as the cause of this change (if any)?

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* 13. How much do you perceive the following factors as contributing to drainage problems on your farm?

	1 (not at all)	2	3	4	5 (a significant contribution)
Sediment accumulated in the drainage channel	Sediment accumulated in the drainage channel 1 (not at all)	Sediment accumulated in the drainage channel 2	Sediment accumulated in the drainage channel 3	Sediment accumulated in the drainage channel 4	Sediment accumulated in the drainage channel 5 (a significant contribution)
Deferred maintenance	Deferred maintenance 1 (not at all)	Deferred maintenance 2	Deferred maintenance 3	Deferred maintenance 4	Deferred maintenance 5 (a significant contribution)
Invasive vegetation (such as reed canary grass) reducing the flow capacity of the drainage channel	Invasive vegetation (such as reed canary grass) reducing the flow capacity of the drainage channel 1 (not at all)	Invasive vegetation (such as reed canary grass) reducing the flow capacity of the drainage channel 2	Invasive vegetation (such as reed canary grass) reducing the flow capacity of the drainage channel 3	Invasive vegetation (such as reed canary grass) reducing the flow capacity of the drainage channel 4	Invasive vegetation (such as reed canary grass) reducing the flow capacity of the drainage channel 5 (a significant contribution)
Beaver dam backing water up	Beaver dam backing water up 1 (not at all)	Beaver dam backing water up 2	Beaver dam backing water up 3	Beaver dam backing water up 4	Beaver dam backing water up 5 (a significant contribution)
Existing field tiles not functioning properly	Existing field tiles not functioning properly 1 (not at all)	Existing field tiles not functioning properly 2	Existing field tiles not functioning properly 3	Existing field tiles not functioning properly 4	Existing field tiles not functioning properly 5 (a significant contribution)
Clogged or damaged culvert	Clogged or damaged culvert 1 (not at all)	Clogged or damaged culvert 2	Clogged or damaged culvert 3	Clogged or damaged culvert 4	Clogged or damaged culvert 5 (a significant contribution)
Flooding from a major river	Flooding from a major river 1 (not at all)	Flooding from a major river 2	Flooding from a major river 3	Flooding from a major river 4	Flooding from a major river 5 (a significant contribution)
Downstream properties backing water up	Downstream properties backing water up 1 (not at all)	Downstream properties backing water up 2	Downstream properties backing water up 3	Downstream properties backing water up 4	Downstream properties backing water up 5 (a significant contribution)
Runoff from adjacent developed properties	Runoff from adjacent developed properties 1 (not at all)	Runoff from adjacent developed properties 2	Runoff from adjacent developed properties 3	Runoff from adjacent developed properties 4	Runoff from adjacent developed properties 5 (a significant contribution)
The design of the drainage system (i.e. locations of ditches)	The design of the drainage system (i.e. locations of ditches) 1 (not at all)	The design of the drainage system (i.e. locations of ditches) 2	The design of the drainage system (i.e. locations of ditches) 3	The design of the drainage system (i.e. locations of ditches) 4	The design of the drainage system (i.e. locations of ditches) 5 (a significant contribution)
Climate change impacts (such as timing of rain, increased streamflows, earlier spring peak flows, and temperature changes)	Climate change impacts (such as timing of rain, increased streamflows, earlier spring peak flows, and temperature changes) 1 (not at all)	Climate change impacts (such as timing of rain, increased streamflows, earlier spring peak flows, and temperature changes) 2	Climate change impacts (such as timing of rain, increased streamflows, earlier spring peak flows, and temperature changes) 3	Climate change impacts (such as timing of rain, increased streamflows, earlier spring peak flows, and temperature changes) 4	Climate change impacts (such as timing of rain, increased streamflows, earlier spring peak flows, and temperature changes) 5 (a significant contribution)
Roadside ditch maintenance	Roadside ditch maintenance 1 (not at all)	Roadside ditch maintenance 2	Roadside ditch maintenance 3	Roadside ditch maintenance 4	Roadside ditch maintenance 5 (a significant contribution)
Regulatory constraints on management	Regulatory constraints on management 1 (not at all)	Regulatory constraints on management 2	Regulatory constraints on management 3	Regulatory constraints on management 4	Regulatory constraints on management 5 (a significant contribution)

Other (please specify)

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* 14. What do you believe are the main barriers and/or challenges to improving drainage for your farm?

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* 15. What investments should be made in agricultural drainage in the Puyallup Watershed? What other ways could drainage be improved (e.g. regulation changes)?

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* 16. What would be the benefit of improving drainage on your property? Check all that apply.

I could increase productivity by bringing new areas into production.

I could increase productivity by extending the usable window for land acres in production.

Other (please specify)

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* 17. Do you know who to contact if you have drainage problems? Do you know what resources are available?

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* 18. Is there anything else we should know about drainage on your property?

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* 19. How does drainage compare to other issues in its impact to agricultural viability? Rank the following options:

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* 20. Apart from drainage, what other factors present challenges to agriculture in the region?

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* 21. Were you familiar with Floodplains for the Future prior to taking this survey? If so, what did you know about it? If you would like to learn more about the FFTF program, please visit our website (https://floodplainsforthefuture.org).

Yes

If yes, what did you know about it?