Register for 2025 Drainage Workshop offering design concepts to increase profit
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EmailRegister early for a 30% discount at the Michigan Drainage Workshop.
Learn from university specialists and drainage industry professionals at the 2025 Drainage Workshop on March 4-6, 2025, sponsored by Michigan State University Extension in partnership with Michigan Land Improvement Contractors of America
Why should you attend the drainage workshop?
First, we offer a modern and straightforward approach to drainage design with user-friendly online tools and hands-on exercises. Second, we offer hands-on training in making contour maps with the free QGIS software and exporting the contours to your GPS design and machine software. Third, we offer practical design solutions to drainage questions (main sizing when splitting laterals, address submerged outlet issue). Third, we offer a demonstration of drainage design software. Fourth, we offer a live demonstration of properly connecting a lateral to a main pipe.
Quotes from a one-year follow-up attendee survey
- "The workshop helped us by increasing our knowledge of drainage tools that we can use in conjunction with our contractors to complete projects, the most efficient way possible."
- "I used the information to have better conversations with landowners about their options for wet areas."
- “It helped me better size outlets and spacing, saved me time with summer tile installation and gave me confidence that I was doing the right thing on my farm.”
- “Helped me make the choice of tiling myself or sub-contracting.”
- “Assisted me with helping landowners improve their drainage in a residential setting.”
- A drainage contractor attendee who had also attended another drainage school had this to say: “… [the Michigan workshop] covers all of the necessary info needed to understand drainage installation.”
View photos of the 2024 Drainage Workshop.
What will you learn?
The drainage design process will include basic design considerations and a step-by-step design procedure. Other topics include:
- Soils and water movement in soils
- Subsurface drainage concepts and economics
- Causes of sediment movement in drainage pipe and remedy
- Selection of pipe style: 4-row or 8-row pipe? Sand-slot vs. knitted-sock pipe?
- Design procedure (a step-by-step guide to design)
- Legal considerations of drainage
- Drain Spacing Tool to maximize profit
- Determining if drain sedimentation is a problem
- Properly sizing the main pipe to avoid drainage underperformance with hands-on exercises
- Sizing the main to allow for a future drainage system expansion with hands-on exercises
- Determining if upsizing of the existing main is necessary when splitting lateral spacing with hands-on exercises
- Determining the original drainage coefficient used to size the main of an existing system (this is useful when splitting lateral spacing)
- Use single-wall or dual-wall pipe with hands-on exercises
- Practical design solutions to a submerged outlet issue
- Installation and safety, tile locating technology
- Controlled drainage design
- Conservation drainage: Controlled drainage, saturated buffer, blind inlet, shallow drains, and drainage water recycling
- Hands-on training to make contour maps with QGIS free software and exporting data
- Demonstration of drainage design software
Registration
Register early for a 30% discounted price of $210 by 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 10. Normal registration price will be $300 starting Feb. 11. Registration deadline is 11:59 p.m. ET on Feb. 24.
Contact ghane@msu.edu for any questions.
