The OSU Extension Water Quality Team has just released their 2025 edition of the Soil Health Tour, an interactive StoryMap utilizing ArcGIS maps, photos, videos, and discussions with farmers and experts to illustrate an important tool for improving water quality.
A two-stage ditch is a type of ditch that is gaining popularity for its ability to slow water moving from farm fields, allowing sediment and nutrients to settle out and be removed by vegetation growing in the ditch. In contrast to a conventional trapezoidal ditch, a two-stage ditch has a thin, shallow channel at the bottom for low flow, which occurs for much of the year. Sitting just above the low-flow channel are two vegetated benches, which provide extra surface area and act as a mini floodplain during high flow events that can be seen after heavy rain events. Two-stage ditches are generally wider at the top than trapezoidal ditches due to their more gently sloping ditch banks, which are less prone to erosion and allow for vegetation growth. See Figure 1 below for an illustration of the ditch types.
To learn more about this practice from experts in the field, see case studies of different two-stage ditches across the region, and hear feedback from producers who have installed this practice, be sure to check out the 2025 Soil Health Tour StoryMap at go.osu.edu/25StoryMap! If you are interested in learning more about cost share or the process of installing a two-stage ditch on your property, reach out to your local Soil and Water Conservation District office. Questions about the StoryMap can be directed to waterqualityassociates@osu.edu.