Water under the “Brug”– new drainage system for Boishaai

Photo of a Brugstraat drainage trench being filled with gravel compliments of Shelton Drainage Solutions Facebook page.

Exciting offseason news is that Paarl Boys’ High’s main rugby field has recently received yet another upgrade. A few years back the Brugstaat field was widened, then a new turf was laid down about a year back and now it boasts a brand new drainage system that’s bound to have far-reaching effects.

It is be very interesting to see the improvements in playability it brings as a result of better underfoot conditions during the Western Cape’s high rainfall months from May to August when there have been matches more fittingly described as mud baths.

The drainage project basically involved cutting small parallel trenched channels into the surface, filling these with gravel and then topping the gravel with about 2-3cm of aerating silicon / river sand to up to the level of the normal surface. The field recovers remarkable quickly after that.

Shelton Drainage Solutions, the company contracted to install the system stated:

Under the heaviest rainfall the surface water will find its way to these gravel bands and the water will be discharged to the stormwater management system. This is without a doubt the most efficient drainage system to be installed to an existing sports field.

The system is so good that it seems like Boishaai will be able to harvest the water drained off their field and reuse it if they choose to do so.