Drainage System Design Overview Tool
Use our exclusive online mapping tool to define your proposed project area, identify potential outlets and areas you’d like to drain, mark out possible utilities, and draw your ideas for the drainage system you’d like to install. You can then send this to us in a KML file so we can view it in Google Earth. See detailed instructions below the map if you need help.
Step 1: Draw Boundary
Pan and zoom the map to find the location of your field. Click the button to enable the boundary drawing tool. Left click the mouse to draw each boundary point, and double click to close and finish drawing. This just gives us the location of the field so you don’t need to be too precise at drawing!
Step 2: Mark Outlets
Mark the location(s) of possible outlet points that water will be able to exit the field sing button #2. Ideally these will be municipal drains or natural water courses. To mark additional outlets, simply click the Mark Outlets button again and then click on the map.
Step 3: Mark Areas
In this step you can draw around the problem areas you’d like to drain using button #3 in the same way you drew your field boundary. To add additional areas, click the button again to re-enable the tool.
Step 4: Mark Utilities
It is a very good idea to identify any possible utilities running through the field early in the design stage. Use button #4 to create red lines anywhere you think there may be a phone line, gas line, power line, or anything else that may impact the design. Left click once to start drawing, left click again each time you want to change the angle of the line, and double click to finish drawing. To draw additional utility lines, select the tool again by click on button #4.
Step 5: Draw Design
Now you can draw your vision of the drainage system you are thinking of installing. Click on button #5 and begin drawing black lines that represent tile runs or surface drains. This tool remains active until you either right click or select another tool.
Step 6: Export Design
You can export all drawn features on the map as a KML file that opens natively in Google Earth desktop software and can be sent as an attachment via email using the Export KML button. You can also export a JPEG image of the current map display using the Save Image button.
If you make a mistake you can use the Undo button to undo the last action you performed. The Clear Map button will remove everything from the map – if you have multiple fields it’s best to start over on each new field and create multiple KML files. It is also possible to edit drawn features by mousing over them and holding down the left button while you drag them to change position or shape. The Freehand button allows you to draw freehand lines on the map while holding down the left mouse button.