i'Jil.l rUBLiC DOCLMEiNT — No. 31. 43 



THE CLOGGING OF DRAIN TILE BY ROOTS. 



BY G. E. STONE. 



Quite frequently trouble is experienced from roots of various 

 trees entering drain tile, sewers, etc., and this often causes much 

 vexation, labor and expense. The Carolina poplar, which is 

 often planted as a shade tree in cities, frequently becomes a nui- 

 sance in consequence of its peculiar habit of working its roots 

 through the joints of tile used for sewerage, etc. It is a com- 

 paratively easy matter for roots to gain entrance into the un- 

 cemented joints of tile, and even when tile is cemented they 

 often manage to crowd in and fill the tile with a mass of roots 

 which eventually clog it and render it useless. Instances are 

 known of roots penetrating even sewers constructed of brick and 

 cement. The roots of other trees besides Carolina poplars are 

 known to be offenders in this respect. Willows, elms, etc., are re- 

 sponsible for considerable clogging of tile drains. There are 

 also many instances even of fungi and algse clogging up small 

 drains. The writer some years ago had called to his attention 

 a case where Oscillaria, one of the blue-green alga^, was con- 

 stantly clogging tile, much to the annoyance of the landowner. 

 On the Massachusetts Agricultural College grounds they have 

 experienced much trouble with roots of various kinds clogging 

 sewer pipes, and the drain tiles located under the steam pipes 

 leading from the central heating system to the various buildings 

 have become clogged. 



In the case of the sewer tile referred to the joints were 

 cemented with Portland cement, nevertheless, the roots gained 

 entrance here and there through some of the joints, and in a 

 short time they developed so profusely as to clog the tile, with 

 the result that it had to be dug up and repaired. The joints of 

 the 6-inch Akron tile underlying the steam-heating pipes are not 

 cemented, and are located 5 feet or more below the surface. In 

 two or three years after the tiles were laid some of them had 



