The operating quality of reclamation drainage and irrigation systems depends on the condition of their main elements. The main elements of reclamation systems are canals with various profiles, ranging from rectangular to parabolic. The most widespread in land reclamation are canals with a trapezoidal profile. At the same time, it is possible to note that the natural production characteristics of reclamation systems are quite diverse, this issue is especially relevant for geometric parameters of the canals. In this case, the stable slopes of canals, restoring their profile and cleaning from sediments and silting can only be provided by special complexes of machines. Knowledge of defect types and causes in reclamation canals allows them to be prevented and eliminated in a timely manner. One of the main tasks in this case is to ensure the stability of canal slopes.

The drainage system elements, namely, the canals, lose their initial design characteristics over time. In general, the canals with unstable profiles are often in the reclamation construction. The problems of unstable profiles of the canals are, primarily, related to the physical and mechanical properties of soils, formation of internal mechanical, as well as chemical and biological processes occurring by the action of natural conditions. Maximum stability is characteristic for canals formed in cohesive organic soils, as well as in various kinds of peat with their thickness considerably exceeding the depth of the canal. With insignificant peat thickness above mineral soils, the stability of the drainage canal slopes will be rather insignificant. Wood peats are the most stable among organic soils. The canals laid in sapropelic soils characterized by the natural flow have rather low stability. That is why, the required stability in wet soils can be achieved by removing the excess moisture. The slopes of the canals made in various clays and loams with their large thickness considerably exceeding the depth of the canal have relatively high stability.