installing pvc

[denoginnizer]

I am getting ready to install several thousand feet of pvc pipe. After refilling my last trench I came up short on dirt and my trench looks several inches lower than the rest of my pasture. Is there anyway , other than adding extra dirt, to avoid/lessen this effect? By the way, we have huge cracks due to the drought

 

[dj]

For those that are familiar with the stars/moon thing there are times to dig so you'll have lots of dirt left. Any time I dig a water line i lay it in and cover it with sand. This helps me relocate for water leaks/breaks. Any soil/dirt that is a little different will help mark the line. I worked with a fellow that maintained a rural water districts lines. When digging he would put topsoil on one side and bottom dirt on the other. When back filling we would put the top soil in first and the bottom dirt on top. Coming back 3-4 years later to do a repair it was easy to tell when you were getting close to the line cause the color of the dirt changed.
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backhoeboogie is this your experience also?