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I have an issue with a small area of my lot collecting a couple inches of water pretty much any time it rains. It takes it a few days before the water finally evaporates or soaks into the yard.

I have been trying to figure out the best way to deal with it. I have thought about putting in a drain to take the water to the back side of the house where the is a slope down into a drainage ditch. What I am struggling with is the idea that when I run my sprinkler system in the summer, the drain would be taking some of the water I paid good money for and just throwing it away.

Here is a rough drawing of what the lot looks like. It is sloped towards the drainage ditch with the house being elevated slightly.

enter image description here

So, what is the proper way to deal with something like this?

Kellenjb
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1 Answers1

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This is only an idea. Most landscapers can help you with this issue and could provide better advice as they can be on site to check grading. The solution you need should have these characteristics:

  • keeps water away from the house
  • should keep sprinkler water on the property
  • should allow high volumes of water to leave the property

enter image description here

Your friend is four inch perforated drain pipe with a sleeve. Once you dig a trench and line it with crushed gravel and drain pipe it should be able to deal with substantial quantities of water.

Keep in mind that sprinklers and torrential rain are two quite different scenarios. When you water the lawn the low velocity should keep the water within 4 inches of the surface. It will spread out and be absorbed.

Flash floods, rainstorms and weather that only happens once in a hundred years need a more robust solution. The drainage swale near the ditch can be constructed several ways depending on the kind of weather you anticipate. You could terminate the drainpipe in the ditch and assume that most water will be absorbed over the run of the pipe. Or you might want to keep as much water as possible. If this is the case you could use the method I have illustrated and bring the pipe up to the surface in a small depression. Water might pool here but should be absorbed. If a huge amount of water comes down it will overflow into the ditch.

As a last point, with Valentines Day coming up you may be wondering what to get that special someone. Give them peace of mind! Nothing better than a hundred feet of drainpipe to let you rest easy when a hurricane comes through... enter image description here

EDIT @kellenjb I placed the drain away from the house out of simple caution. I don't know the amount of grade away from the house or the amount and kind of rain you receive in your area. You could place the drain as close as four or five feet away from house (ie; the depth of the eaves) but if you are going to go to the trouble of digging why not be safe?

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