With the spring rains last week, we have noticed many people are experiencing drainage issues. If these are not taken care of, they can damage your foundation and other structures, cause erosion issues, or make your yard a swampy mess. Here are some things to consider making sure you don’t have those problems.
Swales and Berms
Swales and berms work to channel and direct stormwater, so it doesn’t impact your foundation or other hardscape areas. Swales are the valleys and berms are the hills. If you have a row of houses with similar stormwater problems, you may have to work with your neighbors to create a swale and berm system to shield all the homes without making the problem worse for some of them.
Burying Downspouts
A lot of water can move off the roof of your home through the downspout and cause a problem with your foundation. The solution is to bury the downspout and channel that water at least ten feet from the foundation. Alternatively, you can make a rock stream path lined with plants that can tolerate being submerged for twelve to twenty-four hours after a heavy rain, but can also tolerate being dry for long periods. Native grasses work well for this with their thick crowns that resist erosion.
French Drains
If you have a low spot that doesn’t drain well but can’t be filled in, like around the foundation, you may need a French drain. This is a trench that is lined with a fabric barrier. A perforated pipe is placed in the trench and it is filled with rock. Some people put a layer of sod on top, while others leave the rock exposed. The French drain helps the surface water drain instead of standing and providing a home for mosquitoes.
Drainage Plan
Developing a comprehensive drainage plan can help you safely direct stormwater around your landscape. Some jurisdictions require such a plan if you add more than 400 square feet of impervious surface. Comprehensive drainage plans are important to make sure you do not send water into your neighbor’s house.
With spring rains falling, you may be experiencing some problems with stormwater management. Are there places where the soil is eroding? Does stormwater get into your home or pool in your yard after a heavy rain? If so, here are some things that can help manage that water, so it doesn’t cause problems for you or your neighbors.
Grading Surface Water
Swales and berms work to slow stormwater down and direct it to give it a chance to absorb into the ground instead of running onto the hardscape. The swales are the valleys, and the berms are the ridges or high points. Swales and berms direct rainwater so that it does not cause a problem. In some cases when water passes along the back of several homes, you may have to work together with your neighbors to come up with the best solution that benefits everyone.
Bury Downspouts
In heavy rain, all the water that goes down the downspouts from your roof can dig a hole around your foundation, causing problems. One way to deal with that is to bury the downspout and get out from the foundation to where it can drain away from the house. You can also establish a rain garden where the downspout outlets the water. A rain garden lets the water soak in instead of running off and doing damage. The end of the downspout should be at least ten feet from the house to keep moisture from accumulating inside. Choose plants that can withstand being submerged up to six inches deep for twelve to twenty-four hours but can also do well when conditions are dry. Native ornamental tall grasses work really well for this.
French Drains
A French drain is a solution to help soak up groundwater in saturated lawn areas and is typically found in the low areas of the yard along swales & valleys. A French drain installation consists of a trench below a drainage problem with a perforated pipe and clean gravel. The first step is to dig a ditch that is 12” – 24” deep for the gravel and pipe to fit in. This ditch needs to slope down with the natural grade. After you dig the trench, place the perforated pipe with the drainage holes down in the ditch. Cover the pipe with gravel until the trench is filled in. Some people put a layer of soil and sod over the gravel, so it blends in with the lawn. Other times the decorative rock can be used to cover with allows more surface water to enter directly into the pipe and move the water faster.
Drainage Plans
Before you start making changes to the drainage of your property it is best to come up with a comprehensive drainage plan. In fact, in some jurisdictions, you are required to come up with a drainage plan if you add more than 400 square feet of impervious surface. This drainage plan will include changes you need to make to your landscape and the effects on neighboring properties. You don’t want change the drainage to direct your stormwater straight into your neighbor’s house, so make sure to think things through.
