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If you live in a state where the volume of rainfall is substantial, it can create flooding problems in the backyard. Whether you are a keen gardener or just like to sit outside to enjoy the surroundings, this can limit when you’re able to do it.
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To better manage water flow and drainage in your backyard, here are 5 tips to make improvements.
Retaining walls are designed to block water flow from reaching too high or too far.
Commonly, they’re found between your patio and the lawn to prevent water from reaching parts of the property that could potentially damage the foundation. Excess water could seep into the soil, and later become a problem for a basement. So, it’s something to plan for rather than be reactive on.
If you’re thinking about using a drainage wall, here are some useful drainage tips for retaining walls to ensure you do it right.
If you have a basement and a sump pump installed, it should automatically kick on when the water level rises in the underground living areas. This is what should happen, but then the pump will be rapidly pumping water externally and it has to go somewhere.
When the current drainage system doesn’t allow for such a large volume of water to escape fast enough, it will overflow into the surrounding areas of the backyard or to the side of the house.
Plan for the water volume by redirecting part of it to a containment area. Maybe if the water is of reasonable quality, it can be used for watering the plants later. By diverting part of the externally pumped water, it prevents the drains from backing up.
When it rains, go out back and see where the water gets caught up and is pooling in one or more spots. These are usually the lowest-lying places and/or ones with unplanned drainage, so the water cannot escape elsewhere.
See what can be done to create channels for the water to flow away. Use drainage pipes to move water elsewhere to even out the water distribution on rainy days.
In a situation where parts of the lawn are receiving too much water and it pools up, it can seriously damage its health.
What should you do?
One affordable solution is to build a berm for that part of the lawn. This elevated patch can be protected from excess water because its sloping slides allow rainwater to flow on and away from it.
A water well can be an excellent rainwater collector. Water can be directed to flow into the well instead of down the drains.
If you are living in a hotter, drier climate or one that suffers the occasional drought, then the water utility bill will be unpleasant. In which case, collected well water can solve a drainage problem and cut costs too.
Varied approaches to managing water flow and drainage problems provide homeowners with plenty of options. Choose one or more that offer the best solution for you.
