Consider making lemonage, turn this area into a bog garden. Very interesting plants and fairly easy.

The fines (smallest particles) are clogging up the works, and would certainly do so with the soil.

you could also get plants that love to have their roots wet near the pond and as you get further away, place some plants that will hold the soil in place. you could go to some developments both business and residential and take a look at the water conservation and runoff areas for some ideas. also try searching in these forums for more ideas. but good luck on your endeavors.

Hi,
many thanks for the good ideas!
I neglected to mention that I have trees in the area that won't survive having wet feet all the time. There seems to be an underground spring that feeds the area that needs to be channeled down to the pond and away from the trees there.
So, I'm back to figuring out what kind of drainage will work in this situation.

Can you dig the spring out and make a brook down to the pond?

Just a trench with gravel or rock in it should let water gradually flow thru. The series of trenches that you mentioned, but filled with large gravel or rock with a little permeable soil on the top should work too depending upon the flow of the spring, I would think.
Let us know what works out.
Bill P.

You most likely are trying to treat the symptom of a problem rather than the problem itself. Poor drainage has causes and you need to know why your soil cannot drain, not simply that it is clay. I have sand and there are areas that do not drain well because the water table is quite high and that will prevent surface water from moving away.
So, where is your water table? What is the mean depth? Your local office of the Soil Conservation Service will have maps that show this.
What is the level of organic matter in your soil? Sufficient levels of organic matter, in clay soils, will seperate the clay particles so water flows through easier. Once you eliminate the water table as the problem then its time to look at soil compaction.
Look also at whether this is a wetland.

Kimmsr brings up a good point about checking to see if it's a wetland. If it's a wetland, you probably need to leave it a wetland, even though it's on private property. There are some fairly strong federal laws protecting wetlands.

"We put in a gravel and perforated pipe drain but the drain doesn't flow."

Was the perf pipe encased in a fabric sock before backfilling? If not, it might be worth exhuming it and adding the sock.

I've built many french drains to deal with unwanted boggy conditions, and even when I didn't use perf tube, I enclosed the gravel in landscape fabric, to prevent soil infiltration. Dig the trench. Lay in landscape fabric over the bottom and up the sides. Shovel in the gravel. Fold the fabric down over the gravel. Backfill.

Donn's advice is excellent - utilizing french drains is the accepted and most practical method of addressing drainage issues and the filter fabric or sock is essential to prevent sediment infiltration and clogging of the pipe.

But while french drains are relatively easy to implement, understanding the drainage issue and its cause/source in the first place is critical and I'd encourage you to consult with a professional to determine the best placement for these drain systems and to ensure that the runoff is handled appropriately and efficiently. Often the improper placement of drains and catch basins will complicate the problem rather than solve it and can create problems for neighboring properties, which is to be avoided and may be illegal in many municipalities. A very expensive problem to correct if mishandled initially.

I echo Donn and Kimmsrs points. You need to find the source of your problem and you need fabric and a pipe sock to keep the fines out of your gravel and perforated pipe.
I had a problem with a wet area that I have remediated a lot by finding the source of the water (a natural spring) and diverting the flow to an area I don't mind being wet. I also excavated the spring a bit to bring it back to something closer to what it must have been before the turf was laid and the land graded. Now we have a "water feature" provided by mother nature.