my worry would be that if the soil is staying saturated, you're causing root problems for all the trees. Unless you want to be cycling through replacements, I'd fix the underlying problem the right way - which is getting the water out of there. One of our winery clients was having massive water problems in a few of their vineyard blocks, to the point where you could grab a vine and pull it right out of the ground - the roots were all rotted. Their consultant had them run french drains between the rows and they're now producing literally tons per acre. It works.

The following section from the 2015 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code might be helpful to you, 809.5 in particular: SECTION809 SPECIAL FEATURES 809.1 Slides. Slides shall be installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. 809.2 Entry and exit. Pools shall have a means of entry and exit in all shallow areas where the design water depth of the shallow area at the shallowest point exceeds 24 inches (610 mm). Entries and exits shall consist of one or a combination of the following: steps, stairs, ladders, treads, ramps, beach entries, underwater seats, benches, swimouts and other approved designs. The means of entry and exit shall be located on the shallow side of the first slope change. 809.3 Secondary entries and exits. Where water depth in the deep area of a pool exceeds 5 feet (1524 mm), a means of entry and exit shall be provided in the deep area of the pool. 809.4 Over 30 feet in width. Pools over 30 feet (9144 mm) in width at the deep area shall have an entry and exit on both sides of the deep area of the pool. 809.5 Pool stairs. The design and construction of stairs into the shallow end and recessed pool stairs shall conform to Sections 809.5.1 through 809.5.3. 809.5.1 Tread dimension and area. Treads shall have a minimum unobstructed horizontal depth of 10 inches (254 mm) and a minimum unobstructed surface area of 240 square inches (0.15 m2). 809.5.2 Riser heights. Risers, other than the top and bottom riser, shall have a uniform height of not greater than 12 inches (305 mm). The top riser height shall be any dimension not exceeding 12 inches (305 mm). The bottom riser height shall be any dimension not exceeding 12 inches (305 mm). The top and bottom riser heights shall not be required to be equal to each other or equal to the uniform riser height. Riser heights shall be measured at the horizontal centerline of the stairs. 809.5.3 Additional steps. In design water depths exceeding 48 inches (1219 mm), additional steps shall not be required. 809.6 Beach and sloping entries. The slope of beach and sloping entries used as a pool entrance shall not exceed 1 unit vertical in 7 units horizontal (14-percent slope). 809.7 Steps and sloping entries. Where steps and benches are used in conjunction with sloping entries, the vertical riser distance shall not exceed 12 inches (305 mm). For steps used in conjunction with sloping entries, the requirements of Section 809.6 shall apply. 809.8 Architectural features. Surfaces of architectural features shall not be required to comply with the 1 unit vertical in 7 units horizontal (14-percent slope) slope limitation. 809.9 Maximum depth. The horizontal surface of underwater seats, benches and swimouts shall be not greater than 20 inches (508 mm) below the design waterline.

It's a common issue. It took over a year and a half for my house to be built far enough for me to be able to move in. Even if your GC wants to work all the time only on your place, he has to wait on subs and professional electricians, plumbers etc. On supplies to arrive. For inspections to happen. In my locale, permitters and inspectors only appear to work one day a week or pretty close to that. And yes, my GC had his slow moments I still can't account for on top of that. I took over the painting of the basement and a few other minor things after I was legal and living here. (Pro work in the way of aesthetics in an unfinished basement was not necessary, since I never plan to "finish" it anyway. I like seeing where pipes run so I can spot leaks before they get out of hand.)

Why did it lose all its leaves to begin with? Mine have to survive in NJ and we had 14 plus inches of rain in September alone. One of seven.