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Landscape Design Soil, Compost & Mulch Lawn Care

Water Pooling into Lawn (Water Run-Off From Driveway)

Rahmiel Rothenberg

3 years ago

Hi all - Hoping to get some help. I am having an issue with water running off my driveway and pooling into one spot on my back lawn (pic below). As I am re-sodding the area, I thought this would be a good time to remedy the issue. The pooling is not close to my house's foundation (the wall you see in the photo is my garage). I read a lot about french drains, but seems to complicated for my skill level. In theory, it would be fine for the water to drain into the soil below, just not sure the best way to do that. Any thoughts would be amazing! Thanks in advance.

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Yardvaark

3 years ago

Are we sure this is not just a small depression that needs to be filled?

OP, the picture doesn't really help as it doesn't indicate the extent or severity of the problem. What's needed for drainage is an escape route for water. There's no way we can help you based on the picture. Better if you can keep water at the surface and make sure the surface has some pitch to it so that the water keeps moving, without getting trapped anywhere, until it is off of your property.

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Comments (6)

dchall8 .
3 years ago
Generally water should run away from all buildings to a neutral drainage ditch (just a low spot) and then to a street. Can you envision that with your situation? It would involve moving surface dirt around.
armoured
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
If this is as small an area as it looks, a smallish dry well might resolve it. Dig out a hole (three feet wide and deep, perhaps?), put landscape fabric in the hole (a large enough piece to cover the bottoms and sides and top), fill it with rough gravel or rocks, fold the landscape fabric over, cover with dirt and your sod. You can search for dry wells to get a sense of how they work - largely some extra space between rocks and gravel to give some buffer while it drains into the soil. It's not magic, you can still get too much water. I don't know about how close one can be to your garage or driveway.

Before doing that you may also want to check how any gutters from the garage and house are throwing water out, ie redirect them or further out if it's easy.
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rahmiel
3 years ago
Thanks all so far. Yardvaark - you are right as there is a depression there, but the water runoff from the driveway is pretty substantial so I need to find an escape route as you say. In theory, I guess I could try to grade my lawn on a downward slope to move the water on the surface across my yard. I do also like the idea of a drywell from armoured so will look more into that too! Thanks so much for everyone who has commented so far!!!!!
krnuttle
3 years ago
You don't have to regrade your yard, all you must do is create a swale to move the water from the area. Depending on the length of the swale, you can remove the sod with a shovel, lower the area below the level required to get proper drainage and reinstall the sod. The level of the sod must be such that the water will drain, after the sod is reinstalled.

Done right you will never see the scar.

A short swale can be created in an hour.
PRO
Yardvaark
3 years ago
"You don't have to regrade your yard, all you must do is create a swale to move the water from the area." Creating a swale IS regrading ... not the whole yard, but the portion needed to create an escape route. Typically, one would want a swale in the yard to be very gentle, almost imperceptible, if possible.

So we're seeing a picture of a dinky area. What happens to water that is located anywhere nearby, around the area (not in the picture)? Does it pond or does it runoff? If it runs off, then the depression could conceivably be filled, ending the water collection. If the problem is larger than what is shown in the picture, a shallow swale may be needed for some extent. We can't see your yard so can't know what you should do.

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