Stopping water erosion on a slope

2 years ago

Hello!

I have just recently bought a house, and have a large ditch developing in my backyard due to storm run-off. This had been filled in with dirt and rocks from when I had the fence installed. The depth it is now is largely due to 2 inches of rain that fell yesterday. There'd been a little erosion from previous weather, but nothing like this. Looking out the windows, there was basically a small creek going down that ditch, powerful enough to move the gravel that had been filled in outside the fence. I've been talking with a landscape designer, and we are putting in a rock swale on the downhill side of the fence, leading to a rain garden with native plants, so that part should be ok. The yard is intended for agility training with my dogs, and I need to have the area where that ditch is relatively even with the rest of the yard to minimize risks when the dogs are running full speed. Several landscapers I have talked to have mentioned either french drains or dry wells, and either diverting the water behind the fence at the back of the yard (which is uphill, so that trenching is going to be extensive), or around to the front of the house (not too thrilled with this, since I had to have the driveway jacked due to a void beneath it, and sending more water that way doesn't seem like the best idea.) I don't mind the water running in that ditch.... I mind the ditch that it is making by doing so. Would placing a french drain in that already-existing ditch work? Or maybe running one perpendicular to the slope at the top of the hill and running the drain pipe for it in that ditch down to the rock swale? Or any other ideas? I will be trying to get some vegetation (most likely grass) growing in the area, but with the way that rill was running, it's going to be hard to keep the dirt there long enough for the plants to get established. I am open to any suggestions that people may have!

Comments (8)

Rebecca Rice
Original Author
2 years ago
Additional pictures.
cecily 7A
2 years ago
Is this new construction?
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I will def. be researching how to put in a drain off the gutter, as getting water away from the house is a must, I have another spot where I will be doing the same thing. As far as the rocks I will see what I can find and pick something that wont look to out of place. The goal would be to grow grass all around the rocks, although it seems to die every winter and slowly come back as weeds/grass in the summer yet never enough to cover the slope, but I will try seeding it this fall. Also, would the rocks need to be put on any base? Or just pack the dirt?
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I do not think that turf grass will help with this type of errosion. Why? Because I have no grass left except for Johnson's grass where the water is washing in towards my own home. Personally, I do not recommend doing anything at all until your drainage issue is taken care of. Kathy, you are going to bang your head against a wall with this one. I know it's driving you nuts, and you'll have to wait for contractor to take care of things...but until the root of the problem is able to be solved, anything at all will be a temporary bandaid that will eventually have to be fixed or corrected. Junipers can't live through all that water, they want dry soil. Honestly, if we were having a "normal" water year, this wouldn't be such an issue for you. Because it's extrordinary it is seeming like a larger problem that it may 'normally' be. But I don't think plant material or low walls etc. are going to fix it. Less water being aimed at your house will! Honeygum, Kathy did post a picture of a non-existant rock garden under a few feet of rushing water that her poor hubby was trying to hold back with pieces of board. It looked like a river aimed directly at her house. GGG
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no i wouldnt mow it. i would plant a mix of native grasses and wildflowers. Generally its reccommend to use three or four species of grasses and about 10 to 12 species of wildflowers. they dont need mowing but can be weedwacked or burnt down once a year. we also use a mix of clovers and fescues on certain slopes as well...we reccommend that only be mowed, weedwacked or burnt once a year. the longer the height of the grasses the better the root system will be. this picture is stolen from metaxa another garden webber, but it represents the root system of fescue when left to grow to various heights. its apparent from the photo that the taller grasses have thicker deeper roots and to me its intuitive that if water is running down the slope the taller grasses with bigger roots will hold soil in place better than the shorter grass with little roots...
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Rebecca Rice
Original Author
2 years ago
The house was built in 2003. The fence is new, the deck replaced one that was already there. There was that ditch in the yard when I bought the place, I just had it filled in with the dirt from digging the fence post holes. In other words, I think that this issue has existed for a while. It appears that someone once drove some sort of vehicle on that line, causing a slight depression, and now when there is heavy rain, that's where the water goes.
Susan
2 years ago
Professional advice needed…maybe your lot has a lot of fill that is settling over time. Grading may have been disrupted/compromised with the installation of your fence or other changes on the surrounding lots/neighborhood. Is this in a housing development that is still being developed…some historical information may be available. A consultation with your municipal engineer may be helpful.
pricklypearcactus
2 years ago
I am not a landscaper or professional, but could you re-route the water? Instead of having it cut diagonally across your yard, could you route it along near the back fenceline? Maybe make a creekbed there. Then you could re-grade the main part of the yard and use it for agility.
Rebecca Rice
Original Author
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
Susan - I don't think it's a settling issue. I'm at almost the bottom of a hill, and further down (and actually part of my yard) are some very large retention areas for water run-off. As far as I can tell, this is just water being water and finding the path of least resistance. There's actually a retaining wall between the backyard and the house... about 7 feet at the top where the deck is, down to around 2 feet at the corner of the house where there's a door to the basement. If I wanted to get professional advice... what sort of professional am I looking for?

I do plan on eventually planting some bushes and other plants along the upslope part of the fence to provide a privacy screen between me an my neighbor, which may help some, but that is probably a few years away. Unless I decide that it becomes important as part of stabilizing the slope and shift my priorities around.
Susan
2 years ago
Your municipality’s designated civil engineer/firm could take a look at it and assess/recommend a proper remedy. Call your local municipality’s administrative office to inquire who their engineer is.
PRO
JSL Landscape Design Build
2 years ago
At the top of the slope, perpendicular to the direction of flow. install a french drain (trench backfilled with gravel) long enough to capture the source water that is creating the concentrated flow. Then install a sod lawn as soon as sod is available.

Stopping water erosion on a slope

Comments (8)

Rebecca Rice
Original Author

cecily 7A

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Stopping water erosion on a slope

Comments (8)

Rebecca RiceOriginal Author

cecily 7A

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