Do you cringe every time it rains knowing your home will soon be surrounded by unintentional ponds and puddles? Not only is standing water unsightly, but it can destroy landscaping, damage your foundation, and become a breeding ground for bugs and bacteria. Luckily, there are some tried and true methods landscaping and drainage contractors can turn to in order to fix water pooling in your yard.
Improper grading is one of the biggest problems that leads to pooling water in a yard. How a lawn slopes will determine where water will drain. The land should be highest at the base of your house and then slope down toward the storm sewer or street. If this isn’t the case, water will gather in low spots. Luckily, you can have your yard regraded. A professional will survey your lawn, determine low points and natural channels, and then correct the grade so water will properly drain during heavy downpours or as snow melts.
Another option to deal with standing water is to create drains for your landscape. This is extremely helpful in cases where the water table is high. Your landscaping professional might suggest adding soil and creating raised plant beds or lowering lawn borders to drain water away.
A French drain is also an extremely effective method to channel water away from your home. This involves burying a pipe in a graded trench under your lawn. Gravity channels the water through the pipe and carries it away to drain in a proper location.
Your lawn’s permeability could be a hidden cause of your water problems. When compacted soil or organic debris, such as leaves or grass clippings, prevent water from seeping into the ground, it will collect on the surface instead. It may be worth it to have a professional aerate your lawn. The perforations allow air and water to penetrate and soak into the ground more easily. You can also choose to have sand, manure, or compost worked into your soil, especially if it has a heavy clay content. This will break up hard chunks of earth so the water can properly drain.
Even if you think you know how to fix water pooling in your yard, this is not a time for DIY solutions. It is best to consult a landscaping and drainage contractor for a permanent fix. A professional drainage contractor like Twin Oaks Landscape can help you take care of water drainage issues in your yard. As a professional landscape drainage contractor, we can help with a custom drainage solution to meet your every need. Contact the drainage experts at Twin Oaks landscape today.