How To Deal With Standing Water

Published April 7, 2021

Intro:
Many Oklahoma homes suffer from humidity of a whole other problem: constant damp spots in the lawn. Six ways to address standing water in your yard, including a rain garden or french drain.

It shouldn’t be a surprise to Oklahoma homeowners that our summers can get hot and humid.  Humidity is nothing more or less than a heavy amount of moisture in the air.  But many Oklahoma homes suffer from humidity of a whole other problem: constant damp spots in the lawn, which may be the result of standing or gathered water.

Not only are wet spots in your yard a nuisance and an eyesore, but they can also kill your lawn since grass will die if it’s underwater for too long. You also can’t mow over wet areas, leading to lawns that may look misshapen or overgrown in areas. If the soggy area is close to your house, it can cause your basement to leak, or worse. So what’s the answer?

At GreenPro we specialize in working with our clients to make sure their lawn needs are met.  This includes addressing any issues with drainage.  But how do the experts deal with drainage problems?  We wanted to make sure you understand GreenPro’s approach to handling your gathered water problem, so we wanted to share with you how we work to make sure that standing water doesn’t stay standing!

Extend the Downspout: Downspout drainage solutions

Before anyone starts digging a trench or taking some other drastic action to get rid of a wet spot or standing water, it’s important to step back and survey the situation to see where the water is coming from. The problem could be as simple as a downspout or sump pump discharge that’s draining into a low area of your yard. Redirecting your downspout or running the discharge pipe from your sump pump drainage outside to a different location might be all that’s necessary.

Draw a Drainage Plan

An effective drainage plan often starts simply, often with a sketch of your property – the house, driveway, patios, street, and other features. A line level or builder’s level or some other leveling method can determine high and low spots. Arrows show how water flows and notes can indicate the relative height of high and low spots. It’s important in any drainage plan to avoid directing water onto your neighbor’s property; if you’re hoping to discharge water into the street or municipal storm sewer, contact the city first to see what regulations apply.

Construct a Creek Bed

You can solve drainage problems and create an attractive landscape feature at the same time with a dry creek bed. A creek bed can channel water away from a low spot or direct runoff into a rain garden or dry well. With the right landscaping, the creek bed will look good even when it’s dry.

Build a Rain Garden

If you have a low spot in your yard that tends to collect and retain water, consider building a rain garden. A rain garden is simply an area of your yard that’s designed to catch water and is filled with water-loving plants. Great for the environment, rain gardens reduce runoff and the lawn chemicals, pet waste and sediment that go along with it. (It doesn’t really solve a soggy yard problem, but a rain garden looks a lot better than a muddy hole!)  A key aspect to rain garden design is choosing the right plants for the soil conditions. Typically native plants with deep fibrous roots work well.

Add an Underground Drainage Pipe

One of the best ways to get rid of water from a low spot is to simply drain it away through an underground drainage pipe. For this to work, you need an area to discharge the water that’s lower than the inlet. An underground drainage pipe should slope downhill at least 1/8 in. per foot.

Create a Dry Well

A dry well is simply a large hole filled with gravel or some other aggregate that catches excess water and holds it while it soaks into the ground. You can increase the capacity of a dry well by burying special dry well barrels. These plastic containers collect water and hold it while it drains out through holes in the sides and bottom. The containers must be surrounded by gravel or another porous material to allow drainage. You can stack these plastic dry wells or place them side by side. In general, a dry well should be large enough to collect the first 10 or 15 minutes of a large rainstorm. You can increase the capacity of a dry well by connecting it to a French drain system.

As you can see, the process of creating an effective and efficient drainage system can get very complicated.  This is why GreenPro prides ourselves on our professionalism and our skills when it comes to evaluating your home and property, and developing an effective drainage system that will solve whatever problems you’re facing.  If you’re concerned about issues related to standing or gathered water, why not reach out to GreenPro today?  We’ll consult with you on the best way to make that standing water drain away!