I moved into a home in the fall and it turns out it has lawn drainage issues. The soil is heavily compacted clay
I had a lawncare company quote me 10k recommending I install 2 cultec drainage tanks and I’m in the process of getting more quotes now.
A few questions:
Is the price reasonable?
How do I know if drainage systems are actually necessary? I’m wondering how far aeration, organics, and topsoil would get me?
Any other solutions I should be considering and suggesting to landscapers that are coming up with quotes for me?
by James_c7
2 Comments
Underground storage tanks for a homeowner seems pretty wild to me, but idk if that’s common in your area.
one thing I might try, if I were you, is to just auger a ton of holes in your yard as deep as you can (Make sure you utility locate, call 311 or the equivalent in your area) and fill those holes with sand mixed with topsoil or compost. This should help with drainage at least somewhat. These will be acting like a bunch of mini dry wells, essentially.
This won’t solve the fact that you have a low spot in your yard, but it should help the water infiltrate into the soil faster.
This is at least cheaper than a 10 grand underground storage system. I’d try that first.
And before doing the drainage tanks I’d look at a simple drain. Is there any possible way to place a yard inlet and discharge it towards the right of way? It may not be possible due to grades, which is possibly why they’re recommending the storage system.
Edit: I am civil engineer in land development and I design commercial sites, subdivisions, schools, etc. to fix or avoid drainage issues like this. If you have more questions feel free to ask
Don’t know about zoning but you could do mini wells. On either side of the tree. Or in the mulched areas.
Super cheap would be several five gallon buckets with small holes drilled into them. Essentially a void for water to go into. Cover the tops back over with mulch and clean them out a few times a year.
More expensive rent an auger with 8 inch bit go down 4 ft. Put a 8 inch pvc pipe in it. Put a solar well pump and have several rain barrels it pumps into to use for future use.