Why Proper Drainage is Important To Your Lawn

Proper yard drainage is essential for the wellbeing of your home and the safety of your family. When water is not drained properly, it can lead to standing water in your yard, moisture in your basement, and erosion.

What Are Issues Associated With Bad Water Drainage?

Public Safety.
Standing water in your yard is bad for grass, but it is also a public safety concern. Did you realize that common bacterial infections from stagnant water include E. coli, Campylobacteriosis, and Cholera. Parasitic infections include Giardiasis (from Giardia), Amoebiasis (infection by amoeba), and Taeniasis(tapeworm)?

Mosquitos.
Mosquitos may also be an issue when you have water standing around. If the water stays on your lawn for two days or more, that is long enough for mosquito eggs to hatch.

Lack of Use.
Standing water is also a nuisance because you cannot walk on your lawn until the water has completely dried out. This can take days. However, if you do walk on the wet lawn, it can cause soil compaction. Soil compaction is bad for your lawn and your plants.

How to Achieve Better Yard Drainage:

Add a Drainpipe.
One of the best ways to get rid of water from a low spot is to simply drain it away through an underground pipe.

Install a French Drain.
A French drain is a versatile system for dealing with all kinds of drainage problems. It disperses water over a large area through a buried perforated pipe.

Create a Creek Bed.
A creek bed like this 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.

Rain Barrels.
Rain barrels can be attached to downspouts and will collect rainwater that would normally run into the yard. This collected rainwater can then be used later when rainfall is low to water your yard.

Build 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. Not only do they collect excess rainwater, but also add a lovely feature to your landscape.

Create a Dry Well.
A dry well is a large hole filled with gravel or some other aggregate that catches excess water and holds it while it soaks into the ground.

Standing water in your yard can kill your grass, ruin your landscape, and be a health hazard. It’s important to address drainage problems immediately and call a professional if you cannot seem to fix them on your own. Poor drainage over a long period can put your home and family at risk.

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