| Author | Content |
jess2132000
Harleysville, PA
(Zone 6a)
December 23, 2008
04:13 PM Post #5922570
| We have this pool of water in our backyard. I never thought much about this till this year as it seems to be bad this year back there. However about two years ago our neighbors in the back of us had a landscaper come out and put a new walkway in and bushes with a drain to drain water from the front of their yard to the back or their yard. We have township space behind our homes and a walking/bike path there. Looks like their drain comes out onto a few feet before this walking path but not sure this water is coming down to our yard and making this water issue worse for us now.. Who would I call to see if its thefault of the drain they put in or just our property being the lowest in the neighborhood.. Here are some photos..How could be fix this problem.. We live in a twin (two homes together) not sure if our other side neighbor has much of a issue its seems to be more on our side of the fence.. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
jess2132000
Harleysville, PA
(Zone 6a)
December 23, 2008
04:16 PM Post #5922578
| Here is a photo of it today. Looks like some of the water has gone down but not alot.. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
bugme
Barnesville, GA
(Zone 7b)
December 23, 2008
04:20 PM Post #5922590
| OMG that is horrible and I would definitely check with the zoning department, whoever else approves this sort of thing. Your backyard is unusable from what I can see. |
claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA
(Zone 6b)
December 23, 2008
05:19 PM Post #5922746
| Call the township and tell them what's going on, they will help you, especially since it's their land behind yours. Lower Salford's website talks a lot about storm water management, it is a crisis all around here.
It's possible your neighbor needed a permit and didn't get one, or they gave them a permit and the township is involved that way. But they are well aware of the issue there.
http://www.lowersalfordtownship.org/index.html
http://www.lowersalfordtownship.org/stormwater_management/in...
I still think the trench drain I mentioned on the other thread is better than a dry well, but anything will be an improvement. Their pdf links to the same rain garden site, too:
http://www.lowersalfordtownship.org/stormwater_management/do... |
claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA
(Zone 6b)
December 23, 2008
05:32 PM Post #5922782
| I forget to mention, somewhere on their site they talk about existing rain gardens near a bike path. (maybe the same one?) They might be willing to let you drain your water onto the township's right-of-way and put another rain garden area there.
I'd keep taking pictures, and try to get some of the neighbor's water too. |
jess2132000
Harleysville, PA
(Zone 6a)
December 24, 2008
04:16 PM Post #5925508
| I will have to call them i guess but I am not sure this is all from that drain but not sue why its so bad back there unless the build up of soil from around our shed had just moved the water forward more. I not sure how I could add a rain garden as there is not much room back there but its good to check into.. |
jess2132000
Harleysville, PA
(Zone 6a)
December 24, 2008
04:17 PM Post #5925511
| how much roughly is a trench drain cost?? |
claypa
West Pottsgrove, PA
(Zone 6b)
December 24, 2008
06:16 PM Post #5925757
| It depends on what you pay for gravel, and whether you pay someone to dig it or do-it-yourself. A100 feet of drain pipe is $50, + gravel, + labor. It would only need to be 6 inches wide and about two feet deep. I have dug a few by hand, and used a very small back hoe on others.
http://www.askthebuilder.com/175_Drying_Soggy_Soil_-_A_Simpl... |
Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
December 25, 2008
09:10 AM Post #5926826
| claypa, Yours was the perfect explanation. Thanks for the link. We had a similar problem a few years back and the solution was a very large yet simple linear trench drain. Our home was built for 1 occupant originally and the septic drain system was rather small. My hh of 6 moved in a few yrs after the original occupant passed away. We added 2 acres of lawn to the grounds surrounding the home including directly over the existing septic drain field. The problem became obvious within a few months. The drain field was being flooded due to our wanting the lawn to be green. The solution was to add another septic line in an area not being watered and in no danger of ever being watered. It was put beneath our gravel driveway. We had a backhoe dig a trench about 100 ft long by 6 ft deep by 2 ft wide for the septic drain. We connected the existing 5 inch diameter line using a T type fitting and diverted overflow into the new and rather enormous drain field via a 50 ft long down hill pipe to the new septic drain field. There was a second T right in the middle of the drain field (dividing the pipe 50 ft to the east and 50 ft to the west). This drain field pipe with tiny holes drilled throughout was lain on about 3 ft of river rock pebbles and then covered with 2 more feet of the same. A filament sheet was laid over the rocks and then dirt covered the rocks and then our driveway was given a few inches of new gravel. We've not had a problem since. Kelly |
jess2132000
Harleysville, PA
(Zone 6a)
December 26, 2008
09:06 AM Post #5928954
| Well the puddle is gone now and we see the grass once again which is good. I guess the drain idea might work but not sure how or where to run it. my husband would probably want o try to fix this himself but not sure on how to. Maybe a Landscaper might give us some ideas. It can not hurt to have someone come out a look at it and give us some ideas?? this may be a 2009 project... |
Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
December 26, 2008
05:07 PM Post #5930254
| Jess,
The cost for our drain field was just over $1k. I'd think a significantly smaller drain done by hand in your yard would be roughly 50%. The trick will be to get the water off your land and into a lower elevation where the county is left with the obligation to determine what to do and without causing the water runoff to go onto a neighbors land. You wouldn't want to do anything that would negatively impact neighboring property ... like what seems to have inadvertently happened to you.
Good luck!
Kelly |
SusanKC
Shawnee Mission, KS
(Zone 5b)
February 08, 2009
08:22 PM Post #6111889
| Jess,
You can hire a civil engineer to come out and look at the drainage on your property. They should be able to come up with a plan on how to drain your back yard per code and tell you if the neighbor's new drainage system is causing part of the problem. If you live in a larger city that has a civil engineer on staff the they may also be able to help. We have used a local civil/structural to look at the drainage around our house. We then put the drainage in ourselves using his plan.
BTW - After looking at the photo, it looks like you have a low spot in the yard with higher spots that surround it. That may be one of the reasons that you are having problems.
Good Luck! |
Zoolou
NIagara
Canada
February 10, 2009
07:16 PM Post #6121405
| And as a added measure grab a submersible sump pump to get rid of the water either out front of your house or anywhere close to a storm drain...We have had the same problem and keep one handy when the yard gets as bad as yours |
WilloxPerez
Greensboro
United States
October 08, 2009
01:31 AM Post #7146942
| Claypa !! thanks for sharing your ideas.I had similar problem like Jess.The links you have mentioned are really wonderful.You are right Jess should contact the township.and his neighbor has to take permit and most probably he will not be permitted. |
