Page 1
Page 1
Started By
Message

How would you solve rain runoff coming across your property?

Posted on 6/3/25 at 9:30 pm
Posted by VanRIch
Wherever
Member since Sep 2007
11111 posts
Posted on 6/3/25 at 9:30 pm
Kinda hard to explain but the land our house is on is sloped from the left to the right. The other lots are all wooded, no houses at all other than mine on this side of the street. My yard doesn’t flood, but when it rains hard we get a few inches of runoff for a couple hours. Basically the back yard turns into a shallow river. There is a creek behind the house that would make a perfect place to steer the water into but it would be a massive job to do whatever needs to be done to divert it to that creek. I have a very low area in the back yard but I don’t want to fill this until I figure out how to divert the water because I’m afraid if the water can’t use this low spot as part of his path it will run closer to the house. I should also mention that my 12x24 shed is smack in the middle of the runoff path. It’s raised about 10” off the ground on concrete footers but I’d like it to not be bombarded with this little river. The area on the ‘upstream’ side of the shed is wooded and the area on the other side is lawn. I’m fully aware that this might be a job too big to bother with but just wondering if there’s an easy-ish solution.
Posted by cgrand
HAMMOND
Member since Oct 2009
43655 posts
Posted on 6/3/25 at 9:48 pm to
how big is your lot? Do you have a topo survey?
Posted by LegendInMyMind
Member since Apr 2019
66955 posts
Posted on 6/3/25 at 10:53 pm to
Would a French drain work?
Posted by LSUfan20005
Member since Sep 2012
9019 posts
Posted on 6/4/25 at 6:36 am to
I have plenty of experience with this in both houses I’ve owned.

-Dig slight swale directing water where you want.

-create a low stone wall that directs water (I used chop rock and planted ground cover all along it)

-Use landscape timbers or railroad ties to direct water

-Insert drainage wells into select low spots to capture water.

-Find the source of water at the farthest edge of your property, insert a catch basin, then direct an outlet with buried pipe of choice
Posted by VanRIch
Wherever
Member since Sep 2007
11111 posts
Posted on 6/4/25 at 6:47 am to
1.75 acres
I don’t think a French drain would work in this situation
Thanks Lsufan, I’ll explore these options.
Posted by crewdepoo
Hogwarts
Member since Jan 2015
10556 posts
Posted on 6/4/25 at 8:21 am to
Tough to say without visuals. Landscaping? Some taller grasses can slow down and soak up some of that water.
Posted by Tree_Fall
Member since Mar 2021
872 posts
Posted on 6/4/25 at 8:29 am to
LSUfan's advice is very good. My experience with standing water in backyard is developers mindlessly create barriers to the natural drainage during initial lot grading. A ridge just 2" tall between you and a creek can cause a lot of problems. Swales that cut across higher ground are your first and cheapest option. Just make the swale wide enough that a lawnmower doesn't hang in it. Catch basins and buried 6" pipe is great if there is a lower area for discharge. French drains are very popular, but the ones around me seem to do nothing. Now is the time to fix things, while adjacent lots are undeveloped.
Posted by cgrand
HAMMOND
Member since Oct 2009
43655 posts
Posted on 6/4/25 at 8:39 am to
quote:

Now is the time to fix things, while adjacent lots are undeveloped.
no doubt, but he needs to know grade elevations beforehand and not just eyeball it
Posted by VanRIch
Wherever
Member since Sep 2007
11111 posts
Posted on 6/4/25 at 11:48 am to
We own the two wooded lots on the upstream side. It was actually brush cut a couple years ago. I keep up with it so it’s just mature trees and leaf cover. Probably some reason we have this issue now but I wanted to have it cleared out for our dog to run around and my son rides his go-kart in there. So I have plenty of room to do a swale or something.
Posted by Wraytex
San Antonio - Gonzales
Member since Jun 2020
2952 posts
Posted on 6/5/25 at 11:14 am to
Dam it. Let neighbor keep their water.
Posted by jmon
Loisiana
Member since Oct 2010
9330 posts
Posted on 6/5/25 at 11:16 am to
quote:

The other lots are all wooded,


I would start bringing fill in now before houses are built. You will inevitably have bigger issues down the road once those lots are cleared, filled in and houses built.
first pageprev pagePage 1 of 1Next pagelast page
refresh

Back to top
logoFollow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News
Follow us on X, Facebook and Instagram to get the latest updates on LSU Football and Recruiting.

FacebookXInstagram