Do you have parts of your yard that hold water for long period of time following high levels or precipitation? You are not alone! A lot of residents have soil with a high clay content, meaning that it can be difficult for water to drain quickly from your yard. Thankfully, there are some ways to mitigate this issue without doing serious amendments to your soil!
General Solutions for Standing Water
Rain Gardens: Rain gardens are shallow, landscaped depressions that contain perennial native plants that don’t mind “getting their feet wet.” They’re designed to catch and soak in stormwater before it enters storm drainage systems and local waterways, which prevents and controls flooding in our communities. By designating a portion of your lawn as a rain garden, you can direct stormwater runoff from gutters to the rain garden, helping reduce flooding in other areas. Rain gardens can be easily installed by homeowners in both sunny and shady areas, and can allow 30% more water to soak into the ground compared to a conventional lawn. For more information, go to the “Rain Gardens” page.
Stormwater Capture & Reuse: Stormwater is any rainwater or melting snow or ice that flows over the surface of the land to the nearest storm sewer, ditch, lake, or stream. Hard surfaces like driveways, roofs, parking lots, and even some lawns don’t let water soak into the ground. By having stormwater capture systems in place, such as rain barrels, you are keeping stormwater from ever entering your yard, which if done in high enough quantities, can also help reduce the amount of flooding in your yard. For more information, go to the “Stormwater Capture & Reuse” page.
Native Landscaping: Native planting can be a beautiful, low-cost alternative to traditional landscaping that uses turf grass and ornamental non-native plants. Native plantings can be practical nearly anywhere in your yard, and can be designed specifically to best enhance and beautify your property. Because native plants are “built” for our climate, many can aid in returning stormwater to the groundwater system, and can also be more tolerant to standing water. For more information, go to the “Native Landscaping” page.
Downspout Disconnection and Rain Barrels
During a heavy storm, each downspout on your home can deliver as much as 12 gallons a minute to your community’s storm system, which can consist of storm sewers and roadside ditches. All of this excess water entering the storm system can cause downstream flooding and streambank erosion. To manage stormwater on your property, we recommend diverting the water off your roof and gutters to a rain garden or rain barrels. Place rock protection or a splash-block at the end of the downspout to prevent erosion and dissipate the energy of the water flowing out of the downspout. Be sure to consult with your community before disconnecting downspouts in case of community ordinances not allowing this type of work.
Consider installing one or more rain barrels on your downspout(s), which will help contain some of the flow coming off the roof during a rain event. We recommend using a rain barrel that comes with a diverter attachment, which fits onto the downspout and prevents excess water from backing up in the rain barrel once it fills. Rain barrel water is a good free resource for watering your outdoor landscape beds and washing your lawn furniture or vehicles. The rain barrel can also be set up to outlet the flow into a rain garden. Contact your local Soil and Water Conservation District to see if they have information on where to purchase rain barrels in your area.
Other Solutions
Lawn Core Aeration
Lawns tend to become compacted with age and lose their infiltrative capacity. To improve infiltrative capacity, you may consider annual core aeration, which reopens the lawn by pulling out small plugs of soil and provides spaces for water to soak into the ground. Core aeration equipment or services can be obtained through local lawn care providers.
Tree Canopy Thinning
To allow for greater infiltration of where large trees are present, we recommend thinning the tree canopy. This will not only increase the tree’s health but will allow for the growth of lower story plants to aid in the stabilization of the yard. Thinning removes branches that are less than 2 inches thick. The thicker branches should only be removed if they are diseased or dead, as they form the scaffold of the plant and give it strength. Cuts should be at a slight angle to deflect moisture away from the cut surface and must be just outside the parent wood. Never cut into the main leader or trunk, as this can invite disease and rot. The best time to prune is before the plant has begun new growth for the season and is dormant. Remove growth around the edges of the canopy for a tighter, more compact shape and then remove any broken and dead stems from the interior. The general rule is to remove no more than 15-20% of the foliage on mature trees to prevent spouts and weak growth. This service can be obtained through local lawn care providers.
Removal of impervious surfaces
To improve drainage on your property, we recommend removing any unnecessary impervious surfaces. This may include sidewalk, deck, and/or patio areas on your property. You may also consider the removal of concrete in a portion of your driveway and replacement with woody vegetation or other landscaping with native plants. To maintain a parking surface, removed concrete can also be replaced with pervious pavement or geogrid pavement. Pervious pavement includes a permeable base and subbase that allows stormwater to infiltrate into the ground and decreases the negative effects of increased stormwater runoff from a paved driveway.
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