The only thing more unsightly than a yard with no grass is a yard that is covered in patches of standing water. Having standing water in your yard or around the foundation of your home can be a pretty aggravating thing, but there is something that you can do to remedy this situation and will probably not cost you an arm and a leg.
Most of the time, problems with standing water in the yard can be attributed to the yard having uneven elevation all over it. Some parts may be lower than others and will retain water after a heavy or even sometimes a light rain. The simple solution to this is to fill in these lower areas with soil and plant grass over them to hold the new soil in place. Planting grass over it is not only necessary to look good, but also serves the practical purpose of making sure the soil does not just wash away over time.
The other option is to have a drainage system installed in the yard. Call your local building commission first and make sure that you have permission to take on such a project, even if you do own your house and the land it is on. Obtaining a building permit may not be easy and it might take you a few weeks to get one, but it just depends on where you are living at the time.
Dig a ditch in your yard starting at the point you want to drain water from and end the ditch where you want the excess water to be deposited. Slant this ditch downhill about 6 inches for every 100 feet so that water does not simply collect in the pipe and stand there. Lay a small amount of gravel throughout the length of this ditch and put a PVC pipe over it. Cover this with more gravel and cover it again with soil. The gravel will help direct ground water toward the drain’s end. Put some wire mesh or a sink strainer over the highest end of the pipe to keep debris from getting into it. You do not need a strainer at the other end.
If you have somewhat of a sense of humor and like the idea of a small pond in your yard, consider putting a goldfish pond in one of the spots where water likes to collect. Digging it out and keeping it aerated for some fish might add a pleasing effect as long as it is located in the right place.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
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