How to improve backyard drainage?

[DIWHYNot]

Hi everyone, hope you are well.

We have a bad water drainage issue in our backyard (Logan region, QLD). Any amount of rain pools on the surface and will sit there for days. It also takes a very long time for our yard to dry out.

I looked up some council plans to see if there was anything underground that might be adding to the problem but couldn't make too much sense of the plans. One thing that really threw me were three sun-like icons drawn onto the plans. This caught my attention because these areas are the ones where the problem is at its worst.

I need to get to the bottom of this before I start trying to resolve the problem. 

If anyone out there has any idea what these icons might mean, please suggest away.

Thanks team. Have a great day.

[JacobZ]

Hi @DIWHYNot,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

This sounds like a frustrating problem. Persistent surface water like that can make a backyard nearly unusable. You're doing the right thing by looking into plans before jumping into a solution.

As for the sun-like icons on your council plans, they could represent soak wells, stormwater pits, inspection openings, or subsurface drainage features, but given that there is no legend or label, I couldn't tell you exactly what they are referencing. 

If those symbols are showing up exactly where the drainage is worst, it seems possible that they mark old or clogged drainage infrastructure that isn’t functioning anymore. Another possibility is that they indicate areas that were designed to handle overflow or surface pooling, but the system has failed or wasn’t properly installed in the first place.

It might be worth calling Logan City Council to request a legend or ask someone to walk you through those plan markings. If you’re not getting far with that, hiring a local drainage specialist to inspect the site could help identify whether there’s an underground issue that needs to be addressed.

In the meantime, avoid doing any digging until you know exactly what’s under there, just in case those symbols are tied to buried utilities or stormwater infrastructure. 

Allow me to tag our knowledgeable member @Nailbag to see if he has any thoughts on what they could be. 

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[DIWHYNot]

Thanks @JacobZ, I appreciate the input. I will get onto the council and see what they can provide.

Thanks again. 

[Nailbag]

Hi @DIWHYNot 

I think they are weepers where processed waste exists the bio-waste sewerage system. But as @JacobZ mentioned, a quick trip to local council will confirm either way.

Nailbag

[DIWHYNot]

@Nailbag You were right. They were sprinklers that were activated when the runoff was too great. The previous owner removed them but did not patch the holes in the underground pipes. So the storm water runoff just pooled underground causing the drainage issue... problem solved (or at least identified).

Thanks for this, Nailbag. I'm not sure I would have got this solved without your input.  

[Nailbag]

Hi @DIWHYNot I'm glad to hear I was able to be of help mate

Nailbag