How to improve front yard drainage?

[Glennboi]

I’m looking for optimal approaches to address a drainage problem in my front yard. I have a gravel road across the front and when there’s even light rain, the water pools against the steel gutter on the outer edge. While water doesn’t visibly pool on the surface on the opposite side, there’s significant moisture there as evidenced by the weeds growing. I’m considering digging trenches on both sides, making them deep enough say around 250mm so I can lay a base of 10mm gravel, then installing socked 100mm ag pipe. I’d use tee-pieces to join the inside edge ag pipe to the outside edge, making sure the inside edge is higher, and another tee-piece from the lowest middle point of the outside edge ag pipe to join with more ag pipe that run under my wire fence leading to the slope that goes down to the damn all still on my property. 

 

 

 

[EricL]

Hello @Glennboi 

Welcome to the Bunnings workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about your drain problem.

Your proposed idea to use agi-pipe is very sound. My only added suggestion to your idea is to use PVC pipes connected to the "T" for the exit point of the water going to your dam. This will provide you with more water flow as it will not get soaked by the soil going to the dam. 

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1 and @Nailbag for their recommendations.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Nailbag]

Hi @Glennboi 

sounds like a great strategy and would also agree with @EricL in adding additional runoff points to the dam to maximise efficiency. 

Nailbag

[Glennboi]

Thanks @EricL I’ll let you know how this progresses. Cheers, Glenboi

[Glennboi]

Thanks @Nailbag I’ll let you know how this progresses. Cheers, Glenboi

[Dave-1]

Good afternoon @Glennboi 

My suggestion is goingto be a little different, The socked agpipe is also the way I would go, tho I would change how the water exits from that pipe. When I have installed the drainage that you have suggeste dwith the gravel lined trench and agi pipe it does change the subsurface water as well. At the moment your new trees could also be benifiting form the edges catching the water and giving it time to soak into the ground (more moisture for the roots of the trees)

I wonder if you changed the run off areas to dips/pooling areas on the other side of the trees. So the water still gets a chance to soak in before the excess is funneled towards the dam? Maybe a settling pond area between two trees?

Dave