What Causes Yard Drainage Problems?
A yard that stays wet for days after rain has a cause, and it is usually not the rain. Here is what is actually going on underground.
A soggy yard is one of the most common drainage complaints in Metro Vancouver, and the cause is almost always a combination of soil, shape, and where the water is coming from.
Dense clay soil
Much of the Lower Mainland sits on dense clay soil that absorbs water slowly and drains it even more slowly. After rain, the water sits in the topsoil because it cannot percolate down. This is not a defect you can fix by adding a drain in one spot — the whole soil profile drains poorly, and the solution is usually a combination of surface collection and engineered discharge.
Negative grading and low spots
If the ground slopes toward the house or toward a low spot with no outlet, water collects there. Regrading to direct water away, or a catch basin in the low spot connected to an underground line, are the standard fixes.
Downspouts on the lawn
Roof water is a major contributor to wet yards. A downspout dumping onto the lawn saturates the area around it every rain. Carrying downspout water underground to a storm connection or a dry well removes that volume from the yard entirely.
For solutions, see our yard drainage page.
Need this looked at?
If you recognise a problem described here on your own property, we can inspect and tell you what is actually going on.