Ground Drainage

Hi,

I have a rather larger problem in my new garden that the drainage of the ground is very poor and large areas of the garden / lawn will be submerged. This I think maybe from run off from neighbouring gardens.

The problem being I know of french drains and soakaways but there is no place to sink a soakaway in plus installing french drains would only move the problem over to neighbouring gardens, of which i am surrounded! Raising the soil level is also a route that ideally shouldnt be taken as all boundaries would need adjusting!

Any ideas?

Pete

Hi

I'm guessing that you must be lower than your neighbours if you get all the run-off?

It may be that you have a cultivation or iron pan which is stopping the water draining away - these can be broken up or removed (if iron pan) but you may have to dig down quite deep to find it - might be worth digging a test pit in the worst area to see if that is the case.

You don't say what sort of soil you have  - if high clay content drainage can be a problem but can be improved over time, by digging in lots of organic matter (compost and manure) and also liming. Liming causes something called flocculation which is plain english means it starts to encourage the soil to develop larger particles which will improve the structure giving more air pores for drainage - you should be able to get a suitable product from your garden centre. Don't go on the soil or cultivate it when wet as that will make the problem worse. If it's loam/sandy then I suspect it may well be a pan blocking the waters path down.

Good luck!

i have the same problem with my allotment mine lower then everyone else i have tryed everything and now ringing council up on monday and giving plot up before i pay aanother years rent for nothing.i have dug trenches all round plot and still having problem its only my plot on the site whats suffering with it .Any ideas

smoggy,

Is this a newly built house?

Hi the house was built in the 80's and the main soil makeup is clay. I wasnt sure if you can install any sort of drainage that could be plumbed into the surface water drains or if that is illeagal?

We have french drains (2) along back garden as field slopes and drain through ours, there were already drains in when we built and were allowed to connect into those which flow down to stream at front.

Maybe better to check about connecting to drains .

Hi ,would it be possible for you to ask the Local Council Environment officer to have a look at your problem and maybe they would be able to make some recommendations .

Derek