Yard Drainage Problems

The wet spot in the yard is the symptom. The cause might be a low area, a reverse slope, roof runoff, or soil that stays saturated after the puddle is gone.

Those causes do not all take the same drain. The pages below start with what you can see, then point to the type of exterior drainage that may actually address it.

Call for Drainage Help Request Drainage Help

Waterlogged backyard with standing water after rain

Always Wet,
Swampy Yards

Standing rainwater pooling in a residential yard

Standing Water
After Rain

Water pooling beside a residential foundation

Water Pooling
Near Foundation

Water Between
Houses

Saturated residential lawn remaining wet after rain

Yard Stays Wet
for Days

Downspout discharging water into a pooled area beside a home

Downspout
Water Pooling

Not every wet yard needs a French drain

A French drain is a gravel trench that collects water in the soil. It is the right tool for some swampy lawns. It is the wrong first tool if the water is still sitting on the surface, if the ground slopes toward the house, or if a downspout is dumping a roof’s worth of water into a planting bed.

Surface water may need a catch basin or another surface drain. Slope problems may need grading or a swale. Roof runoff may need downspout drainage. Some yards need more than one of those.

Possible exterior drainage solutions

These are common exterior drainage methods used to address wet-yard problems. Open the problem page that matches what you are seeing, then the service that matches how that water needs to leave.

Not Sure What Your Yard Needs?

If you can describe where the water sits and how long it stays, a drainage contractor can evaluate the property and determine which exterior drainage method is actually in play.

Call 815-940-9441 or submit a service request.

Call 815-940-9441