Are you experiencing issues with drainage and erosion control on your Columbia MD property? It’s more common than you might think and it’s something we’re frequently called upon to assist our clients in dealing with.

Before you rush out to embrace a solution, however, let’s talk first about the other landscaping plans you may have.

If you’re like most people, you’ve probably got a number of landscaping projects you’d love to see completed, but have you taken the time to gather them all in one place? If you haven’t, then before you start solving for whatever drainage and erosion control issues you have on your Columbia MD property, the first, best thing you can do is to create a Master Landscape Design Document.

Don’t let the formal sounding name throw you off. Basically, it’s just a document used to collect all your landscaping goals and ambitions in one place. There are a couple of key advantages to taking the time to do this.

First and foremost, it gives you the opportunity to look at your overall objectives at a high level which facilitates better planning and prioritization. It also allows you to spot big projects and break them into smaller, more budget-friendly pieces and to spot projects that depend on the completion of other projects, which is extremely handy.

In terms of dealing with the drainage and erosion control issues on your Columbia MD property, it also tells you where and how to best build the system to solve for those problems, which brings us back to the main topic of this piece. So let’s talk solutions. There are three big ones to consider:

First is the planting of grasses and shrubs. Grasses and shrubs are a low-cost way to target issues relating to erosion. By planting densely, you create a tightly interwoven network of roots that help anchor your soil in place, making it much more resistant to eroding away over time.

Second, if you’re more concerned about drainage than erosion, consider building a diversionary trench. This can be as simple as an open ditch designed to collect water and shunt it where you want it. The sky’s the limit here. You can send it to a nearby creek, a decorative pond, a dry well, or the like. Whatever works best for you.

Third, there are terraces. Terraces are ideal for steeply sloped property. Built using retaining walls, they create more flat, level, usable yard space that steps down gradually from the upper elevations on your property.

Properly constructed retaining walls come with built-in drainage systems, so this neatly solves both the problem of erosion and drainage in one go, albeit at a higher cost.

Whichever solution you deem to be best for you and your property, we’re happy to help. Call our office today.