How do I get rid of standing water in my Potomac MD yard?  It’s an excellent question, and one we get quite frequently from the clients we work with.  Water issues are tricky, and there are no simple answers to the question because every person and the particulars of each piece of property are different.  In this article, we’ll outline the most common causes of standing water issues, and the various solutions that can be deployed to fix them.

First things first though; broadly speaking, you can break standing water issues into two basic categories:  Habit-based and Design-based.  Habit-based issues arise from things you’re doing or not doing, and the solutions to those types of issues tend to be relatively easier to fix.

Design-based issues arise from specific features or aspects of your property.  These issues are more complex, but in every case, they’re still fixable.  We’ll talk about both, starting with habit-based issues.

The first thing to try when seeking an answer to the question ‘how do I get rid of standing water in my Potomac MD yard?’ is to water your plants less.  It could be the case that you’re simply giving them more water than the roots and soil can absorb, and in that case, the problem vanishes the moment you stop watering as much as you currently are.

Another manifestation of habit-based issues arises when you build a decorative bed for planting and don’t build in a drainage channel that allows excess water to escape.  This problem can be compounded if you’ve built decorative beds immediately around your house and haven’t extended or redirected the downspouts attached to your rain gutters.

In this case, anytime it rains, the downspouts empty into the decorative beds, and absent a suitably robust drainage channel, it pools there.  If the problem isn’t remedied, those areas of standing water can cause serious damage to the foundation of your home.

Again, answering the question ‘how do I get rid of standing water in my Potomac MD yard?’ in cases like these is a pretty straightforward proposition.  Things get trickier when you’re dealing with design-based issues, which we’ll talk about next.

Improper Grading

This is the most serious and complex design-based issue to deal with.  If your property is poorly or improperly graded, water will naturally collect in the lowest areas.  While it’s possible to bring in heavy equipment and alter the grading of your property, the simpler and more effective solution is to install a French drain.

Here though, it’s important to take into account any other landscaping you may want to do in the future.  The best way to do that is to create a Master Landscape Design Document, which captures all of your landscaping goals under a single umbrella and prioritizes them.

We can help you create the document, and armed with it, we’ll be able to make sure the drain is placed in such a way that it will work seamlessly with everything else you ultimately want to do.

Clay

Soil composition can be highly variable, even in different areas of the same piece of property.  If you have an area dominated by the presence of clay, it’s going to be all but impossible for water to drain from that area without help.  As with the grading issues described above, the answer to the question ‘how do I get rid of standing water in my Potomac MD yard?’ involves the installation of a drainage system.

Thatch

Thatch describes the layer of organic material that exists between the grass you can see and the layer of topsoil that supports it.  Over time, the thatch layer can become so tightly interwoven that it makes it very difficult for the water to filter through it and get to the topsoil where it can drain away.

In this case, the solution to the problem is to remove the thatch layer and aerate the soil.  While this does require the use of some specialized equipment, if you’re a committed do it yourselfer, this is probably a project you can undertake on your own.  If you’d rather not, we’re happy to help!

Hardpan

Hardpan can occur naturally, or it can be created by the presence of heavy equipment moving continually over a given area.  It’s a condition where the sub-soil that exists beneath the layer of topsoil on your property becomes so highly compacted that it’s virtually impossible for water to percolate through it.

In this case, answering the question ‘how do I get rid of standing water in my Potomac MD yard?’ involves breaking up the hardpan, which requires the use of highly specialized equipment.  It’s a big job that most people are happy to outsource, but an experienced DIYer might be able to do it on their own.  Again though, if it’s a project you don’t want to handle on your own, it’s something we can easily take care of for you.

The bottom line is, whatever the ultimate cause of your standing water issue, there are solutions available.  One phone call to our office, and the issue is well on the way to being solved.  We’ll assess your situation, identify the root cause, and propose the optimal solution.  Before any work begins, we’ll provide you with a free, no obligation quote so you’ll know exactly what it will take to put the problem behind you once and for all.  Give us a call today!