Specializing in Stormwater Drainage Solutions
Property Grading: Swales, Berms and Erosion Control for Drainage
When a drainage project involves more than a French drain...
Addressing drainage issues often requires a comprehensive solution involving more than one feature. There may be a need for a French drain or your standard yard drainage system, but there may also need to be something more organic, like soil grading or the utilization of rock as a slope retention measure. Whatever the concern, Dallas Drainage Pros uses precision to find the best solution to address your stormwater runoff problem. If your issue involves standing water or soil erosion, sometimes the solution is proper grading in combination with a watershed feature like river rock or gravel. The experts at Dallas Drainage Pros take great consideration into the site conditions, and you can rest assured that if soil grading, a swale or some form of erosion control is what you need, it will be done correctly.
Yard Leveling and Lawn Grading Drainage Service
Building a Berm for Large Amounts of Water
When it comes to dealing with large amounts of stormwater runoff, grading is often the only thing that will work. Drainage systems, while very efficient at moving water, are limited in their capacity. For example, with a 1% slope, 4″ pipe tops out at around 130 gallons per minute, while 6″ pipe is about 390. While that may seem like a lot, when water is coming from a large area (such as a neighboring field or an eroded easement) you could easily be talking about water in the amount of THOUSANDS of gallons per minute.
To manage this volume of water, we have to think differently. Swales and berms are age-old methods for directing water in mass. By building up an area (sometimes called a “berm”) or digging out a shallow/wide channel (commonly referred to as a “swale”), water can be guided in the direction needed. A berm, as a raised area in the lawn or landscape, acts like a wall. For the swale, as a lowered area of the lawn or landscape, it becomes like a river. Utilized independently or together, any of these (created correctly) will effectively prevent flooding.
That being said, oftentimes when there is not enough slope, using drainage in combination with a berm or swale is the key to creating a comprehensive solution. Without drainage, water may sit in a swale or end up trapped as a puddle behind a berm. In this case, it would be recommended to add area drains to pick up any remainder. Think of it this way: while grading addresses large volumes of water during a rain event, a drainage system takes care of the rest.
Check out this video below to see this in action!
Property Lawn and Soil Grading for Drainage
Grading a lawn or yard can be as simple as top dressing with a sandy soil mix to raise the grade slightly, or may be far more involved requiring areas to be leveled and others to be filled or lifted significantly. Dallas Drainage Pros uses a laser level to determine the appropriate answer to the question of how much is necessary to achieve the desired grade or slope. Don’t trust something like this to an eyeball estimate or guess, let the Pros let you know!
Erosion control is often the answer where there is significant slope and no easy way to catch all the water coming from an area. While vegetation and turf are excellent sources of soil retention, these are sometimes not enough to address serious erosion concerns. Dallas Drainage Pros are the experts when it comes to choosing the appropriate solution to these issues. Riprap is a common erosion preventative measure, utilizing recycled concrete as a base – this is a cost-effective way to address large areas with a steep slope. Another means of slowing and directing water appropriately is to utilize river rock in strategic locations.
Swale, Drainage Ditch and Dry Creek Bed for Drainage
A swale (sometimes referred to as a “flume”) is simply a type of grading where soil is lowered along a path to direct water from one location to another. Using this method requires careful consideration for slope that it is not too steep, and that also won’t just become a muddy mess. One way to enhance the performance (and beauty) of a swale is to design it as a dry creek bed. This feature uses rock to prevent erosion and keep an area dry, while also assisting in maintaining the integrity and shape of the swale. Check out this video and these photos of a recent project utilizing these concepts!
Drainage, Soil Grading and Erosion Control in Dallas:
Whatever your drainage problem, we’ve got you covered. We are local drainage professionals in the Dallas area, providing quality solutions to landscape drainage issues. Whether it is installing a French drain or sump pump, grading your property or cleaning an existing system, we will leave you confident that your property will withstand the next Dallas downpour!
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