Another drainage project, with sketch

[Snowman9000]

This is a very simple drainage project, and I'd like to know how to do it. I have a BH for my JD 755 CT. My soil is heavy clay.

I attached a sketch, not to scale. The rectangle is my pole barn. Generally the property is very flat but the barn is situated in a low area. So in general I want to get water away from the barn.

Currently there are 4 potholes which are two or three inches even lower than the surroundings. After the winter frost goes out, or in any prolonged stretch of rainy days, water sits in the potholes. If we get rain before the frost goes out, the whole barn area is a shallow pond. It's simply at the low point.

As you can see, I have a pond, 210 feet from the barn. The land between the barn and pond is a bit higher than the land where the barn sits, so there is no drainage solution in between. I have to get the water all the way to the pond. The way I figure it, I want to install at least 3 drain catch basins, and run plastic drain pipe from them down to the ditch. I showed two potholes without basins. I could, if it makes sense, just bring them up to grade. I have enough dirt, that's not a problem.

Given the clay and the fact that the water problem is concentrated in one area, I'm thinking I would just use non-perforated pipe. Yes?

Assuming I should level out any trench bottom with sand or gravel before putting the pipe down? Just dig a steadily sloped trench to the pond?

This area is a lawn. What types of catch basins and covers should I use? What size pipe? Etc.

In other words, please tell me what I need, and basic plans to follow. Thanks!

 

[SixHoeBob]

Hire a 953. Have the operator strip the topsoil. Remove the hump in the yard between the barn and the pond. Put the topsoil back. Fine grade the area with your tractor. Plant new grass.

 

[Snowman9000]

It's not a hump. The barn is in a low area. I'd have to take down the whole surrounding area, like an acre, if not more. And re-do a driveway, among other things.

 

[rambler]

What is the fall fromyour lowest spot to the pond? In other words, how deep can you dig the drainage pipe in?

If it were me, I would for sure use slotted drainage pipe, get the water level in your soil lowered 24/7, so when it rains the soil has room to take on the rainfall.

If you are worried about the low spots not draining into the tile fast enough, you can use a column of gravel/ sand over the tile up to a couple inches from the surface. This will allow the water puddle to perculate rapidly into the tile, but not have an open hole or a trenchful of gravel causing issues in your lawn.

I'd run the tile about like you have drawn, and try to catch some of the runoff from your shed roof.

You could always add riser pipe with an open hole if you need to, but if you get good slotted drainage tile more than 2 feet deep, it usually will drain out the soil & sub soil over time and take care of the problem with very little evidence of the tile on the surface. There are rare soil typed that create layers that will not drain well, but you are not looking to have a baseball field that needs to drain in 1/2 hour, you just don't want long term ponding.... Slotted tile even in heavy clay like I live on will do the job if you get it burried 2-4 feet deep. Burry deeper & it will drain a bigger area, but slower....

--->Paul

 

[SixHoeBob]

I knew a guy who on lowered the township's gravel road 3' to better match the height of the house he built. Thirty years later he did the same thing to another road.