How Would You Handle This?

[snymat68]

I would like to relocate a drainage ditch across the rear of my property (75 ft in length).
It currently flows as shown by the red line.
I want to relocate it to the black line (just inside the property line) to regain the back of my property.
The endpoints will remain the same. I'll just be taking the "sag" out of the path the ditch takes.

The neighborhood is sloped from the upper right of this map to the lower left.
The blue arrow is where MOST of the water enters my property, as the current ditch continues up the hill through the other back yards.
However there is still some runoff I need to capture from the direction of the orange arrows as well.

Currently, the ditch is only about 3 inches deep and 12" wide.
The entirety of the area is covered by 80 ft tall oak trees that drop a LOT of leaves in the fall and seed junk in the spring.
The current ditch constantly gets dammed up with leaves, and overflows into my back yard.

At a minimum, I plan to dig a new ditch (a little deeper than the current one) with my backhoe, and use the dirt to fill in the old ditch.
However, I want to make sure the new ditch won't continue to get clogged up, or at least not as often.
I also don't want the new ditch to erode over time, or fill in with dirt/debris from "upstream".
Most of the time the ditch carries little to no water. But when we get a heavy rain, it flows like crazy.

I'm looking for input or suggestions on how to go about the new ditch.
Would you dig it and call it good? Would you line it with fabric and gravel? Rip rap? Pavers? Concrete?
I'm trying to keep the project cost to $500 or less if possible.
Thanks for any ideas and suggestions!

 

[mike48130]

Well, I would guess that it backs up not because of your yard but probably the yard after yours, or both. If you dig it deeper, you are just creating a place for the water to sit if you are deeper than the yard next to you. Where does it run into? How deep is that? Not sure on the cost, but running a perforated pipe and covering it with fabric and pea gravel would work, but you will still get the rotted leaves down into the pea gravel eventually. . If it was deep enough I would run the pipe, then pea gravel, then cover with fabric and topsoil and plant some grass seed. Then when you cut the grass or whatever, it takes care of the leaves.

You also need to watch the regulations. There are rules about changing drainage especially if it is designated as drainage with the county. Also, rules against dumping water onto other peoples property, although people don't seem to follow it. But you could get complaints from the neighbors.

 

[CobyRupert]

I'd want a transit, or a good jerry-rigged laser level pointer, and measuring stick so you can accurately determine elevations at various spots. .

The key one being :
Your fixed base point, that can't change, is the lowest spot at the left border of your property.
Every other part of the ditch's bottom has to be higher than this point.

Figure out the elevation slope you have between the upper right part of the ditch and the (fixed) lower left.
As you dig the ditch, check the slope you're giving it often.

 

[snymat68]

Well, I would guess that it backs up not because of your yard but probably the yard after yours, or both. If you dig it deeper, you are just creating a place for the water to sit if you are deeper than the yard next to you. Where does it run into? How deep is that? Not sure on the cost, but running a perforated pipe and covering it with fabric and pea gravel would work, but you will still get the rotted leaves down into the pea gravel eventually. . If it was deep enough I would run the pipe, then pea gravel, then cover with fabric and topsoil and plant some grass seed. Then when you cut the grass or whatever, it takes care of the leaves.

You also need to watch the regulations. There are rules about changing drainage especially if it is designated as drainage with the county. Also, rules against dumping water onto other peoples property, although people don't seem to follow it. But you could get complaints from the neighbors.

The ditch eventually drains into a large storm water drain two houses further down the hill, which goes under the street and over a hillside.
The leaves are a problem in all of the back yards, as we all have the oaks. Each guy deals with the leaves and water from everyone up the hills, as well as their own.
As far as I know, there are no storm water regulations that apply to my property, but being that I'm not going to alter the elevations or locations of the ditch endpoints, I doubt it would matter anyway.

I though about a perf pipe setup, but I think a 4" pipe would be hard-pressed to carry the water during a hard rain.
Also, grass is not an option, as there is way too much shade in the area to keep grass growing from one season to the next (believe me I've tried). I might plant some ferns or some kind of ground cover around the ditch eventually.
I'm king of leaning toward using 16" square concrete pavers in the new ditch, overlapped by a couple inches, like a long, low-rise staircase. Possibly also with matching 8x16 pavers on the sloped sides of the ditch.
My thinking is that it would offer nothing for debris to catch on (with proper overlap like shingles) to clog up the ditch. And if it did need cleaned out, it would be easy to do so.
The total fall over the 75ft run is maybe 4 or 5 ft. I also want to make sure I don't send the water into the lower neighbors existing ditch at 5 times it's current velocity and cause his ditch to erode.

 

[snymat68]

I'd want a transit, or a good jerry-rigged laser level pointer, and measuring stick so you can accurately determine elevations at various spots. .

The key one being :
Your fixed base point, that can't change, is the lowest spot at the left border of your property.
Every other part of the ditch's bottom has to be higher than this point.

Figure out the elevation slope you have between the upper right part of the ditch and the (fixed) lower left.
As you dig the ditch, check the slope you're giving it often.

I thought about this, and still might rent a transit. But I'm thinking that there is enough slope (4 or 5ft fall of 75ft run) that I could probably eyeball it pretty easily.

 

[mike48130]

I thought about this, and still might rent a transit. But I'm thinking that there is enough slope (4 or 5ft fall of 75ft run) that I could probably eyeball it pretty easily.

for 75' get a string level and 2 fence posts. Level the string and take measurements with a tape measure. Cheap. Sounds like you have a good drop in elevation. You might want to consider just digging it and filling the old one first. Maybe the straight run will help keep it clear vs. the curved path. Once you get that done, you can always tweek the slope or add the pavers.

 

[snymat68]

for 75' get a string level and 2 fence posts. Level the string and take measurements with a tape measure. Cheap. Sounds like you have a good drop in elevation. You might want to consider just digging it and filling the old one first. Maybe the straight run will help keep it clear vs. the curved path. Once you get that done, you can always tweek the slope or add the pavers.

These are all good ideas. I love this forum.