I have a problem that I'm not sure has a solution.

[Diggin It]

I have one area of ground that remains damp even when everywhere else is rock dry. The whole front yard is so dry and hard, I have trouble breaking it with the backhoe and I can't get a hand held shovel into it at all. Same for the south side and part of the back near the house. They get full Sun year round. But then there is the north side. It gets good Sun in June and July, but that's about it. Digging that today, it's damp and soft down to 20" or below. Not mud wet, but noticeable darker in color and damp enough to stick in the BH bucket. Closer to the house where I couldn't use the BH and had to resort to a shovel, it's soft enough that I could dig without even standing on the shovel.

I don't really want it this wet, but I can't figure out if there is a reasonable way to dry this area. It's not a drainage issue because it's at the top of a substantial hill. I don't have gutters draining there to add moisture and there are no water lines or anything that could be leaking. There is no more rain hitting this area than anywhere else. I don't see that adding a slope, drain or swale of any kind will help.

The only thing I can figure is causing this is the lack of Sun. The green growth on the siding tells me that.

 

[chevy]

Do you have a septic system that could be causing the problem?

The only other idea is an underground spring.

 

[Fuddy1952]

I'm thinking spring too. I have an area like that, top of hill, way away from septic, full sun. I don't worry since grass grows there, but have to mow days after a rain.
Even during a drought that area soil is not hard.

 

[Diggin It]

No spring. No water source at all that I know of.

Septic is downhill for this area. No plumbing of any kind there.

 

[joeyd]

The north side is always going to get the least amount of sun hence the siding issue. How far out from the house does it stay damp? Is it always in the shade from the house?

 

[Diggin It]

The north side is always going to get the least amount of sun hence the siding issue. How far out from the house does it stay damp? Is it always in the shade from the house?

Yep. That's why I'm not sure there's a solution.

 

[bcp]

There's always a solution.

Move the house so the sun gets to the wet spot.



Bruce

 

[drssg]

No spring. No water source at all that I know of.

How do you know that? My dad used to have a section of his gravel driveway that was always damp, due to an underground spring. After a few years, it mysteriously went away.

 

[jaxs]

Me tinks you are overlooking something,but that's ok because TBN need's a new Who-done-it and this sound's far more interesting than some recent examples. I've never noticed that dramatic difference simply from being shaded by a building.
Unless you personally developed the site and there can be no doubt about what was there before,it's possible that there is some sort of water line under ground. Here's a case that demonstart's what I'm saying. My daughter's single home neighborhood was developed around 1980 on land which had been pastureland. Fast foward to 2005. While correcting a foundation problem,the contractor discovered a public sewer line running beneath the home. All public records and deed showed the line 20 feet from house beneath paved alley access. The line was part of a lift station so was under pressure and leaked causing slab to shift. You must eliminate possability of even a long gone barn which had public water to it. I might ask my water supply if they could test the soil. If they won't do it, ask for a complete list of chemicals and submit a soil sample to a lab for testing for any traces of those chemicals. Another angle of attack is taking cores from ground to develop a map of where soil hold's varying amounts of moisture. Ask county septic permitting office to take the cores,loan the coring tool or where you might beg,barrow or steal the tool. A piece of chain-link top rail pounded in and withdrawn is slow going but better than digging graves with the hoe. What I hope to find with the map include's possability of waste water seeping from beneath house or nearby line.
If all else fails,have you considered a bog garden? :confused3:

 

[MossRoad]

I have one area of ground that remains damp even when everywhere else is rock dry. The whole front yard is so dry and hard, I have trouble breaking it with the backhoe and I can't get a hand held shovel into it at all. Same for the south side and part of the back near the house. They get full Sun year round. But then there is the north side. It gets good Sun in June and July, but that's about it. Digging that today, it's damp and soft down to 20" or below. Not mud wet, but noticeable darker in color and damp enough to stick in the BH bucket. Closer to the house where I couldn't use the BH and had to resort to a shovel, it's soft enough that I could dig without even standing on the shovel.

I don't really want it this wet, but I can't figure out if there is a reasonable way to dry this area. It's not a drainage issue because it's at the top of a substantial hill. I don't have gutters draining there to add moisture and there are no water lines or anything that could be leaking. There is no more rain hitting this area than anywhere else. I don't see that adding a slope, drain or swale of any kind will help.

The only thing I can figure is causing this is the lack of Sun. The green growth on the siding tells me that.

Why is it a problem?