dry well construction and landscape

garden plan plotted with stakes and twine

based on observations and photo documentation dry well planned and set

4 sequential holes dug, with pipe and fittings for overflow connecting each

Pipe along sidewalk drilled with holes to accept water

downspout disconnected from sewer and directed to dry well area

completed dry well area after back-filled with large gravel for drainage

dry well as integrated into landscape plan

The first step to a successful dry well is observation. It is important to observe and document, preferable with a camera, the drainage pathways during heavy and sudden rainfall. You also must estimate the volume of flow and drainage rate. Think about digging a hole about as big as that puddle you saw at the high point.

Using this information you must next determine where the pathway naturally flows and where you want it to flow. Ideally this will be the same pathway, but realistically you will be making some changes. Our changes included consideration for the new patio. We did not want the rain flow to wash out the patio base and cause future problems. We not only planned the dry well to capture water from the natural pathway but we also used the soil we dug out to form a berm to assist the flow. Think about planning the dry well along the same route you saw it flow, or figuring out how to get it there.

broken concrete from sidewalk removed and worked into design

A 2-3" channel was dug 1-2" deep the full length of the sidewalk on the downhill slanted side to also capture runoff. We removed broken chunks of concrete, a result of the previous flooding, and filled these areas with gravel as well. The broken pieces were then offset in the planting bed to transition the eye. We cannot afford to completely remove the sidewalk and have another poured, and we want to preserve the character of the original walkway.