Question
I have two rain gutter downspouts coming off the back of my house.  Since the area of the downspouts is very near our inground pool, and since that area between the pool and the downspouts will be landscaped with shrubs, I was told to connect the two downspouts to a french drain system. I was also told to have the water come out near our portable utility shed, which will also be landscaped with shrubs, thereby killing two birds with one stone; keeping excess water out of the pool and providing water to the shrubbery near the shed.  

The only problem that I can see with doing this is that the grade between the downspouts and the shed is flat and level.  So would I have to dig a trench with an upward grade for the water to come out?  I don't think that would work well.  Any suggestions would be most helpful.  Russell

Answer
A french drain is a hole filled with aggregate that allows water to be moved away from one place and into the ground so it can perk down.  If you were to construct the drain for irrigation, it would have to be very shallow, no more than 2-3 feet deep, and would eventually fill up with roots from the shrubs and such.  I suggest you channel the water toward a large flat area filled with about 1 foot of gravel near the shrubs you wish to water, or construct a proper drain to move the water into the subsoil.