Question
We have a very wet area of grass around the discharge area of our new sump pump drain. The drain comes up from the ground and has a cover that lifts when the pump goes off. We would like to landscape around it to get rid of the muddy area. We were thinking of putting rock around it but want to be sure we do nothing that will ruin the drain. Would you have any suggestions as to what you would do or how you would do it?

Answer
Hello:
Landscaping around the drain will not eliminate the mud.  You either need to relocate the discharge to an outlet or create a more porous area of soil around the discharge so that the water will soak away or use a combination of both.

Another possibility may be to create a rain garden in the area with plants that do well in damp soil. Rocks could be an extra decorative feature but that of course will not eliminate the moisture.



Mark Harshman


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