Question
Springfield, Missouri 65810

I have a problem in my backyard, I am the last house on our block next to a water retention area.  There is a decent runoff for my yard except for the left corner of my backyard (the right corner of my backyard is closest to the retention area).  In the left corner, where the 4 yards (next door and behind us) meet I am having water problems, standing water nearly all the time.  My neighbors both water a lot, nearly every day with their irrigation systems (the neighbor behind me waters a lot at night), and I have been forced to shut that station off for that section.  

What can I do?  Is there any type of black rubber water resistant material I can put down along my fence?  What do you recommend?  I thought about starting a garden and bringing in more topsoil for that corner and use railroad ties to enclose the garden.  Any other ideas?

Any help would be appreciated.  The standing water, I think, is causing fungus to grow and spread in my back yard.

Ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Richard


Answer
You will need to install a drainage pipe (also called a "Big-O" which is a 10" diameter perforated flexible plastic hose which is burried with 8-12" soil in a trench (e.g. 2-2.5 feet deep trench) which gradually slopes down .. just a small continued drop is fine.. 6" drop per linera 100 feet is fine). Vent the hose into a low laying area. Wrap the hose with landscape fabric (weed fabric) and cover the hose with pepple sized rocks up to the top of the hose. Then cover everything with 8-10" of soil and reseed.

If you have to find  place on the property.. dig a "well".. a deep (3 foot by 3 foot by 3 foot) hole and fill with as many large rocks as you can. Here you need large rocks. the larger the better.

The water is lead from the area to the well via the pipe.