drainage issue

[garbsmj]

Between the "record" snow and now all the rain, my side yard is turning into a delightfully irritating pond which barely gets the chance to dry out before Ma Nature goes at it again. Obviously, the grass died and all I have left is some weeds. I'm thinking the underground river which was thwarted by my improvements downstairs is now running between the houses.

I don't want the pond because the mosquito police will be over with sanctions or worse yet, spray it with something that will get Tazzy sick. So I figure, you guys could advise me. I'd like to drain it, put some sort of grass in that will soak up the moisture but now it's just a losing battle. Suggestions?

[jstevens]

Have you tried stocking the pond with fish?

You can then leisurly sit at the edge of the pond and try to catch one or two. You're concerns about the pond will slowly fade away.

Or perhaps taking a walk around "Garbsmj's Pond".

Regards,
John

[garbsmj]

The only problem with this is that if I leave the pond there it will eventually become another great lake. And well, swallow the neighborhood in the process. Throwing dirt on it is not an option either. I just want it to re-route to the neighbor on the other side that we always have issues with. Thanks, though - fish would eat the mosquito larvae for sure.

[BobH]

Drainage pipe and French drains

[garbsmj]

tornatdo alarm.....

[Hey Jude]

Have you tried stocking the pond with fish?

You can then leisurly sit at the edge of the pond and try to catch one or two. You're concerns about the pond will slowly fade away.

Or perhaps taking a walk around "Garbsmj's Pond".

Regards,
John

Goldfish will certainly take care of any mosquitoes and larvae.....have you considered starting a rice paddy? That could be quite a conversation piece, which the mosquito police wouldn't have any jurisdiction over

[ChrisGreaves]

I'd like to drain it, put some sort of grass in that will soak up the moisture but now it's just a losing battle. Suggestions?

Depends (no, not THOSE) on what is just below the surface.
If two to four feet down you have a sandy bed or similar, a vertical drain pipe usually does the trick.

The simplest version I've seen is to drive (and then withdraw) a four-inch nail - about 3 mm diameter, at the lowest point in a puddle in an asphalt-paved lot. The water seeps through the hole at an amazing rate - because it drains 24/7 and is usally all gone in a day.
Of course, you need to find the lowest point, and that means waiting and watching until the puddle is almost dry - at which time you will sometimes find that there are really five puddles (but see below) which had merged into one large puddle. Now you have to hammer in that nail and draw it out five times.

Back to Ye Olde Ponde.

If you crawl around your backyard on your hands and knees hammering four-inch nails into the sod, it won't be the mosquito police that the neighbors call.

So, think in terms of a crowbar, one of those five-foot B****** with a clout-head on the top.
If you have a trusting partner, they will hold the bar while you swing a sledge-hammer over and clout the thing about three feet into the ground at the lowest point (but see below). Then you'll both retire to the porch and drain a beer while you figure out a way to retrieve the crowbar before the ground freezes over again.

Après moi le déluxe!

The Deluxe method involves a pipe about 3 inches diameter with a hollow core. Plug the base of the pipe with a pointed cap.
Hammer the pipe three feet into the ground, then withdraw it about two inches, leaving the cap in the ground. You'll wish you'd previously drilled a couple of "yanking" holes in the pipe through which to thread a wire harness.
Fill the hollow with sand.
Extract the pipe.

Below
The multiple-pond multiple-hole solution is really quite effective. It means that you'll have several drains operating simultaneously, spreading the load, in a manner of speaking.


HTH