Big Wet spot!

[ccas]

My new home has an area where all of the water from the lawn like to collect at the bottom of a hill. It is an old logging road near the main road. As it is filled with water, I was waiting to put in some drainage. I have given up on this ever happening. Now that the ground is frozen can I dig a trench a little easier? I was just going to trench a foot wide trench and put in drain (pvc with holes in it) and cover with drainage rocks.

A couple of questions...
Will this work?

I have some big rocks that are about 5-inches a piece and some that are an inch and a half or so a piece. Which ones should I use?

THank you in advance for your advice.

[Potchkins]

what are you gonna dig with?

[salandscape]

Use smaller stones, line the trench top bottom and sides with filter fabric to prevent dirt from working it's way in and clogging the drainage.

[RAlmaroad]

This may sound stupid: However, do you have any pitch on the ditch? If it can't drain anywhere, the ground can only absorb so much. I'd lay in a bed of rock, then the drainage pipe, covering it with rock large enough as to not go through the holes, (I think 3/4" is big enough) and fill with larger stuff then the finer gravel on top, then your dirt. Your creating a mini-septic system and prone to misquitoes if it cannot drain some. Evaporation will help but not cure. Roy

[ccas]

So tell me, What is the easiest way to see if there is a pitch? Then if there is and it is going away from the road towards my yard I'd have to make a few adjustments.

[Tadams]

The BEST way to see if you have any slope to your ditch is with a transit. If you don't have one of those, you can use a 6 foot level. A 4 foot will work also.

Is the area where the water is collecting at in one small spot or is it a large area? If it is small, you could install a grated recepticle that you bury in the ground. This is connected to a solid ( no holes ) corrugated pipe which you run to a different spot it the yard or to the strreet. If it is a large area, You will just use the corrugated pipes with the holes in and bury it in the ground with the rocks. When you buy the pipe get the sleeve material that they sell with it. The sleeve will keep rocks abd dirt from getting into the pipe. It is a little cumbersome to get the sleeve on the pipe, but don't give up- you have to have the sleeve. Put the pipe in the trench with the holes pointing up! I let my worker do this by hisself and he had it pointing down! Slope the trench to where you want the water to empty at and make sure it is sloping down with the level. Cover with rocks and then dirt and plant some grass. You only need about 4-5" of dirt for the grass to grow in.

You also don't need to trench a foot wide. The rental place shoud have a 6" wide blade on the trencher. This is perfect for the 6" corrugated pipe that you should use.

[lordmaximus240]

i cant resist....LOL... big wet spot hahaha i gotta get more sleep

[ccas]

didnt even realize that. This wet spot is in an old logging road. Its about maybe 5 yards by 20 yards.

[ccas]

I guess the main thing I was asking was... Is it better to dig now in the winter? I thought about doing it earlier on in the year, but figured it would be harder with the water.