Drainage Guides for East Texas Yards
Straight explanations of why Tyler yards behave the way they do, written so you can work out what kind of problem you have before anyone comes out to look at it.
6 min read
Why Water Appears in the Middle of Your Yard
Short answer: the water is underground. It soaked into the sandy surface soil somewhere uphill, hit a dense clay layer it could not pass through, turned sideways and traveled downhill beneath your grass until something forced it back to the surface. That is why the wet strip is in the middle of the slope instead of at the bottom, and why the drain has to go uphill of it rather than in it.
Read the guide: Why Water Appears in the Middle of Your Yard7 min read
French Drain Versus Surface Drain in Sandy Soil
Short answer: use a surface drain when you can see standing water at a low point, and a French drain when the ground is saturated with no visible water. In Tyler's sandy soils over clay, the second case is far more common than most homeowners expect, which is why regrading so often fails to fix the problem.
Read the guide: French Drain Versus Surface Drain in Sandy Soil8 min read
Drainage Around Established Beds and Mature Trees
Short answer: the drain gets routed around the critical root zones of trees you intend to keep, sensitive sections get hand dug or bored rather than machine trenched, and plants in the line's path are lifted and heeled in before work starts rather than sacrificed. On established Tyler lots this planning is most of the job.
Read the guide: Drainage Around Established Beds and Mature TreesRequest a Local Drainage Contractor
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