Tulsa Yard Drainage

What you are booking

A yard French drain is a shallow drain out in the yard. It catches water where it collects and carries it to a place it can be let out.

If the water is showing up against the house, at the walls or in a crawl space or basement, that is a different job. See foundation drains. If the water is pouring out of a downspout, start with downspout drainage.

Signs the yard needs a drain

• Standing water after rain. Puddles that are still there long after the rain stops.
• Soggy low spots. Ground that squishes underfoot, grass that dies off or turns to mud.
• Water running toward the house. Runoff that crosses the yard and heads for the slab, the patio or the garage.
• Runoff from next door. Water coming off a neighbor's yard and settling in yours.

How a yard French drain works

A trench is dug on a downward slope, away from the house. Perforated pipe goes in the trench, wrapped in gravel. Water soaks down into the gravel, gets into the pipe, and runs downhill in the pipe to the outlet. A yard drain sits near the surface. It is not dug down to the footing the way a foundation drain is.

Where the water goes

A French drain is only as good as its outlet. Before anything is dug, we work out where the water can be let out. The usual options:

• A lower part of the yard, where it can spread out and soak in.
• A pop-up emitter, a cap at the end of the pipe that opens when water pushes up and lets it out at the surface.
• A dry well, a buried pit that holds the water and lets it soak into the ground.
• A sump basin and pump, when there is nowhere lower for the water to run by gravity.

Which one fits depends on the slope of the yard, what is around it, and where the water would end up.

Your neighbor's water, and yours

OSU Extension says to direct water away from neighbors. So the outlet has to send water somewhere it won't just land in the yard next door.

City of Tulsa rules also put the job of private drainage on the owner. The City's stormwater manual says property owners must keep private drainage channels on their property clear and "Prevent any and all drainage interferences, obstructions, blockages, or other adverse effects upon drainage into, through, or out of the property."

The City says it has stormwater engineers who can make site visits and recommend ways to solve private drainage problems. That note is on the City's floodplain determination page, and 311 is the City's contact line.

Soil and runoff

Soil scientists sort soils into groups by how they handle water. The group with the most clay, over 40 percent, has high runoff. OSU Extension points homeowners to the USDA Web Soil Survey to look up the soil on their own lot. We don't guess at your soil. We look at how the water behaves in your yard.

What moves the price

• Length. The more feet of trench and pipe, the bigger the job.
• Depth. A deeper trench is more digging.
• Where the water can be let out. A short run to a lower spot is simpler than a long run or a pump.
• Digging. Hard ground, tree roots and buried lines all slow it down.
• Access. Gates, fences and tight side yards change how the trench gets dug.
• Putting the yard back. Lawn and bed repair over the trench may cost extra.

For a rough range by length, use the French drain cost calculator. The real price comes from looking at the yard.