Need Some Ideas Regarding a Drainage Issue

[davidcbaker]

Folks, I'm stumped. I'm sure the solution is probably obvious and staring me in the face, but I'm stuck. We have a 61-acre property. Our home (see aerial) is at the high point on the property. There's also a detached garage and a large concrete apron between them.

The gravel road is a disaster, almost exclusively because of water drainage. All the water from both structures drains fast off the concrete apron and heads down the garage drive.

My solution has to include digging a ditch on either side of that steep road. But how do I keep the water from draining across the blue line...and still be able to drive off the apron onto the driveway?

I've colored marked both shots so that you'll see what I'm talking about.

All suggestions are welcome.

 

[Citydude]

I would install a water grate where the road meets the apron. That would channel the water to the side that slopes away from the road at point.

 

[CADplans]

If all the water funnels to the blue line before exiting the concrete,,,
then, when looking at the overhead view, move the driveway to the right.

There is no water there?? right?

Then, the abandoned area will be grass,, and it is a nice area for the water to go,,,

 

[davidcbaker]

I would install a water grate where the road meets the apron. That would channel the water to the side that slopes away from the road at point.

I was afraid someone would say that. I was hoping it was a project I could do on my own. I guess I could excavate, build the concrete forms, and hire the concrete to be poured. Yeah, that was the only idea I thought of but was hoping for something simpler. Thanks a lot for your help.

 

[davidcbaker]

If all the water funnels to the blue line before exiting the concrete,,,
then, when looking at the overhead view, move the driveway to the right.

There is no water there?? right?

Then, the abandoned area will be grass,, and it is a nice area for the water to go,,,

That's an interesting idea. Than I could yank the hedges and not ever have to trim them again. Hey, thanks.

 

[Citydude]

I was afraid someone would say that. I was hoping it was a project I could do on my own. I guess I could excavate, build the concrete forms, and hire the concrete to be poured. Yeah, that was the only idea I thought of but was hoping for something simpler. Thanks a lot for your help.

Your welcome.

 

[Diggin It]

What I would do is .....

Trench along the green line and insert a drain fixture something like this: https://www.lowes.com/pd/NDS-120-in-L-x-5-75-in-W-x-5-3-4-in-dia-Channel-Drain/1000101287 . Maybe even two side by side unless you could find something wider.

Then trench along the orange line and bury 4" (or larger) corrugated drainage pipe to carry the flow down hill towards the woods.

 

[bcp]

Grade and crown the driveway, too, or you will continue to have washouts in a heavy rain, even if no water comes off the concrete.

Bruce

 

[newbury]

What drives over it?
The drains mentioned above are for "patios and areas with light vehicular traffic". Make sure they can take what you want to drive over them. Alternatively a several foot wide gravel filled ditch, acting like a french drain, might work.

Or better yet put a pole barn over all that concrete!

 

[Diggin It]

What drives over it?
The drains mentioned above are for "patios and areas with light vehicular traffic". Make sure they can take what you want to drive over them.

That's why I said 'something like this' and suggested 'something wider'. It's only for an example because I don't know where to find images of the same type of thing for driveways.

 

[RalphVa]

I've seen people put bumps into asphalt paving. I'd think you could do this on concrete by drilling a few holes, short rebar vertical into holes and then put in a concrete bump before your gravel drive.

Might also be beneficial just to drill a whole bunch of (maybe 1/2") holes in the concrete to let water through to below it. If you do this, rent one of those heavy duty drills (with the bit) from a rental outfit. I learned years ago to do this when I drilled for safety pool cover securements.

Ralph

 

[joeyd]

Below is an excerpt from a USDA publication entitled " A Landowners Guide to Building Forrest Access Roads". This device is just a piece of conveyor belt or even rubber stall mat sandwiched between two treated 2x's and the 2x's buried at an angle just below the road surface. The angle depends on which side of the road you want the water to divert to. Sorry I could not copy the picture for you.

"The water deflector is a low cost, low maintenance method to deflect surface water from a roadway, which works as well as an open top culvert. Originally designed by Paul Karr of the USDA Forest Service at Bonners Ferry, Idaho, the water deflector has since been modified by the Engineering Staff of the Lolo National Forest. The deflector is simply a piece of rubber belting 5/16 inch to ｽ inch thick fastened between treated timbers. Different widths of belting can be used depending on availability. The timbers are installed in the same way as an open top culvert. The only thing showing above the road surface is 3 inches of of belting, which deflects the water from the road surface. Because there is no abrupt grade change, water deflectors can be used on grades over 10 percent. On roads where farm equipment may have some trouble negotiating broad-based drainage dips, water deflectors would pose no difficulty.
Care is needed when using a road grader to maintain a road with deflectors. Unless the grader operator is careful, the rubber belting can easily be sheared off. This is especially common during winter when the roads are snow covered."

 

[LouNY]

Several good suggestions;
what I'd think about doing would be cutting a swale across to catch and divert the water,
if it was 5-6 feet wide and 6-8 inches deep with a nice shallow slope in and out for the driveway,
then a shallow ditch to carry the water away.

 

[aczlan]

I've seen people put bumps into asphalt paving. I'd think you could do this on concrete by drilling a few holes, short rebar vertical into holes and then put in a concrete bump before your gravel drive.

Might also be beneficial just to drill a whole bunch of (maybe 1/2") holes in the concrete to let water through to below it. If you do this, rent one of those heavy duty drills (with the bit) from a rental outfit. I learned years ago to do this when I drilled for safety pool cover securements.

Ralph

Looks like there is a gravel driveway before the concrete starts, I would put in a french drain.
Dig a 1'x1' ditch from the first expansion joint on the picture across to the right edge of the slab (10' wide?)and then a ditch out to daylight, all sloping downhill.
Put a piece of 4" perforated PVC pipe in the 1'x1' area (bedded in 1/2"-1" washed stone), then tie it into solid PVC pipe to drainlight.
Then fill the 1'x1' ditch with 1"-2" washed crushed stone and tamp it down. If you want, put a 2" layer of the 1/2"-1" washed crushed stone on the top to make it a little easier to walk on.
That should give the water a place to go when it rains.

Aaron Z

 

[dstig1]

I looked at your photo and it was hard to tell, but do you have gutters on the house and garage? If not, you should, and they should be piped in any direction except towards the driveway - and far enough away to not create new issues. You get a ton of runoff from the roofs, so getting that out of the picture would be step 1.

As others have told you, you need to divert water. Figure out the sources of the water then divert it. Gutters would be step 1. This may take more than one step as you start with the most obvious and keep chipping away until it is better. Adding another section of concrete just below your pad with a grate and trench in it, would be a great way to help push that flow away from going down the drive.

 

[Egon]

Several good suggestions;
what I'd think about doing would be cutting a swale across to catch and divert the water,
if it was 5-6 feet wide and 6-8 inches deep with a nice shallow slope in and out for the driveway,
then a shallow ditch to carry the water away.

Nice solution.

 

[bigtiller]

I had a similar problem with my drive/parking area surrounded by the house, detached garage and tin shed. With my loader, I cut a swale 2" deep and 6" across for the water to exit the gravel drive and onto the grass.

I need to touch it up a couple times during the warm months.

Yes, it is a bump for the car that Mrs.tiller doesn't like but it was a cheap and easy fix. The kind I like!

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

Your gravel driveway is sunken, so it's naturally going to become a drainage ditch. I think you need more dirt on that first part. Crown it as mentioned. Then more gravel.

Then, summarizing the rest of the suggestions: Redirect your gutters so roof water goes elsewhere. Dig a swale across the gravel drive where it meets the concrete and cover with a grate. The right side of the driveway looking down from the concrete appears to be on the lower side of the slope, so dig a shallow ditch on that side. Once you get over the edge of the hill, you might be able to direct the ditch off to the right, sending the water downhill into the woods.

 

[ustmd]

I looked at your photo and it was hard to tell, but do you have gutters on the house and garage? If not, you should, and they should be piped in any direction except towards the driveway - and far enough away to not create new issues. You get a ton of runoff from the roofs, so getting that out of the picture would be step 1.

As others have told you, you need to divert water. Figure out the sources of the water then divert it. Gutters would be step 1. This may take more than one step as you start with the most obvious and keep chipping away until it is better. Adding another section of concrete just below your pad with a grate and trench in it, would be a great way to help push that flow away from going down the drive.

+1 on the gutters as a first action

 

[2manyrocks]

I may not be looking at the grade of your property correctly, but it almost looks like the lowest spot is where your gravel begins and then you go uphill slightly to the highlighted area? It also looks like there is a slight grade going from left to right except your road has gotten lower than the surrounding grade. IF ... correct, then you might install a channel drainage grate at the low spot where the gravel begins and run an exit downhill.

If your surrounding grade really is a slope, then I'd regrade the right hand side of the road until the water naturally runs off the hill and your driveway again. I wouldn't ditch either side of the road. If properly graded to the contour of the hill, the water should run off down the hill to the right.

You might get lucky and find a good metal drain grate at your local metal scrap yard.

The other option might be to cut a swale as others suggested and/or concrete the swale, but be sure to use a gentle transition if you don't want any damage to the underside of your vehicles.