Keep Your Property Safe From Heavy Rains With a Drainage Swale
If you’ve been researching landscape drainage, you’ve no doubt come across something called a drainage swale. Swales are excellent options for diverting water without ruining the aesthetic appeal of your Nashville property.
With an average of 49 inches of rain per year (almost a foot more than the national average of 38 inches), Nashville lawns see a lot of water. In fact, one out of every three days in Nashville sees precipitation, which means property owners here need to make sure their property is ready for heavy rainfall.
What Is a Drainage Swale?
A drainage swale is a form of landscape drainage that collects surface water and directs its flow away from problem areas in order to control flooding. The wide, shallow shape of swales allow water to flow slowly and percolate into the ground, as opposed to narrow trench drains that encourage a quicker flow of water.
Swales are often covered with grass, other plants, or rocks to maintain a natural appearance or even turn the drainage solution into a focal point.
The Importance of Landscape Drainage
Six landscape drainage issues. Damage to your homes foundation, basement flooding, structural damage such as mold and wood rot, hardscape damage, root rot and lawn disease, infestations of mosquitoes and other insects.
There’s no end to the amount of trouble landscape drainage issues can cause property owners:
- Damage to your home’s foundation
- Basement flooding
- Structural damage such as mold and wood rot
- Hardscape damage
- Root rot and lawn diseases
- Infestations of mosquitoes and other insects
You work hard to maintain your home property, so it’s crucial to take advantage of efficient landscape drainage solutions and protect it from preventable water damage.
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Maximize Your Landscape Drainage
In a city with as much rain as Nashville, it’s not a bad idea to research multiple drainage solutions to make sure you choose the right one for your property. A skilled landscape drainage contractor will be able to advise you based on your property – they might recommend combining two or more drainage solutions for the best results.
The following solutions can help you maximize your drainage swale’s efficiency, depending on your needs.
How to maxamize your landscape drainage. Retaining walls, landscape grading, drainage rock.
Retaining Walls
We’ve sung the praises of retaining walls a time or two before, and we’ll do it again because they’re so useful when it comes to diverting the flow of rainwater. Retaining walls are excellent for steeply sloped properties, cutting into the slope to hold back soil, prevent erosion, and slow the flow of water. These versatile hardscapes are as attractive as they are useful, increasing usable outdoor space and adding interest to the landscape.
Landscape Grading
If your yard is hilly and uneven, or has large pools of standing water, you might benefit from landscape grading. Landscape grading is the process of leveling an area of land or changing its slope to manage the direction of water flow by shifting the soil from higher areas and using it to fill in depressions. Grading is usually done early in the landscaping process and before large projects like driveway or patio installations.
Drainage Rock
Drainage rock is a type of porous gravel that soaks up water better than topsoil does, making it perfect for collecting large amounts of water runoff. The rock comes in an assortment of sizes and colors, so it can fit the style of any property. Landscapers use drainage rock to slow water flow and reduce the chances of flooding, often in conjunction with other drainage solutions.
Swale in Nashville residential yard.
Looking for Drainage Quotes?
It doesn’t take long for poor landscape drainage to ruin your home’s foundation or the landscaping you’ve spent so long perfecting. So if you’re tired of worrying about your property every time you see rain clouds rolling across the Nashville sky, it’s probably a good idea to get a few drainage quotes sooner rather than later.
Whether you’re looking to install a drainage swale, have your land graded, or build a retaining wall to divert the flow of water, Greenway of Nashville can help. We’ll be more than happy to understand your needs and give you some ideas for the best type of drainage solutions for your property. Contact us to get started.
