How to Redirect Rainwater to Keep a Yard from Flooding

Mark off the areas on your property that suffer poor drainage. Wait until a rain event causes the problematic drainage and flooding issues in your yard. Using a can of brightly colored spray paint, make lines on the grass or mulch to reveal the extent of soggy or flooding conditions. If the conditions are too wet, drive wood stakes or rest bricks on the ground to delineate the edges of the extent of water flow across your yard.

Dig into the lowest elevations within soil area that naturally floods or is washed in runoff to create a swale or river basin-like bed to capture and redirect the water flow. Water always flows downhill in the path of least resistance, so a trench to capture and direct the water quickly across the property is needed. Place removed soil from the trench away from the area so it doesn't impede the natural downward flow of water. This extra soil can be made into a small berm to help block or channel water into the trench. Use a wheelbarrow to relocate excavated soil if needed.

Fill the drainage trench with coarse gravel, granite chips or sand. This essentially creates a modified french drain in which water flows into the trench that is supported and hidden by the gravel. Turf grass or other wet-soil tolerant plants can be planted to improve the aesthetics of the drainage trench, such as creating a dry stream bed with accents of shrubs. The plant materials or mulch must not restrict or block the natural flow of runoff across the property into the drainage trench.