Any drainage experts?

[PSD Ryan]

I'm attaching a photo of my place. The back yard has low areas that pool water for over a week when it rains. The bigger pool can sometimes last several weeks. The back yard is flat east to west, and very very slightly slopes south. Where the red line is, it slopes south very step.

I can only think of 2 options, and i don't know if either is good.

French drain. A little pricey, would have to cover a lot of ground, prone to clogging, and I'd have to be careful working around my sprinkler system.

Fill the low spots with dirt. Easy and cheap, a few truck loads would do it. Problem is, where does that displaced water go? I don't want it pooling at my foundation, allowing it to run up and flood the house, etc.

Any ideas on which option is best, or if there's an affordable option c i haven't thought of?

[catslayer]

... French drain prone to clogging??? Not the way I've put them in...

the issue with adding dirt... the water has to go SOMEWHERE... it might pool somewhere else... it MIGHT flow out...

my advice is solve the problem, cut a wide French drain. Line with the cloth, lay rocks on it. Funnel it to an appropriate place off property.

[PSD Ryan]

If i could drain it to the east side of the driveway, I'd be golden. I'm just worried about digging around the sprinkler lines.

Also not sure what size pipe I'd want to use

[BrianL]

as long as it won't drain towards the house, I would add dirt.

[Drycreek3189]

Shoot some elevations. Then you won't be guessing. I bought a tract home years ago that had this problem and solved it by moving a little dirt around, but first, I set up a level and shot some grade. Eyes will fool you sometimes and just a few inches will hold a lot of water.

[Sleepy]

sprinkler lines are cheap and easy to fix. Send it through a French drain

[160class]

A French drain is a possibility, keep it from clogging by wrapping it in landscaping fabric adding the pipe on top and then adding the stones, folding it over and then add more stones to keep it down to keep the dirt from getting in there, that's how we do it at work

Another option is add a drain with a couple of water catchers, and run the pipe to a big hole where to water is standing and dig it out plenty deep and line it with landscaping fabric and fill it with bull rock

We have done both of these several times at work in College Station and they have worked out great, and just about every time we have hit a line and we just fix it ourselves, it's quick and easy

[Eagle19]

I vote do both. Find a good spot to put a French drain and direct water to it. I've never had problems with clogging French drains. Buy the corrugated pipe with holes and sleeving over it and tire the ends of the pipe up with the sleeve. Then pour small pebble rock over it. I dug a lot of French drains in my intern days.

[4dog]

Swales work too..they dont have to be ditch deep to work either. just a slight swale will move more water than you would think.

[Husker]

You just need flexible landscape pipe, a few inlets and a flow emitter at the end just before sidewalk. No need to go with the expensive French drain imo. Just something to provide positive drainage. I had the exact same problem and $100 in material fixed it. Run a string line and use a level to help digging trench.
The only problem I have now is inlet grates plug with clippings. Once grass gets re-established I'll probably remove grates and let grass overgrow the top. I don't think the 3" opening will be a safety hazard when grass grows over it.