Standing Water in Backyard

NewHomeowner

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Hello! I just moved in to a new home and have discovered, after days of rainfall, that our backyard has an issue with standing water. The previous owners left a large pile of old wood in the back corner of the yard, and the water is accumulating to the left of the pile. I want to get rid of the wood because, not only is it ugly, old, and wet, but I'm afraid it is making the water issue worse and maybe even causing it. However, this is my first time dealing with an issue like this, and I want to make sure I don't run the risk of making the issue worse by removing the wood pile. This might be a stupid question but I want to cover all my bases. Is there a possibility that the wood pile is actually helping? Or am I safe to remove it?

Thanks for any and all advice!
 

Darryl G

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Hard to say without seeing it but if the pile is acting as a dam then it's contributing to the issue. I don't see how removing it would cause a problem unless it's slowing the water flow and therefore preventing soil erosion.
 

1 Lucky Texan

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You can usually find drainage/landscape experts in most cities so, you might search Yelp and Angie's list to get a practiced eye on the situation.

I'm tempted to say, get rid of the wood pile - it's also likely attracting termites in addition to the problems you stated. Then, if your property needs 'hardscaping' or some kind of work to help with drainage, you can get an expert to examine the problem. Sometimes, neighbors make these problems worse by trying to block water movement thru/under fences with landscape timbers or bricks, etc. If your neighborhood has a drainage issue, you may need to get in touch with a city councilman or 'public works' or w'ever.
 

tom3

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For starters I'd sure get rid of the wood pile, maybe burn it if allowed. If you have a downslope to a drainage ditch or something you could put in a simple surface drain. Ditch, slotted plastic pipe, some gravel on top. Or a much more involved French drain system, lots of info on the net if you search for it. Standing water or ugly swamp areas in the yard can sure make life difficult with mosquitoes, smell, hard mowing, etc.
 

NewHomeowner

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Thanks all.

I think I will start with removing the wood. Crossing my fingers that will fix the water problem by itself, but ever since starting this homeowning adventure, I've learned to expect the worst!
 
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