arthur@homelab:~$ cat ~/posts/backyard-hydrology.md
Backyard Hydrology as a Systems Problem
This is an observation and design notebook. The original second-brain entry contained only a title, so these are questions and principles—not claims about a finished drainage project.
Water makes the yard behave like infrastructure. Roofs collect it, gutters route it, compacted soil accelerates it, low spots store it, plants slow it, and the basement reveals mistakes made elsewhere.
My instinct with systems is to instrument first and change second. Backyard hydrology should receive the same treatment.
Start with a map
Before buying pipe or digging a trench, I want a rough map of:
- roof area and every downspout outlet;
- hard surfaces that shed water quickly;
- visible slopes and low points;
- soil that stays saturated after rain;
- erosion, sediment, and flattened vegetation;
- basement entry points or damp areas;
- neighboring runoff that crosses the property;
- safe places where water can spread or leave.
A contour-perfect survey would be useful, but repeated observation during real storms may answer the first questions faster. Photos from the same locations, simple rain totals, and notes about how long puddles remain can turn “the yard seems wet” into a testable description.
Slow, spread, sink, then drain
The preferred order is usually to reduce concentrated flow before trying to move it away faster:
- Keep gutters clean and downspouts intentional.
- Disconnect discharge from foundations.
- Slow runoff with vegetation, mulch, and rough surfaces.
- Spread water where the soil can accept it safely.
- Store some water for later use when practical.
- Use drains for water that still needs a controlled exit.
Wood chips and healthy soil act like small distributed sponges. They are not a substitute for grading or a failed foundation drain, but increasing infiltration and reducing bare compacted soil can change how quickly water arrives at the problem area.
Instrumentation worth considering
A rain gauge, a few soil-moisture measurements, and a basement water sensor could create a useful timeline:
rain begins
-> downspout flow peaks
-> low area saturates
-> basement probe changes
-> soil returns to baseline
The goal is not a dashboard for its own sake. It is to connect a household failure mode to weather and land behavior, then see whether a change actually improves the response.
Constraints
Water work can affect foundations, septic systems, wells, neighboring properties, utilities, and local drainage rules. Any excavation needs utility marking, and any major grading or discharge change deserves professional and local review.
The useful first project is therefore observation: document several storms, identify the dominant path, and make one reversible change at a time. The yard is already a water system. I want to understand it before I redesign it.