Catch basins and channel drains
Concrete sheds water fast. Here's how surface drains catch it before it reaches the garage or the back door.
A catch basin is a box with a grate set at a low point in the lawn, a flower bed or a patio. A channel drain, also called a trench drain, is a long narrow grate set into concrete across a driveway, at a garage door or along a patio edge. Both collect surface water and send it through solid pipe to an outlet. They're the go-to fix where water runs across hard surfaces or pools in one corner of the yard.
Where do they help most?
- Driveways that slope toward the garage
- Patios and pool decks that drain back toward the house
- The low corner of a fenced back yard where water has nowhere to exit
- Courtyards and side yards boxed in by walls or slabs
Why not a dry well instead?
A dry well stores water underground and lets it soak in. That needs soil that drains and room below the pit. USDA descriptions of the loess-derived soils common on these terraces describe slow permeability and seasonal saturation within a few feet of the surface, so in many Lafayette yards a dry well would sit full of groundwater during the wet months. Piping the water to the street or a ditch is usually more reliable. If a contractor recommends a dry well, ask how they tested the soil.
Signs you need a surface drain
- Water running under the garage door during storms
- A patio that holds puddles next to the back door
- Algae or mildew in the same spot on the slab
- Soil washing out at the edge of a driveway or walkway
Keep the grates clear
Grates catch grass clippings, leaves, oak tassels and pine straw. Clean them often, especially in spring and fall, and ask for a basin with a sump that holds grit below the pipe so the line itself stays clear.
We don't quote prices. The contractor prices the job after walking the property and seeing how far the water has to travel and where it can legally go, so a phone estimate given before that visit is only a rough starting point.
Where we connect you with help
Common questions
Can a channel drain go across the whole driveway?
Yes. A full-width channel at the bottom of a sloped driveway is common, as long as it connects to a pipe with a working outlet.
Is a catch basin the same as a French drain?
No. A catch basin collects surface water through a grate. A French drain collects water from saturated soil through gravel.
Related services
More background: Lafayette Parish drainage guide.
Yard still under water a day after the storm?
Call and a local drainage contractor will help you work out where the water should be going instead.