Yard grading and drainage swales in Lafayette
On flat lots, a few inches of slope make all the difference. Here's how regrading and swales work, and the fill rules to know first.
Surface water follows the shape of the ground, and on a flat prairie lot the shape doesn't have to be off by much for water to collect. Settled soil next to the slab, flower beds built up against the house, or a swale that got filled in can send water toward the foundation instead of away from it. Regrading restores a fall away from the house, and a swale gives runoff a shallow, grassed path to the street, a ditch or a rear drainage easement.
Signs grading is the problem
- Soil or mulch is level with the slab edge or the bottom of the siding
- Water flows toward the house from the street or a neighbor's yard
- A side-yard swale has been blocked by a fence, AC pad or storage shed
- Water sits in the same low spot after every storm
Cut and reshape, or bring in fill?
Often the best answer is to move the soil you already have: cut down the high spots, shape a swale and slope the area by the house. Bringing in dirt is a different matter. Lafayette Consolidated Government adopted a zero net fill rule in November 2017 for floodplain areas, so lost flood storage has to be replaced. Even outside a mapped floodplain, raising your lot can send water onto your neighbors. Ask the contractor to check the flood map and the subdivision's drainage plan first.
What does a grading job involve?
- Read the lot. The contractor checks elevations and where water enters and leaves.
- Call Louisiana 811. Shallow utility lines are easy to hit with a box blade.
- Shape and compact. Soil is moved to create fall away from the house and toward the outlet.
- Protect it. Sod or seed with erosion control, so the first heavy rain doesn't undo the work.
Don't fight the subdivision plan
Most newer lots in Lafayette Parish were graded to drain to the street or a shared swale that leads to a detention pond. If water problems started after a fence, a pool or a slab extension went in, the fix may be as simple as reopening the original path.
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
How much slope does a yard need?
It depends on the soil and the distance, so ask the contractor to show you the planned fall away from the house and toward the outlet.
Will grading fix a flooded street?
No. Street and coulee flooding is a public drainage issue. Grading only controls water on your own lot.
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.