Soggy Grass

Anyone who has walked along the east or north shores, has noticed that the lawn is fairly soggy in a few spots - most notably near the south-east corner of the lake, near the middle of the eastern shore and the eastern part of the north shore. These wet areas are not new. They can be detected on aerial photographs shown on drainage maps over a decade old. In the past, we have let them dry over the summer months only to see them return in the spring.

In the spring of 2020, an effort was started to help understand the source of these wet areas and possible remedial methods. A technician from the City of Champaign Public Works Department informed us that this is a typical issue due to surface drainage and ground water seepage through our thick clay deposits.

An exploratory study was started using the SE wet area as a subject by digging a trench where mud and ponding of water was the most evident (see photo above). At about 20 inches, a 3-inch terracota drain pipe was discovered. The one-foot segment of pipe transversing the trench was removed. Water flow indicated that the downstream portion of this pipe was perhaps blocked or broken. A three-inch diameter solid corrugated drainage pipe was inserted to divert the flow downstream to the lake. A constant flow rate of 30 gallons per hour was measured from this pipe indicating a discharge of over 700 gallons per day! A French drain was installed in parallel to discharge any other ground or surface water. This is simply a perforated corrugated plastic pipe with a white fabric sock embedded in gravel.

Gravel Fill and Surrounding Area - looking south east (June 2020)