Can I fill my yard with dirt to reduce the impact of stormwater on my property?
During and immediately after a rain, stormwater flows that originate within your yard and in nearby yards aggregate together in drainage swales to reach larger ditches and pipes. Introducing fill in your yard where not originally planned by the developer of your subdivision can upset the continuity of grade within these systems and result in standing water, soggy yards, dead grass, and in the worst cases, serious flooding. • Question: How do detention basins reduce flooding? Answer: Detention basins store peak stormwater flows temporarily and mete out this flow over a longer duration, using a designed orifice, at the equivalent discharge rate for the property prior to its development. • Question: What’s wrong with placing leaves and grass clippings in the stormwater ditch behind my house? Answer: The leaves will be carried downstream during rainfall events to clog culverts and other facilities in the stormwater system. The resulting reduction in capacity of the stormwater system could
