Water Retention in Yards? (Smyrna: homes, taxi, taxes)

[NYC refugee]

I'm way inland away from the coast and there are lots here that stay wet for DAYS. My own will be soggy and it's best to wear your rubber boots for a few days after a heavy rain, but it drains well compared to the empty lot down the road. I keep wishing that one would freeze over so I could ice skate on it. Most places I see nearby, residential and commercial, are built with drainage ponds on the property. There are no basements that I know of nearby. So it's a problem everywhere, just a case of what protections are built in, what soil you have, good or bad luck, etc.

[rdlr]

Originally Posted by NYC refugee

I'm way inland away from the coast and there are lots here that stay wet for DAYS. My own will be soggy and it's best to wear your rubber boots for a few days after a heavy rain, but it drains well compared to the empty lot down the road. I keep wishing that one would freeze over so I could ice skate on it. Most places I see nearby, residential and commercial, are built with drainage ponds on the property. There are no basements that I know of nearby. So it's a problem everywhere, just a case of what protections are built in, what soil you have, good or bad luck, etc.

I'm in Kent County, and most all new constructions have basements. Yes, storm drainage, or retention ponds are typical, too. I'm surprised that there's no law stating those ponds should be fenced in. In my opinion, they just draw wild geese, which could be diseased. Along with that, their droppings really nasty up the place. Not unusual, also, to see houses listed in the multi list saying "waterfront lot". Ahhhh...it's a storm drainage pond!

Our lot drains well, as I said....a town lot on a hill, and it's never muddy.

[DelawareLiz]

We laugh about those waterfront lot/storm drainage ponds too! Oh yes, the geese really like them. Sooo many developments in my area have those storm drainage ponds along with the geese.

[nuts2uiam]

Originally Posted by beachliz

We laugh about those waterfront lot/storm drainage ponds too! Oh yes, the geese really like them. Sooo many developments in my area have those storm drainage ponds along with the geese.

We have two in our community. Apparently they are a requirement for a new development to handle the rainwater overflow and prevent taxing of the existent system. We are very lucky, we have mallards and blue herons but I only saw a handful of geese in the 5 years I am here. We did have a few turtles that meandered by too.

[soulsurv]

hmmmm....sounds like a bit of a''crap shoot'' then - unless there's an obvious elevation As I said, i'll be taking quarts of water with me when I begin to view homes - because if you could see my yard (AND my dogs) you would cry!!

THANKS FOR THE INFO XO

[rdlr]

Originally Posted by soulsurv

hmmmm....sounds like a bit of a''crap shoot'' then - unless there's an obvious elevation As I said, i'll be taking quarts of water with me when I begin to view homes - because if you could see my yard (AND my dogs) you would cry!!

THANKS FOR THE INFO XO

I think this link says it all. We are "At" sea level (Atlantic Ocean) to 60' above sea level (Eastern Sussex County near beaches).....Less than 500' above sea level for the rest of the state.
Moderator cut: Link removed, linking to competitor sites is not ok

When you get into the above link, click "Delaware" last in the column.

[DelawareLiz]

Nuts--I guess that explains why there are so many storm drainage ponds here in these new developments. Now that I think of it, almost every development has one except for older ones such as mine and a couple others. Two developments nearby actually have fish stocked in their drainage ponds and I see people fishing. Of course, it's catch and release....not that I would want to keep anything I caught in there given the way they douse lawns with lawn poison around here.

[nuts2uiam]

Originally Posted by beachliz

Nuts--I guess that explains why there are so many storm drainage ponds here in these new developments. Now that I think of it, almost every development has one except for older ones such as mine and a couple others. Two developments nearby actually have fish stocked in their drainage ponds and I see people fishing. Of course, it's catch and release....not that I would want to keep anything I caught in there given the way they douse lawns with lawn poison around here.

Yes, and they are a large part of our budget as they have to be ecologically maintained in terms of invasive plants and algae. Once a month the company we have goes out in a row boat and takes water samples and if the plantings are out of control they cut them down or back. We have fountains that keep the algae mostly at bay and I think they also prevent a lot of the geese population from landing in our ponds. While I don't have a pond "rear" home, I can say it is a delight to watch the baby mallards and gorgeous herons. Every so often I have seen an egret but they are not so frequent.

[DelawareLiz]

Originally Posted by nuts2uiam

Yes, and they are a large part of our budget as they have to be ecologically maintained in terms of invasive plants and algae. Once a month the company we have goes out in a row boat and takes water samples and if the plantings are out of control they cut them down or back. We have fountains that keep the algae mostly at bay and I think they also prevent a lot of the geese population from landing in our ponds. While I don't have a pond "rear" home, I can say it is a delight to watch the baby mallards and gorgeous herons. Every so often I have seen an egret but they are not so frequent.

That's a good idea. I am pretty sure the newer developments here with fountains are doing the same because their ponds don't look bad during the summer. I don't think one of the fishing ponds in an older development I ride though is though--always looks green and slimy. The geese do flock to that one too.

[rdlr]

Originally Posted by beachliz

Nuts--I guess that explains why there are so many storm drainage ponds here in these new developments. Now that I think of it, almost every development has one except for older ones such as mine and a couple others. Two developments nearby actually have fish stocked in their drainage ponds and I see people fishing. Of course, it's catch and release....not that I would want to keep anything I caught in there given the way they douse lawns with lawn poison around here.

Yep, Liz...it's a requirement. I don't know much about Sussex County and storm drainage ponds, but here's how Kent County helps subdivisions (through the HOA) probably similar to what Nuts was talking about in Sussex:
Stormwater Management District