How Does Storm Drainage Typically Work on a Property?

June 9, 2016

If you are building a home one of the most important things to learn is how your property will handle rainwater. Finding out if your home will use a well and septic tank or the town’s drainage system will be the first step to deciding how to build your home. Once you know what system you will be using you will also want to work with your contractor to find out what the best placement for your home will be.

For Homes Using Town Drainage

Like many homes, the drainage begins when the rain goes into the gutters and travels through the downspout. From that, it moves through the pips to the storm sewer system. This sewer system usually goes to a different part of the water treatment plant and then is reintroduced to our watershed. This is because it has less contaminant than the sanitary sewer system and will also go through further filtration once in the watershed. The sanitary sewer system often goes through the same water treatment plant but goes through more filtration systems before being reintroduced into the watershed.

For Homes Using Septic Tanks and Wells

Septic tanks and wells help manage the rainwater on an individual home basis. The gutters catch the rain from the roof and it travels down the drain spout to the yard. From there the spouts the water is absorbed through the ground and into the water table. Then it is drawn from the well into the home where it is filtered and used. The septic tank will also help keep the water table draining properly because it will disperse its water evenly over time and will allow for natural filtration to occur.

Placement of Your Home

To keep the watershed, well-drained homes are strategically placed to avoid flooding of the home, watershed, and to avoid any possible water contamination. If you are building a home water drainage will be unique to your home and can be done in several different ways. Many use gutters, rainspouts, and then small trenches around their home to help the water travel to the water table and away from their home. If you are able to plan your property before building your home, however, you can use hills and valleys to create natural drainage systems. This is often better for your home and for the environment. Be sure to work with an experienced homebuilder instead of doing it on your own. Otherwise, you may have a basement full of water and a swamp for a yard.