Channel drains and dry wells
Paved surfaces and flat lots need different tools. Here's where channel drains, catch basins and dry wells fit.
Driveways, patios and garage aprons shed water fast, and on Tallahassee's hills a sloped driveway can send a sheet of water straight into the garage. A channel drain, also called a trench drain, is a narrow grated channel set into the pavement that catches that flow. A catch basin is a grated box at a low point in a lawn or patio. Both connect to solid pipe that carries water to an outlet.
What is a dry well?
A dry well is a buried chamber or stone-filled pit that holds runoff and lets it soak into the surrounding soil over time. It's used when a lot is too flat, or too far from a street or ditch, to drain by gravity.
Do dry wells make sense in Leon County?
Sometimes, with care. Two things matter here:
- Soil. A dry well empties only as fast as the soil around it accepts water. Sandy ground south of the Cody Scarp may take water well; clay subsoil on the north side may not. The contractor should test how the soil drains before sizing one.
- The aquifer. The City of Tallahassee's aquifer protection program says drainage wells are prohibited, and sinkholes can carry unfiltered water directly to the aquifer. A shallow soakage pit is not the same as a well, but never build one in or beside a sinkhole, and ask whether your design needs city or county review.
Signs you need a surface drain
- Water running down the driveway into the garage
- A patio that holds puddles or slopes toward the house
- Sand and grit fanning out at the bottom of the driveway after storms
- Erosion along the edge of the pavement
Upkeep
Grates and basins collect oak leaves, pine straw, grass clippings and sand. Clean them a few times a year, especially in late fall and before the summer rainy season, and ask for an inspection port on any dry well so you can see whether it's draining.
Every yard is priced on site. The contractor needs to see the slope, the soil and the outlet before putting a number on the job, so we don't quote prices here, and a figure given over the phone sight unseen is only a ballpark.
Where we connect you with help
- Tallahassee
- Bradfordville and Killearn Lakes
- Lake Jackson and northwest Tallahassee
- Woodville and south Leon County
Common questions
Is a dry well the same as a French drain?
No. A French drain collects water and carries it away in a pipe. A dry well holds water underground and lets it soak in slowly.
Can a channel drain run across the whole driveway?
Yes. That's a common layout at the bottom of a sloped driveway, as long as it ties into pipe with a proper outlet.
Related services
More background: Leon County drainage guide.
Yard turning into a pond after every summer storm?
Call and a local drainage contractor will come look at where the water starts and where it can safely go.