Question
have a question i'm hoping you as an expert can help me with.  during flood conditions (1+ inch rain in 24 hour period) i have water running to the back left part of my property and pooling there.  my property is on a downhill slope to the back property line where it flattens out so makes sense it would stop there.  its not a big amount of water maybe anywhere from 3-6 inches in a 4'x4' area.  i don't want to install a drainage system with pvc pipes and lots of digging plus i can't place anything on my neighbors property behind my house, so i had an idea i'm wondering what you thought of.

i thought of digging a 3'w x 3'l x 2'd hole and filling it with peastone to help with drainage.  the thought is that the stones underneath would help the water to drain into the underlying soil better and not sit on top.  i don't need to plant grass on top as the area is already under a gravel path.  would this be sufficient to dissipate the water?  thanks for your thoughts.

Answer
Hi Richard,  Think about this...if the area was absolutely full of water, where would any additional water flow?  If you dig a catch basin like you describe, how quickly it fills depends on the amount of surface area that drains to that spot.  One inch of rain in 24 hours is not a lot of rain.  For such a small area, 4' x 4' x .5', you only need 8 cubic feet of gravel to level the area. That seems to me to be an easier solution. Your catch basin is now on the surface instead.  Much of the water will be displaced by the gravel and excess water will take its natural course.  I'd add additional gravel so your path is above the water line.
Catch basins are great if you want to move water out of a very low area with buried drain pipes or a pump.  In your case, what if the subsoil doesn't drain any faster.  It may become more of a mosquito breeding pit than help your drainage.
If you live in an area with very little rainfall and your pit has a fabric barrier to prevent silt and surface debris from filling in the basin, it may work just fine for you.  But adding about 10 - 50 lb. bags of gravel seems like a better solution and a lot easier.  Jim