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Solving Backyard Flooding After Neighbor's Pool Installation

Question: My yard is higher than my patio, causing flooding. Neighbor's pool construction 1.5 years ago worsened it. How to capture and channel water quickly? French drains? Who to contact?

Root Cause

Pool construction changed surface runoff—increased volume overwhelms existing slope. Water backs into new areas. The pool is the culprit.

Solutions

Dry creek: Mark deepest flow during rain, deepen path, line with pond liner/fabric, border with fieldstone, fill with smaller rock, landscape around.
French drain: Trench with landscape fabric, 4" perforated pipe in coarse gravel. Slower drainage but works; only heaviest rains exceed capacity.
Catch basins: Underground boxes with grate lids, connected to pipe carrying water to lowest spot.

Get contractor bids even if DIY—they'll reveal the intended solution.

Soil Issues: Backyard Flooding Solution: Retaining Wall and Drainage Considerations; Patio Flooding from Heavy Rain: Divert, Don't Try to Absorb; Transforming a Sloped Backyard into a Private Sanctuary; Managing Constant Water Flow in a Backyard with a Rock Wall; Backyard Flooding Solutions When Space Is Tight: Drywells, Cisterns & Rain Gardens; Neighbor's Drain Pipe Flooding Your Yard: Legal & Practical Fixes; Solving Yard Flooding from Adjacent Wheat Field with Drainage Systems; Solving a Chronically Wet Yard with a Land Drain; Designing and Maintaining a Beautiful Water Garden Feature; Flood Irrigation Techniques: Using Basins and Furrows for Deep Watering

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