Charlotte Land Works connects homeowners, builders and site managers with providers of drainage & erosion control, grading, excavation and site preparation across the Charlotte metro. Here, the culprit is almost always the same: lots of rain falling on clay that won't soak it up.
Why Charlotte-area yards hold water
The region averages a little over 40 inches of rain a year, often in short summer downpours. Piedmont clay infiltrates slowly, and builder-graded lots frequently have compacted subsoil with thin topsoil. Water that can't soak in has to be moved across the surface — or below it.
Drainage solutions
Swales and regrading
A shallow, grassed channel that carries surface water to an outlet. The simplest and most reliable fix when grade allows.
French drains
A trench lined with filter fabric, filled with washed #57 stone around a perforated pipe, sloped to daylight or a storm structure. Good for intercepting groundwater and wet areas.
Catch basins and solid pipe
Collect water at low points or downspouts and carry it in solid PVC or HDPE pipe to a pop-up emitter or outfall.
Dry wells
Useful in limited situations; clay's slow infiltration means sizing matters.
Erosion control
- Silt fence and compost filter socks to trap sediment
- Erosion control blankets (straw or coconut coir) on slopes
- Riprap at pipe outlets and in steep channels
- Check dams in temporary ditches
- Rapid seeding with tall fescue in cool seasons or bermuda in warm months
Regulations and neighbors
Discharging concentrated water onto a neighboring lot can create legal problems, and tying into public storm structures usually needs approval. Construction sites in NC and SC must keep sediment on-site under state erosion control rules.
Our providers' approach
- Observe the site during or after rain and map flow paths
- Identify a legal, stable outlet
- Choose surface solutions first, subsurface where needed
- Install with proper slope — generally at least 1% for pipe
- Stabilize all disturbed soil the same day where possible
Building it to last
Fabric-wrapped stone keeps clay fines from clogging French drains, cleanouts let pipe be flushed, and riprap at outlets prevents erosion where water leaves the pipe. These details decide whether a drain works for decades or for one season.
Request drainage & erosion control near you
Crews in our network work across the metro, including Matthews, Mint Hill, Pineville, Huntersville, Concord, Gastonia, Rock Hill, Fort Mill and nearby towns. Call or use the form below to describe your project.