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A Number of Less Direct Ways to Prevent Flooding in Toronto

Backyard flooding in Toronto can be a major headache; drowning plants, ruining your lawn and penetrating the foundation to flood the basement. One solution to backyard flooding is to bring in the landscapers to change the pitch of the entire yard in order to dump runoff in a specific direction. This however, is rarely practical. So is there anything else that can be done to help prevent flooding in Toronto? In this post we’ll take a look at some solutions that don’t necessarily get a lot of press.

Prevent Flooding in Toronto With These Alternative Methods

Poor drainage in the yard can lead to flooding that ruins your lawn, creates a breeding ground for mosquitos and leads to water intruding in your basement. Here are some alternative ways you can prevent it.

  • Create a Rain Garden – The rain garden is a strategically placed depression designed to slow down runoff and allow it to be absorbed into the ground in a controlled manner. It’s comprised of deep rooted grasses and shrubs sitting atop at least 18 inches of permeable soil.
  • Set Up Grass Barriers – Once you’ve determined where floodwaters are coming from you can set up grass barriers to interfere with its flow. Keep in mind you may also need to create a new pathway to receive the redirected water and remove it from the property.
  • Replace Concrete with Interlocking Pavers – Concrete slab patios and walkways promote flooding by giving water no way to access the ground. Replace these slabs with interlocking pavers that allow water to seep through to the sub-base where it’s properly disbursed.

Preventing Flooded Basements

Basement flooding goes hand in hand with backyard flooding. Any program of flood mitigation in the yard should take this into account and employ methods of keeping water away from the foundations. A few ways to do this include:

  • Extending Your Downspouts – Water from downspouts should be deposited at least 3 feet from the house and always on a non-porous block. Downspout extensions can be purchased at most hardware stores and form an effective first line of defense from basement flooding.
  • Build a French Drain – A French drain is a pipe that’s typically buried about 18 inches below the surface of your yard and contains perforations that allow groundwater to enter.  The pipe is angled to carry the water it collects away from your home’s foundation.
  • Don’t Pile Up Snow Against Your House – It’s common to see Toronto homeowners shoveling walkways, dumping the snow against foundation walls. But when all that piled up snow melts it will penetrate the ground next to the foundation and seek out cracks or imperfections.

Implementing some or all of these tips should help you prevent flooding. Toronto property owners in search of low impact, effective solutions to the problem of flooding will find most of them affordable and easy to implement. If you have any questions or concerns about how to prevent flooding in Toronto New Canadian Drain can help. Remember: there’s no such thing as ‘minor’ flooding.