Our plot is located on a gentle slope on the inside of a bend. Since we did not align with the highest point of the former construction road, our plot lies partly slightly below the level of the road. We have now noticed that during the heavy rains of the last few weeks, water is pushing up from beneath the paving, both partly in our driveway and on the public road. This water has, of course, now frozen.
We have two drainage channels that normally collect and divert this water. However, on public land there is a drainage grate positioned too high up the slope and another one too far beyond the curve to effectively collect the water. Is this normal, or was there possibly poor workmanship during the road construction?
We have two drainage channels that normally collect and divert this water. However, on public land there is a drainage grate positioned too high up the slope and another one too far beyond the curve to effectively collect the water. Is this normal, or was there possibly poor workmanship during the road construction?
W
WilderSueden8 Jan 2024 18:25The paved road makes things much clearer for me. Water can, of course, seep through the gravel and then flow underneath into your property. Do you happen to have clay soil?
Take a spirit level and hold it there. How much lower are the frozen spots compared to the rest? If the pressure is coming from below, it must be a larger depression.
Take a spirit level and hold it there. How much lower are the frozen spots compared to the rest? If the pressure is coming from below, it must be a larger depression.
Is this a recent photo or an ongoing issue? Which district is it in?
To be honest, I wouldn’t want to take any measurements there. Southern Lower Saxony is dealing with overly saturated soil due to heavy rainfall. Other areas are also struggling with water that can no longer drain away and is finding paths that cause concern. It doesn’t have to be flat land to experience this. In times of disasters caused by rain, rising groundwater, and high water levels, I would simply be glad that the volume remains manageable.
To be honest, I wouldn’t want to take any measurements there. Southern Lower Saxony is dealing with overly saturated soil due to heavy rainfall. Other areas are also struggling with water that can no longer drain away and is finding paths that cause concern. It doesn’t have to be flat land to experience this. In times of disasters caused by rain, rising groundwater, and high water levels, I would simply be glad that the volume remains manageable.
X
xMisterDx9 Jan 2024 13:18WilderSueden schrieb:
I don’t quite understand the part about the public road. It’s surely paved and therefore impermeable, right?
(...) No. In particular, less trafficked side roads are often paved with cobblestones or similar materials rather than asphalt.
Water flows in unpredictable ways. It could be groundwater that cannot drain quickly enough, causing it to accumulate and push up against the impermeable layers. There are many possible reasons why this happens specifically in your area. Usually, there’s nothing you can do about it—the water will find its own path.
Consider it a test of endurance. The past weeks have been much too wet. First, there was a large amount of snow at the end of November, which then melted away. December was very rainy, including heavy rainstorms in many places, and on top of that, the river water levels were high, so the water couldn’t drain properly either.
If you haven’t experienced any major problems so far, it’s unlikely you will in the future. It’s just some ice in the driveway—there are worse things.
W
WilderSueden9 Jan 2024 14:28The paths water takes are not mysterious. It follows gravity and the path of least resistance. This means that for water to seep in and come up somewhere, that spot must be lower than the rest.
And no, just because it worked fine once doesn’t mean it will continue to do so. Paving stones are more flexible than asphalt and can adjust a bit to frost. However, it is still problematic if water remains standing throughout the entire substructure and even pushes up through the paving. Sooner or later, you will have frost damage in the form of ruts and loose stones. Not to mention the hazards that ice sheets pose to cyclists and pedestrians.
And no, just because it worked fine once doesn’t mean it will continue to do so. Paving stones are more flexible than asphalt and can adjust a bit to frost. However, it is still problematic if water remains standing throughout the entire substructure and even pushes up through the paving. Sooner or later, you will have frost damage in the form of ruts and loose stones. Not to mention the hazards that ice sheets pose to cyclists and pedestrians.
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