Why water stands on Delta ground
The Delta was built by river floods. The soils came from sediment the rivers left, and a lot of it is fine clay. The USDA describes Sharkey clay as very slowly permeable, with slopes mostly under 1 percent. Mississippi State University Extension lists controlling surface water and drainage as a main soil issue in the Delta.
Put that together and water has nowhere to go. It cannot soak in fast and it cannot run downhill when there is no downhill. So it puddles by the slab, sits at the end of the drive and turns the yard to mud. The fix is giving it a path: shaping the dirt so even a small slope carries water away.
How we grade for drainage
First we figure out where the water is coming from and where it can go. That might be a road ditch, a field edge or a lower part of the property. Then we shape the dirt to get it there. That could be a shoulder along a drive, a gentle swale, fill in a low spot or a slope away from a wall.
Our track loader and tracked skid steer move and shape the dirt, and the dump truck brings fill when the grade needs more. On flat ground the fall is small, so it has to be checked carefully instead of guessed. The goal is ground that drains after a hard rain, not just ground that looks smooth.
What affects a drainage job
The size of the area and how far the water has to go are the first questions. Whether there is somewhere for it to go matters most. If the whole property sits lower than everything around it, the answer may be building up instead of sloping out. How much fill comes in and how far it is hauled both count.
Do not just push the water onto a neighbor. Moving water off your land should not flood someone else's. Grading that disturbs an acre or more for construction can fall under an MDEQ stormwater permit. Work in a road ditch or right-of-way may need the city or county's okay, so check with them first.
Who it is for
Homeowners with water standing by the house or garage. People who just poured a drive or slab and need the shoulders graded so the edges do not wash. Businesses with storage units, shops or small lots where water collects. Landowners with a low spot in a field or yard that stays wet for days.
If the problem is right around the house, see our yard grading page. If you are building new and want to get the height right from the start, see pads and fill dirt. When a paved lot is involved, Straight Line Services, at the same phone number, handles minor concrete and asphalt repair and the striping.
