Hi everyone. Came back to almost 60k views. Mental. No updates as of yet, we're deciding what to do with the garden..... whilst saving up for the works (going to be ££££) :( I will post an update once we start for sure.
My Son had a similar issue at his previous property, over 3 weekends I dug French drains, and dug down 3.5 metres, by 1 metre square to break through the clay layer. Routed the drains to the soak away, which was back filled with pea gravel, I put a vertical section of pipe just a one ground level before back filling, this allows us to see the water level in the soak away. I then laid a new lawn using top soil and sand. It worked a treat, too well in fact as in Summer the lawn had to be well watered. Cost about £200 in total, plus a lot of hard graft!
Thanks for your comment. I took an Auger down to about 7 ft deep from the surface and Im still pulling up thick red clay! My fear with your method is that the whole would simply fill without sufficient drainage. In my case I need to route the water out and back in to the system.
Same problem in Canada as well -- home builders only care up to the point of sale, they put 2" of top soil on top of clay soil, turf on top and they vanish as soon as the house is sold.
Looks exactly like my yard/garden in the USA Atlanta, GA It’s really depressing. I’ve been battling it for 5 years. I haven’t been able to find a competent professional. The French drain system I had installed doesn’t seem to make any improvement. I hope your expert can help you!
I had French drains dug and it’s still not stopped the problem. No moss this year after new soil and turf laid but it’s again a bog out there at the minute. Fed up
i had this problem evrey time dog went out for pee we had to clean her paws, what i did was dig big hole placed a plastic bin in side to stop walls from caving in and then put a pump in and then fed water pipe to gutter drain works well and was only £15 for bin £45 for pump off amazon had it 3 years and we can now plant flowers in the garden and the dog cleaning days are over.
Thanks Mate. I can't wait to watch how things progressed. Unfortunately my water-logged garden slopes away from my house so I would probably have to use a sump pump to bring the water back up to my drains.
That's because those are newbuild properties. The builders come in with diggers and all that topsoil that was originally there is under all that clay turned upside down.They don't care.
We have the same issue!! Had a big old raised patio built right outside the bifold door lol somewhere to go for now. Literally one day of rain and it’s a swamp. The builders ruined the grass where they walked on top of it when it was wet :/ I think our plan is dig down 5 foot around the edge of the patio and put a membrane and then pea shingle on top. We’re second to the bottom on a slant our road so I suspect we get everyone else’s too x
my yard is the same all yards here are as we sit on a water table we built on french drain have like two to go when it rains it pours and becomes a lake in the yard.
dig big hole placed a plastic bin in side to stop walls from caving in and then put a pump in and then fed water pipe to gutter drain works well and was only £15 for bin £45 for pump off amazon had it 3 years works well
I'll be intrigued on if and how you solve this - I recommended drilling a 6" wide 2 foot deep hole made with an auger to a friend: he made several of these boreholes and filled them with gravel. But..... water actually puddled OUT of the boreholes: basically the clay garden was capping a high water table. Oops.
@@digitalchris6681 I’m from Birkenhead but live in West Wales. My mates up there told me the rain has been bad for months and the rain here in Ceredigion has been really bad. I was thinking of digging down through my lawn but not too sure now. I think I will try a small French drain - only about 5 m. Thing is it would have to go to my neighbours garden as they are slightly below me in the down hill direction.
@@sprre3899 I suspect that as global warming makes the UK's winters wetter, we owners of clay soil gardens will need to accept wet lawns. I'm now thinking of bordering mine with a 6" high strip (metal edging) and putting 6" of sandy soil on the lawn, then reseed. At least I'd have a lawn that wasn't as prone to puddles, squishiness and moss.
@@digitalchris6681 Lol, that is another thing I’m doing ha ha. I’m getting some gravel boards, lining the garden, and getting a 500l bag of topsoil, so should raise the lawn. I’ll still need french drains. Global warming will be catastrophic for some and a bonus for others.
We have the same problem here in Cornwall. Every other garden along our row has got rid of their grass because its so bad. We only have a very small patch of grass which does have a french drain running through it. Does nothing at all! We tried topping it with topsoil... didnt do anything, also treated the clay soil with gypsum and clay breaker ... did nothing. Im determine not to pave the whole lot ... our decking is also rotton because the previous owner of our house laid it on pallets! Numpty ! Meant that since we moved in in 2017 its been slowly rotting away 😮. This is Wainhomes new build... well was in 2013. New builds are the worst! Never again. Anyway some advice would be great . I cant see if you fugured out your drainage issue? Im worried about trimming our jungle out there as always so wet in case i get electrocuted!
I have a similar problem in my garden. When it rains the garden becomes very waterlogged. Digging down you hit standing water a couple of inches below the soil. The trouble is my garden is lower than the nearest rainwater drains which are on my drive and is surrounded on all sides by neighbours gardens which also flood (probably worse than mine). Only solution i can think of is to install land drains running to a sump and then pumping the water from there out to the nearest drain.
Hi, not sure if you're still posting ... I don't suppose you're based in Bedfordshire (UK)? We have the same issue, we are at the edge of the Bedfordshire clay basin, bricks were made at Stewartby out of the clay. I am just about to install a major land drainage system as below the clay there are a large number of watercourses, installing a soak away may result in an Artesian Well - water can flow up as well as down !
Have you considered using evapotranspiration of subsurface water from roots of large, clay adapted, plants? Sloping to swales and strategically locating clay adapted plants to uptake moisture may help. Roots of trees could enhance percolation of water, as well. I thought the You Tube video "How to Build Swales" was interesting. It is a long term solution but native clay soils are likely a geological event that goes back a significant amount of time. So it stands to reason there aren't quick solutions. In the short term, your only hope is to divert surface sheeting of rain event water with solid wall pipes before it has a chance to get absorbed. Clay soil percolation rates are so slow, french drain approaches will yield less results. If the subsurface movement of water is there, a combination system might work, as well.
.. check with your water authority and your building inspector first. Normally unrestricted surface water run off into a private system and then ultimately into an adopted drainage system (either combined or separate) isn’t allowed - especially if it’s field drainage like you’ve suggested. The drainage network in your area probably couldn’t cope if everyone did what you’re doing. Better to be safe than sorry .
Yeah,I bought a new build. The builders had put a French drain that drained onto a lane at the back. Needless to say the landowner was not a happy lady.
Yeah,I bought a new build. The builders had put a French drain that drained onto a lane at the back. Needless to say the landowner was not a happy lady.
Yeah,I bought a new build. The builders had put a French drain that drained onto a lane at the back. Needless to say the landowner was not a happy lady.
My little bit of lawn about 3 mtr x 2 mtr. Growing under front window. Old neighbour blocked the natural drainage by building a wall from his house to garage. Stopped my lawn draining downhill slope towards his property then next house. I am still getting rainfall from properties uphill from me. Have all the main utilities entering my property plus I have main phone cable adjoining my wall for the four properties in our terraced block. The 3inch opened ended pipe the phone and internet cables stick about 1 foot up from ground have issues with water. Just give up
Your word and thought process could have been my own over the last couple weeks as I'm facing a similar issue. My clay soil isn't QUITE as red clay as yours is, but I have a hole I dug for a tree last week. A massive hole where I could sit with my body halfway in it. It rained & has been not draining for days now. I just filled up my watering can 7 times and I'm still not at the bottom. I was going to get an augur, but now think that's a pointless expense after watching your video. Gotta figure out something!
A lot of toy town housing estates, have drainage issues. Building company make little allowance for geological drainage issues. Clay or chalk soils in Herts beds and bucks are the worst. The building companies, sell the house and leave the homeowner with drainage issues and subsidence. Homebuyers surveys are done superficially, and in favour of the sellers. Seen too many houses with drainage issues due to over development in areas with poor drainage. Best of luck.
Check land levels. How high above sea level, how near to nearest water source, river, stream, ditches, artificial runoffs, soakaways not draining to mains drainage. Find historical geological info about the land around your house, find the lowest point, preferably away from your foundations. Pressure aerate the clay. Clay soil can create natural expansion and contraction depending on how wet or dry it becomes, given your house is sitting on this that will create a problem with your foundations if you start messing with water levels. Also somewhere buried in the councils paperwork and Possibly deeds to your property there will be information about the land that the building sits on, quickest way to find out whether or not you have flood issues and flooding issues in your local area is to go online that’ll give you information about the chance of percentage of flooding in your area over a year period, in Scotland you can go and use SEPA. If you find the issue may have been caused by a neighbour diverting drainage pipes blocking drainage pipes because of an extension et cetera et cetera you may have a nuisance claim you might be able to put forward. You’re doing the right thing by doing your research but you have to start wider than your own home .
You know what - I cannot get someone to come and dig the trenches for me! Either they’re busy or don’t want the work. I’m looking into doing it all myself now and building a water store in the garden that will pump into a useful resource somewhere in the house. Gonna be good if I can do it :)
@@Scott221 best of luck! I have had drainage issues before and had some builders install a drain under the lawn. I’m looking into French drains to help a friend with a similar problem.
I don’t think you are allowed to have a garden drain plumbed into to the waste water/roof. As you will silt up the hole pipe for you and the neighbours. Check your building regs as you can get a fine for doing it
They wouldn't be allowed as the builders will of done it like that there's another pipe somewhere in the garden for that. If they look at the planing of the property they will know where the garden pipe are hopefully, good luck though lad.
@@reallywontsufferfools1620 until it silts up, get blocked, water authority comes out to investigate and charge you for the fix and for the pipe going into it.
@@GlobalRevolushun sod busting radishes planted as a winter crop help quite a bit. Sand, leaves, composed mulch, and many other organics added as soil amendment help as well. For acidifying the soil (for blueberries, rhododendrons, etc.), amend the excavated clay in a wheelbarrow with sand, pine bark nuggets mulch, coffee grounds, and peat moss, mixed thoroughly. I also water my blueberry bushes with cold plain black coffee sometimes.
@@MaryCumbersnatch Thanks so much! I bought Blue Rug Junipers to plant in front of our vacation rental and it says they’re best in dry well drained areas. 🙄 So I have a lot of digging & mixing to do! lol
I feel you. I’m in Ohio, lots of clay but we don’t have that southern red clay! Just grey muck filled with water. I can’t seem to find any fun evergreen trees or flowering trees to work in my yard!
The contractors/builders have either really screwed up with their construction (layering, compacting etc), or frankly your house is built where it should'n't have been in the first place. Putting in drainage (pipes, gravel...) is not a long term solution. They will eventually clog up with silt and clay particles, effectively becoming useless. Nor is diverting any water to the public sewer system because when everyone does that, it won't be able to handle it and you'll have flooding anyways. Where I am it's already being forbidden...Soaking in situ as much as possible. If it's construction caused, digging down deep, breaking up layers and mixing it into a homogenous soil will be the first step (and costly). Second is to keep off it as much as possible and add organic matter on top to bring life back into it which will rehabilitate it. This isn't an overnight solution; in fact it'll take years, but keep at it, and you might end up with something decent.
Put a lid on it. In other words flag over the lot. Or dig out the top soil and some of the clay, then fill with limestone hardcore level it up then you could use artificial grass.
Hi everyone. Came back to almost 60k views. Mental. No updates as of yet, we're deciding what to do with the garden..... whilst saving up for the works (going to be ££££) :(
I will post an update once we start for sure.
Liquid Gypsum....thank me later
Liquid Gypsum....thank me later
@@Y0UTUBEADMINhow would liquid gypsum work over powdered, in terms of actually applying the product to clay under grass?
God it aint even fixed yet 2 years later 😬
You can spread gypsum then spread it on the surface then till it into the soil rack it then replant the seed. Gypsum breaks down clay
My Son had a similar issue at his previous property, over 3 weekends I dug French drains, and dug down 3.5 metres, by 1 metre square to break through the clay layer. Routed the drains to the soak away, which was back filled with pea gravel, I put a vertical section of pipe just a one ground level before back filling, this allows us to see the water level in the soak away. I then laid a new lawn using top soil and sand. It worked a treat, too well in fact as in Summer the lawn had to be well watered. Cost about £200 in total, plus a lot of hard graft!
Thanks for your comment. I took an Auger down to about 7 ft deep from the surface and Im still pulling up thick red clay! My fear with your method is that the whole would simply fill without sufficient drainage. In my case I need to route the water out and back in to the system.
Same problem in Canada as well -- home builders only care up to the point of sale, they put 2" of top soil on top of clay soil, turf on top and they vanish as soon as the house is sold.
Sucks doesn’t it!
Yep im dealing with this clay is like 1 inch down 😭
Massive rocks in my soil and hard soil grass looks unhealthy
Looks exactly like my yard/garden in the USA Atlanta, GA It’s really depressing. I’ve been battling it for 5 years. I haven’t been able to find a competent professional. The French drain system I had installed doesn’t seem to make any improvement. I hope your expert can help you!
Just found a road under my back yard……
I had French drains dug and it’s still not stopped the problem. No moss this year after new soil and turf laid but it’s again a bog out there at the minute. Fed up
Be great to have an update. Even if there is no update. Good luck!
i had this problem evrey time dog went out for pee we had to clean her paws, what i did was dig big hole placed a plastic bin in side to stop walls from caving in and then put a pump in and then fed water pipe to gutter drain works well and was only £15 for bin £45 for pump off amazon had it 3 years and we can now plant flowers in the garden and the dog cleaning days are over.
We just did a complete landscape of our property. Tried french drains. Now we are doing a sump pump.
Thanks Mate. I can't wait to watch how things progressed. Unfortunately my water-logged garden slopes away from my house so I would probably have to use a sump pump to bring the water back up to my drains.
Have a similar issue and had builder today to provide quote. Probably need two sump pumps.
Hi Scott, any update on your garden?
Solid clay bed put there by the developers no doubt
Same in Kansas
That's because those are newbuild properties. The builders come in with diggers and all that topsoil that was originally there is under all that clay turned upside down.They don't care.
This looks identical to my newly purchased property in Ont Canada. Oh what work.
Yes . I killed 3 baby emerald at this new house 😖
We have the same issue!! Had a big old raised patio built right outside the bifold door lol somewhere to go for now. Literally one day of rain and it’s a swamp. The builders ruined the grass where they walked on top of it when it was wet :/ I think our plan is dig down 5 foot around the edge of the patio and put a membrane and then pea shingle on top. We’re second to the bottom on a slant our road so I suspect we get everyone else’s too x
Is there a part 2 on this!?
Same problem and worse- builders left loads of stones,some quite big and that makes digging nearly impossible.
Only thing I found that works is a mattock
my yard is the same all yards here are as we sit on a water table we built on french drain have like two to go when it rains it pours and becomes a lake in the yard.
Please please keep us up to date with your progress. I am struggling with the same thing 😭
Hi Scott I'm having same problem, how did u get on
Where did the rest of the videos go on this? I have exactly the same issue I'm trying to battle with right now!
dig big hole placed a plastic bin in side to stop walls from caving in and then put a pump in and then fed water pipe to gutter drain works well and was only £15 for bin £45 for pump off amazon had it 3 years works well
I'll be intrigued on if and how you solve this - I recommended drilling a 6" wide 2 foot deep hole made with an auger to a friend: he made several of these boreholes and filled them with gravel.
But..... water actually puddled OUT of the boreholes: basically the clay garden was capping a high water table. Oops.
That is just something you wouldn’t think about but makes sense. Did you rectify it?
@@sprre3899 it has settled down - we don't know why. But Jan to March were VERY wet (UK north) so perhaps an anomaly.
@@digitalchris6681 I’m from Birkenhead but live in West Wales. My mates up there told me the rain has been bad for months and the rain here in Ceredigion has been really bad. I was thinking of digging down through my lawn but not too sure now. I think I will try a small French drain - only about 5 m. Thing is it would have to go to my neighbours garden as they are slightly below me in the down hill direction.
@@sprre3899 I suspect that as global warming makes the UK's winters wetter, we owners of clay soil gardens will need to accept wet lawns. I'm now thinking of bordering mine with a 6" high strip (metal edging) and putting 6" of sandy soil on the lawn, then reseed. At least I'd have a lawn that wasn't as prone to puddles, squishiness and moss.
@@digitalchris6681 Lol, that is another thing I’m doing ha ha. I’m getting some gravel boards, lining the garden, and getting a 500l bag of topsoil, so should raise the lawn. I’ll still need french drains. Global warming will be catastrophic for some and a bonus for others.
We have the same problem here in Cornwall. Every other garden along our row has got rid of their grass because its so bad. We only have a very small patch of grass which does have a french drain running through it. Does nothing at all! We tried topping it with topsoil... didnt do anything, also treated the clay soil with gypsum and clay breaker ... did nothing. Im determine not to pave the whole lot ... our decking is also rotton because the previous owner of our house laid it on pallets! Numpty ! Meant that since we moved in in 2017 its been slowly rotting away 😮. This is Wainhomes new build... well was in 2013. New builds are the worst! Never again. Anyway some advice would be great . I cant see if you fugured out your drainage issue? Im worried about trimming our jungle out there as always so wet in case i get electrocuted!
Hi… did you ever do a follow up video? Thanks
I have a similar problem in my garden. When it rains the garden becomes very waterlogged. Digging down you hit standing water a couple of inches below the soil. The trouble is my garden is lower than the nearest rainwater drains which are on my drive and is surrounded on all sides by neighbours gardens which also flood (probably worse than mine). Only solution i can think of is to install land drains running to a sump and then pumping the water from there out to the nearest drain.
Chat with neighbours and see if they want to collaborate on something?
my garden is the same I'm having to put in layman drains and I will probably need to put in a soaraway at some point this Summer
I have bought a barratts house and the back garden after it rains takes ages for the water to dry. Any advice
Hi, not sure if you're still posting ... I don't suppose you're based in Bedfordshire (UK)?
We have the same issue, we are at the edge of the Bedfordshire clay basin, bricks were made at Stewartby out of the clay. I am just about to install a major land drainage system as below the clay there are a large number of watercourses, installing a soak away may result in an Artesian Well - water can flow up as well as down !
Same problem, considering planting cover crops to make the soil more drainable over time.
You should give Eutremas Liquid Gypsum a go. Its sorted my garden out!
Have you considered using evapotranspiration of subsurface water from roots of large, clay adapted, plants? Sloping to swales and strategically locating clay adapted plants to uptake moisture may help. Roots of trees could enhance percolation of water, as well. I thought the You Tube video "How to Build Swales" was interesting. It is a long term solution but native clay soils are likely a geological event that goes back a significant amount of time. So it stands to reason there aren't quick solutions.
In the short term, your only hope is to divert surface sheeting of rain event water with solid wall pipes before it has a chance to get absorbed. Clay soil percolation rates are so slow, french drain approaches will yield less results. If the subsurface movement of water is there, a combination system might work, as well.
.. check with your water authority and your building inspector first. Normally unrestricted surface water run off into a private system and then ultimately into an adopted drainage system (either combined or separate) isn’t allowed - especially if it’s field drainage like you’ve suggested. The drainage network in your area probably couldn’t cope if everyone did what you’re doing. Better to be safe than sorry .
Yeah,I bought a new build. The builders had put a French drain that drained onto a lane at the back. Needless to say the landowner was not a happy lady.
Yeah,I bought a new build. The builders had put a French drain that drained onto a lane at the back. Needless to say the landowner was not a happy lady.
Yeah,I bought a new build. The builders had put a French drain that drained onto a lane at the back. Needless to say the landowner was not a happy lady.
jobsworth
I would use solid pipes as I used perforated an it backs up and just floods the lawn. Then dogs can't go out
have you managed to sort the issue?
My little bit of lawn about 3 mtr x 2 mtr. Growing under front window. Old neighbour blocked the natural drainage by building a wall from his house to garage. Stopped my lawn draining downhill slope towards his property then next house. I am still getting rainfall from properties uphill from me. Have all the main utilities entering my property plus I have main phone cable adjoining my wall for the four properties in our terraced block. The 3inch opened ended pipe the phone and internet cables stick about 1 foot up from ground have issues with water. Just give up
Wow we have the same problem here in our back garden 😮
Me, too, Maryland, USA....I could stock goldfish in the "pond" about 3" deep throughout my yard.
Ihave the same problem on the backside of my house. Only difference I have blue clay😂. Planted a birch and hope that will soak up some of it 🤞
How did you get on with the works?
Your word and thought process could have been my own over the last couple weeks as I'm facing a similar issue. My clay soil isn't QUITE as red clay as yours is, but I have a hole I dug for a tree last week. A massive hole where I could sit with my body halfway in it. It rained & has been not draining for days now. I just filled up my watering can 7 times and I'm still not at the bottom.
I was going to get an augur, but now think that's a pointless expense after watching your video.
Gotta figure out something!
Any update on this?
Did you get this sorted?
A lot of toy town housing estates, have drainage issues. Building company make little allowance for geological drainage issues. Clay or chalk soils in Herts beds and bucks are the worst. The building companies, sell the house and leave the homeowner with drainage issues and subsidence. Homebuyers surveys are done superficially, and in favour of the sellers. Seen too many houses with drainage issues due to over development in areas with poor drainage. Best of luck.
Check land levels. How high above sea level, how near to nearest water source, river, stream, ditches, artificial runoffs, soakaways not draining to mains drainage. Find historical geological info about the land around your house, find the lowest point, preferably away from your foundations. Pressure aerate the clay.
Clay soil can create natural expansion and contraction depending on how wet or dry it becomes, given your house is sitting on this that will create a problem with your foundations if you start messing with water levels.
Also somewhere buried in the councils paperwork and Possibly deeds to your property there will be information about the land that the building sits on, quickest way to find out whether or not you have flood issues and flooding issues in your local area is to go online that’ll give you information about the chance of percentage of flooding in your area over a year period, in Scotland you can go and use SEPA.
If you find the issue may have been caused by a neighbour diverting drainage pipes blocking drainage pipes because of an extension et cetera et cetera you may have a nuisance claim you might be able to put forward.
You’re doing the right thing by doing your research but you have to start wider than your own home .
how are you getting on? we have had a lot of sun recently... but also a lot of rain... :)
You know what - I cannot get someone to come and dig the trenches for me! Either they’re busy or don’t want the work. I’m looking into doing it all myself now and building a water store in the garden that will pump into a useful resource somewhere in the house. Gonna be good if I can do it :)
@@Scott221 best of luck! I have had drainage issues before and had some builders install a drain under the lawn. I’m looking into French drains to help a friend with a similar problem.
How did you get on
Did you do a follow up video 🤔
Did you ever fix this if so how?
Brother you sure you ain't got a burst pipe somewhere around or your pond has a leak coz man that's a lot of water "wow
Really bad isn’t it! No leaks. Talking with the neighbours and they have had similar issues.
Perforated pipes running into buried crates should work in theory.
Where are the next videos??
It irritates me how people will post a video like this with no follow-up! Why bother? The last update was 4 months ago, saying no update...
Any follow up to this???
So what happened? No more follow up video?
So where is the work vid mate
Could we have an update please
I don’t think you are allowed to have a garden drain plumbed into to the waste water/roof. As you will silt up the hole pipe for you and the neighbours. Check your building regs as you can get a fine for doing it
They wouldn't be allowed as the builders will of done it like that there's another pipe somewhere in the garden for that. If they look at the planing of the property they will know where the garden pipe are hopefully, good luck though lad.
no-one will know , give over not a chance it will be found out.
@@reallywontsufferfools1620 until it silts up, get blocked, water authority comes out to investigate and charge you for the fix and for the pipe going into it.
Future homeowners wont have this issue as theyll have no front or backgarden lol
You’re not wrong!
It'll be IN their house in that case
That's how my lawn looks here in Tennessee, USA. The entire state is chock full of red clay soil.
I’m in Tennessee as well. A lot of Red Clay! I came on UA-cam to hopefully learn a few different ways to break mine up so I can plant.
@@GlobalRevolushun sod busting radishes planted as a winter crop help quite a bit. Sand, leaves, composed mulch, and many other organics added as soil amendment help as well. For acidifying the soil (for blueberries, rhododendrons, etc.), amend the excavated clay in a wheelbarrow with sand, pine bark nuggets mulch, coffee grounds, and peat moss, mixed thoroughly. I also water my blueberry bushes with cold plain black coffee sometimes.
@@MaryCumbersnatch Thanks so much! I bought Blue Rug Junipers to plant in front of our vacation rental and it says they’re best in dry well drained areas. 🙄
So I have a lot of digging & mixing to do! lol
I feel you. I’m in Ohio, lots of clay but we don’t have that southern red clay! Just grey muck filled with water. I can’t seem to find any fun evergreen trees or flowering trees to work in my yard!
Hello… Any updates?
Any update?
you have a beautiful garden otherwise
That’s really nice - Thankyou!
Pointless video with no follow up
The problem is probably still there. I'm sure the council can help because the whole neighborhood must have the same problem.
The contractors/builders have either really screwed up with their construction (layering, compacting etc), or frankly your house is built where it should'n't have been in the first place.
Putting in drainage (pipes, gravel...) is not a long term solution. They will eventually clog up with silt and clay particles, effectively becoming useless. Nor is diverting any water to the public sewer system because when everyone does that, it won't be able to handle it and you'll have flooding anyways. Where I am it's already being forbidden...Soaking in situ as much as possible.
If it's construction caused, digging down deep, breaking up layers and mixing it into a homogenous soil will be the first step (and costly). Second is to keep off it as much as possible and add organic matter on top to bring life back into it which will rehabilitate it. This isn't an overnight solution; in fact it'll take years, but keep at it, and you might end up with something decent.
Thanks for advice. Our’s been like this ever since neither built outhouse wall where use to be a wooden fence
Pond
Well this video is worthless......what the heck happened?
Put a lid on it. In other words flag over the lot. Or dig out the top soil and some of the clay, then fill with limestone hardcore level it up then you could use artificial grass.
And then what? Divert every drop of rain into the sewer system? Sure, move the problem to somwhere else for someone else to deal with....