Understanding Stormwater Drainage
Knowing how rainwater moves around your property can help you prevent drainage problems and prepare your home for heavy rainfall and hurricane season.
Where Does Rainwater From Your Home Go?
When it rains, water flows from your roof into gutters and downspouts, which discharge the water into your yard. The slope of your property then helps move the water away from your home and toward swales, streets, and storm drains.
From the street drains, stormwater enters the community's drainage system and travels through underground pipes to the District's lakes and other stormwater facilities.
Because stormwater eventually reaches natural waterways, residents should be mindful of what rainwater can carry with it. Fertilizers and lawn-care products should be used responsibly and avoided before heavy rainfall or major storms. Keep oil, paint, chemicals, grass clippings, pet waste, and other pollutants out of swales and storm drains.
Keep Gutters and Downspouts Clear
Gutters and downspouts are your home's first line for moving rainwater away from the structure. Throughout the year:
- Remove leaves, branches, sediment, and other debris.
- Check for clogged or damaged downspouts.
- Make sure water discharges away from the home's foundation.
- Do not redirect downspouts so they discharge concentrated water onto a neighboring property.
Before hurricane season, inspect and clean your gutters and downspouts so rainwater has a clear path away from your home.
Garage and Interior Floor Elevations
In many South Florida homes, the garage floor is lower than the floor inside the home's living areas. During heavy rainfall or localized flooding, this difference in elevation may provide some additional separation between water entering the garage and the home's interior.
However, every home is different. A lower garage floor does not guarantee that the home's interior will be protected from flooding. Avoid changing the grading or drainage around your property in ways that could direct water toward the garage or home.
What Is a Swale?
A swale is a shallow, grass-covered low area that helps collect, temporarily hold, and move rainwater. Swales may be located along streets, between properties, or in other designated drainage areas.
Swales help:
- Collect and temporarily hold rainwater.
- Slow water down so some can soak into the ground.
- Move excess water toward storm drains, culverts, lakes, and other drainage areas.
- Filter some sediment and pollutants from runoff.
Water in a Swale Can Be Normal
Swales are designed to be lower than surrounding areas. For this reason, temporary standing water during and after heavy rainfall does not always mean there is a drainage problem.
How quickly the water disappears depends on the amount of rainfall, soil conditions, groundwater levels, and the condition of the drainage system.
Give the Drainage System Time to Work
During heavy or prolonged rainfall, temporary water accumulation in swales, streets, yards, and near storm drains can occur while the stormwater system is working. Large amounts of rain falling within a short period can take time to move through street drains, underground pipes, lakes, and other parts of the drainage system.
Standing water immediately after a major storm does not always mean there is a blockage or drainage problem. Residents should allow time for water levels to recede after the rainfall has ended. However, water that does not recede continues to rise after the storm has passed or appears to be caused by a blocked street drain may indicate a problem that should be reported.
Remember: During major storms, the drainage system's job is to collect, temporarily store, and move large amounts of stormwater. Some temporary ponding can be a normal part of that process.
Don't Block the Drainage Path
The shape and slope of a swale help determine where rainwater goes. Filling, leveling, or blocking a swale can change the flow of water and may create drainage problems for your property or neighboring properties.
Keep swales and driveway culverts free of leaves, grass clippings, sediment, landscaping materials, trash, and other obstructions.
Residential properties are generally graded to move stormwater away from the home and toward designated drainage areas. Depending on the property, these drainage paths may be located along the front, sides, or rear of the home.
Remember: A low area in your yard may be there for a reason. Before filling or changing it, consider how the area affects drainage.
Keeping Water Away From Your Home's Foundation
Some homes have private drainage features such as catch basins, French drains, underground pipes, and pop-up emitters. These features help collect and direct rainwater away from the home.
Proper drainage around your foundation is important. When excessive water collects near the foundation, it can saturate the surrounding soil and, over time, contribute to foundation movement, cracking, or other structural concerns. Keeping private drainage features clear and functioning properly helps move water away from the home and reduce these risks.
Catch Basins
Catch basins collect surface water and direct it into underground drainage pipes. Over time, leaves, sediment, grass clippings, and other debris can accumulate inside the basin.
Catch basins should be inspected and cleaned periodically. Too much debris can block the basin or connected pipes, restrict water flow, and make the drainage system less effective or even inoperable during heavy rainfall.
French Drains
French drains collect excess water through gravel and perforated underground pipes and direct it away to a designated drainage area. Because the pipes are perforated and hold moisture, nearby tree roots may grow toward them in search of water.
If roots enter the pipe, they can restrict or block the flow of water and reduce the effectiveness of the drain. If you have trees growing near a French drain, periodically inspect and maintain the system to help prevent root intrusion and drainage problems.
Pop-up Emitters
Pop-up emitters allow water from underground drainage pipes to discharge onto the surface at a designated location, typically away from the home. They should be inspected and cleaned periodically to ensure that dirt, grass, leaves, or other debris do not restrict water flow.
When installed in lawn areas, pop-up emitters should be properly positioned at ground level. Emitters that sit too high can be damaged by lawn mowers or other landscaping equipment, which may prevent them from operating properly.
These Are the Property Owner's Responsibility
Private drainage features located on residential property (including those above) are the property owner's responsibility to maintain. The District does not maintain private residential drainage systems. The District maintains the public stormwater system, including street drains and the stormwater infrastructure that carries water from those drains to the District's lakes and other stormwater facilities.
Streets Are Part of the Drainage System
Streets are also designed to help manage rainwater. Their slopes and elevations help direct water toward roadside drainage areas and storm drains.
Within St. Lucie West, the City of Port St. Lucie maintains the roadways, while the St. Lucie West Services District maintains the storm drains and stormwater pipes that carry water from the streets to the District's lakes and other stormwater facilities.
During very heavy rainfall, some temporary water accumulation along streets and near storm drains may occur while the drainage system receives and moves large amounts of water.
How the District Maintains the System
The District performs stormwater maintenance throughout the year to help keep the system ready for heavy rainfall.
Maintenance includes using underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to inspect submerged pipes and infrastructure for obstructions or other problems. Vacuum and suction equipment is also used to remove sediment, debris, and other materials that can restrict water flow.
Learn More About Our Retention Ponds
Want to learn more about how the District's lakes work and how water is moved from lake to lake to help manage stormwater and reduce flooding? Visit our Retention Ponds page.
You can also view the District's Lake Maintenance Schedule to see when maintenance is scheduled for lakes throughout St. Lucie West.
Residents Can Help
Keep leaves, grass clippings, branches, trash, and landscaping debris away from street drains. Before hurricanes and major storms, secure loose outdoor items so they cannot be carried by stormwater and block drainage inlets.
Remember: Your yard, swales, streets, storm drains, underground pipes, and lakes all play a role in moving and managing stormwater. Keeping drainage paths clear helps the entire system work more effectively during heavy rainfall.