Drainage swales- when you buy a lake front lot you want everyone located on that beautiful lake to have one. A swale is designed to hold water run off temporarily so contaminants are prevented from washing directly into that pristine lake. What kind of contaminants? Fertilizer, pesticides, oil, septic drain filed waste, gasoline, sediment etc. Frankly, they are really important to lake quality. You've heard the expression, "last ditch effort"? I'm not sure it applies to drainage swales but it should. When everything else goes wrong, the swale or ditch is the last chance to keep the lake from getting contaminated.
The size and height of the berm (hump) that holds back the water, is designed when the subdivision is developed or prior to a building permit being issued. The requirements are beyond the control of the Builder but he is responsible for it's construction. It has to be there before the final building inspection and Certificate of Occupancy is issued.
The problem with drainage swales, when they are on your property, they hold water after a hard rain. They are doing what they are designed to do. Sometimes, they hold just a little water and after a really hard rain, they may hold a great deal of water. This is where the trouble starts.
Homeowners start to forget about that beautiful lake and the pristine water quality when it looks like part of the lake in now in their backyard. Can't we lower the berm just a little, my neighbors swale is smaller than mine, cut a little trench over here, just put a drain in the bottom the swale and run a pipe into the lake? No, absolutely not! Frankly, I'm not going to do it and neither should the homeowner. Sure, some people do it and get away with it but it's the wrong thing to do. If you get caught, there are some hefty fines involved for altering the swale design.
Drainage swale below:
Have an awesome day!
Mike
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