Yard Drainage & French Drains in Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh yards deal with steep ground, clay and water coming from uphill. We travel to the area for drainage and grading jobs. Tell Jeff what the water is doing and he will talk it through with you.
Drainage work we travel to Pittsburgh for
Water problems here tend to come with a slope attached. Runoff from the lot above sheets across your yard. A flat bench behind the house turns to soup because the hill feeds it all spring. A long driveway washes out at the same bend every storm. These are grading and drainage jobs more than plumbing jobs, and they take a machine and somebody who can read ground.
Logan Earthworks is an owner-operated earthwork company from northeastern Ohio. The Pittsburgh area is a travel market for us. A larger job, like regrading an acreage lot, cutting swales and ditches across a property, or drainage done together with clearing and site work, suits the trip well. Have something smaller in mind? Reach out and we will talk it through.
What we do: regrade so water falls away from buildings, cut swales and ditches to intercept runoff, install French drains where ground stays saturated, set culverts under drives and crossings, and repair spots where water has started to erode. If your project needs more than what is listed here, tell us about it when you call. See drainage solutions for the full list.
Drainage and grading we do in the Pittsburgh area
- Regrading away from foundations
- Swales and interceptor ditches on slopes
- French drains for saturated ground
- Culverts under driveways and crossings
- Erosion repair where runoff cuts
- Drainage paired with clearing and site work
What we know for sure about Pittsburgh ground
Hills in every direction
Pittsburgh sits on the Allegheny Plateau where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers join to make the Ohio. Many of its neighborhoods are steeply sloped, and more than a quarter of the neighborhood names point to hills or heights. On ground like that, a drainage plan starts uphill. We find where the water enters your lot, catch it high with a swale or an interceptor drain, and carry it around the house to a safe outlet, so the low spot never fills in the first place.
Red beds, clay and slides
The Pittsburgh Geological Society says the chief factors in local landslides are the Pittsburgh red beds, steep slopes and water. The red beds are a red shale and claystone layer that weathers to clay, and groundwater can saturate that clay until it can no longer hold its slope. So moving water on a Pittsburgh hillside is serious business. A drain outlet dumped on a steep bank, or a cut into the bottom of a slope, can make things worse. On slide-prone ground we want a geotechnical engineer to set the plan before we dig.
Rules to check in Allegheny County
Pennsylvania's earth disturbance rules apply to drainage work too. The Allegheny County Conservation District says projects that disturb 5,000 square feet up to just under an acre must have an erosion and sediment control plan, and a full yard regrade can reach that. Before any trench is dug, Pennsylvania 811 asks for notice three to ten business days ahead. Dial 811. Your own municipality may have grading and stormwater rules on top of those, and Allegheny County has a great many municipalities. Ask yours before the work is scheduled.
Yard Drainage, Up Close
Real photos from Logan Earthworks jobs. See more recent work or read about our full drainage service.
Do you install French drains in Pittsburgh, PA?
We do. The Pittsburgh area is a travel market for Logan Earthworks, so a French drain there usually goes in alongside regrading, long swales or ditches, culverts, or clearing and site work. Tell Jeff what the water is doing and how big the yard is. Call (330) 625-5754 and he will talk it through with you.
Why is my Pittsburgh yard always wet at the bottom of the hill?
Because the hill sends you its water. Runoff crosses the surface, and groundwater seeps out where the slope flattens. Clay holds it there. The usual fix is to intercept the water before it reaches the flat, with a swale or a drain along the base of the slope, and carry it to an outlet. On steep or unstable slopes, have an engineer look first.
Is it safe to regrade or add drainage on a hillside in Pittsburgh?
It can be, with the right plan. The Pittsburgh Geological Society lists the red beds, steep slopes and water as the main factors in local landslides, so changing a slope or where water goes deserves care. We ask for a geotechnical engineer's direction on steep or slide-prone ground. Our page on grading and land leveling covers the grading side.
Do I need a permit for yard grading or drainage work in Allegheny County?
Possibly. The Allegheny County Conservation District says earth disturbance of 5,000 square feet up to just under one acre needs an erosion and sediment control plan, and one acre or more needs an NPDES permit for most construction. Your municipality may have its own grading rules. Those offices make that call, so ask both before work starts.
Pittsburgh & Allegheny County
We cover Pittsburgh and the communities around it, including:
Forestry Mulching in Pittsburgh
Brush and small trees ground into mulch in place. No piles, no burning, no hauling.
See the Pittsburgh pageExcavating Contractor in Pittsburgh
Foundation digs, building sites, utility trenches, ponds and general earthmoving.
See the Pittsburgh pageAll Services in Pittsburgh
Everything we do in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.
Pittsburgh overviewDrainage Solutions
French drains, swales, ditches and culverts that move water off your property.
The full serviceYard Drainage in other towns
Need Yard Drainage in Pittsburgh?
Call Jeff or send a few details. Estimates are free.