A dry well is a hole in the ground that is filled with gravel and surrounded by landscape fabric. It collects water from the surrounding area and allows it to seep into the ground slowly.

Installing a dry well is one of the most useful and popular of many methods that are employed to drain excess stormwater from your yard. Whatever method you chose to redirect excess stormwater, they all have the same goal: to avoid the inevitable problems and damage that such drainage brings. If your yard has poor drainage and your property floods relatively often and quickly when you get heavy rain, you should consider adding one or more dry wells.

The Purpose of a Dry Well

The purpose of a dry well drainage system is to dispose of unwanted water, such as surface runoff, stormwater, or greywater, by dispersing it into the ground. A dry well drainage system works by using gravity to direct water toward a buried tank that has porous walls and is filled with gravel or other materials. The water seeps through the walls of the dry well and the gravel, and gradually infiltrates into the surrounding soil. A dry well drainage system can help reduce erosion, flooding, and pollution caused by excess water runoff of hardscape areas (roof, driveway, patio, street, etc.) that often contain chemical pollutants. The filtering process of the dry well, like that of a French drain, allows the water to be cleaned by the natural filtering process before making its way into storm sewers.

Other drainage features such as French drains or dry creek beds are often build in conjunction with a dry well. They terminate at the dry well, with the water they collected flowing into it. Ultimately their purpose is to collect water from a larger area, such as a slope or a swale, and direct it to the dry well.

It can also prevent water from overloading the municipal storm drains, which can lead to sewer backups, street flooding, and water pollution.

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