Driveway Drainage
A driveway can have good stone and still fail if water is using it as a drainage channel. Ruts, washouts, disappearing gravel and soft edges often point back to the same problem: water is moving through the access route instead of away from it. ELMS handles residential driveway drainage as a combined grading, access and water-management problem.
Once runoff begins following the length of a driveway, it gains speed and starts moving surface material with it.
Simply adding more gravel may temporarily fill the damage, but the next heavy rain can reopen the same ruts.
A lasting repair starts by changing how water reaches, crosses and leaves the driveway.
Runoff following the length of the driveway instead of leaving it.
Surface material being moved out of the driveway by concentrated flow.
Edges being cut and undermined by moving water.
Channels that have filled in or lost their route.
Spots that collect water instead of shedding it.
Crossings that need to work with the surrounding grade.
Driveway repair and driveway drainage overlap, but they are not the same problem.
The gravel repair page addresses the condition of an existing gravel drive.
This page addresses the WATER that causes or accelerates driveway failure.
Depending on the property, correction may involve regrading, crown or cross-slope changes, ditch or swale work, culvert coordination or changes to the surrounding grade.
Look at where water enters the driveway and what path it takes.
Determine whether water is cutting the surface, damaging an edge, collecting in a low point or crossing in the wrong place.
Shape the access and surrounding drainage so water has somewhere better to go.
Once the water problem is addressed, the damaged access can be restored appropriately.
Repeated washout often means runoff is traveling down or across the driveway with enough force to move the surface material. The water path should be corrected along with the damaged gravel.
Not by itself. New gravel can restore the surface, but if the grade still sends water through the same area the problem can return.
No. Culverts are useful where water needs to pass beneath access, but other situations may depend more on grading, ditching, swales or changing how runoff reaches the driveway.
Often the work can focus on the affected drainage and damaged sections, but the proper scope depends on how widespread the base, surface and water problems have become.
Change the water path before buying another load of stone.
We stand behind qualifying work with a minimum 5 year warranty. When planning, preparation, and installation are done correctly, long-term performance should be expected.
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