Stop The Erosion Of You Property With One Simple Solution
Posted on: 27 August 2019
Australia has a very wide range of environmental conditions, from the spongey green land in the rainforests of north Queensland to the arid and hard surfaces of Western Australia. Modern building standards mean that wherever your home is built, it is done with the intention to last and safety procedures are put in place so that the foundations are secure for decades. However, what these precautions often fail to plan for is the build-up of water from rainfall, and in many parts of Australia, this can pose quite a significant risk to the erosion of your home over time.
The Problem
As previously mentioned, much of Australia's land is extremely arid and can be as hard as cement on the surface. This makes it good for building because you know once the foundations are set they are not likely to be damaged or moved. The one problem with this hard topsoil is that when it rains, and it often does in the coastal regions where people live, the water does not seep into the ground as easily as it would on softer ground. This means it can sit for days at a time before it is fully absorbed by the soil, and if this water pools around your house or cement foundations, then your home's building material is liable to erode over time. Concrete can start to crumble, wood can rot and even cement can crack after months and years of exposure to water, something they are not meant to be in constant contact with.
The Solution
Luckily, there is a very simple and permanent solution to this problem. Soakwells are open-ended water tanks that are placed below ground with only the top of the soakwell being visible on the surface. The top of the soakwell is often either a grate or some other design that allows water in but nothing else. Then, at the bottom, the soakwell is open ended and connects directly to the earth, allowing water to be dissipated into the much softer soil that lies below. This prevents water from building up during storms and heavy rainfalls and has little impact on the aesthetic quality of your garden.
Positioning The Soakwell
The most important thing in implementing this plan to prevent erosion is knowing where to place your soakwell. Ideally, you want to be able to funnel all the water that would ordinarily be left on the ground after a storm towards the soakwell. This means placing soakwells at the bottom of any inclines your property may have, possibly installing slight gutters to direct the water flow and maybe having more than one soakwell if you cannot direct all the possible water pools towards just one soakwell. Discuss this with your soakwell contractor; they will know how to best utilise the soakwells on your property as they have years of experience doing so.
Share