Thanks for the replies. A drainage system seems like a good start,
whether or not I do any further landscaping with what is now lawn. The
multi-flow system at varicore.com looks like a real possibility.

We live adjacent to a small protected wetland, but by "adjacent" I do
not mean 10 feet away. Rather, our lawn abuts about 1/2 acre of woods,
which we also own (and does not have any restrictions that we are
aware of). Beyond the 1/2 acre of woods the protected area begins, and
somewhere in there (I haven't actually explored that far) is some kind
of actual wetland.

So, basically what's happening is that the lowest point of our lawn is
where moisture is starting to collect in the ground to the point where
it's quite soft. The woods are softer still, but they do not collect
above ground standing water. I would think, then, we could drain from
our lawn into our woods -- basically moving the point at which water
collects below the surface from the lawn to the woods.

The source of the water is not a particular point -- just the general
topography of the area, in that we're at nearly the lowest spot in the
neighborhood. Because our property slopes (slightly), it's only the
lowest of the low points where the soft ground is an issue.

-Aaron

"Vox Humana" wrote in message .. .
"Aaron" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

My property has a gradual slope to it and a lot of lawn, most of which
is fine. However there is a flat area of the property at the lowest
point, of perhaps 400 square feet, which is nearly always soft and wet
(we border woods which gradually morph into wetlands, so this is not
completely surprising). We live in the northeast, so the only very dry
season is the tail-end of the summer. The area does not have standing
water, but the ground beneath the grass is very, very soft and
mud-like. It so happens that this wet area would be a nice place to
sit, read, view the house, etc. but it is difficult to really use
because it is so wet. Plus, mowing is quite difficult given the very
soft ground.

Basically I'm gathering information on what alternate uses of this
area might be, so that we could eventually spend some more time out
there. For example, I considered building a freestanding deck over the
area. That is one possibility. Perhaps a rock garden would be another
possibility? Some other style of garden? I don't know much about
gardens or landscaping, so if anyone has ideas for how we could
convert this space -- especially do-it-yourself and on a budget (i.e.
not an in-ground pool), I would be most appreciative.

If your property is draining into a protected wetland, there may be
limitations on what you can do. You should check with local authorities
first to keep yourself out of trouble. There are sometimes regulations
about diverting water onto or away from another person's property. If there
are no restrictions, you might look into installing a drainage system. I
have seen some interesting drainage tubes at Lowe's. There were rectangular
tubes that were installed in trenches made by a trencher. Once installed
the grass could grow over them and they would disappear. You would have to
discharge the water somewhere which could be into the woods if permitted or
you might have to construct a sump.

You can take a look at the product he http://www.varicore.com/
There is an installation video he http://tinyurl.com/2qo4t