Hole in garden keeps filling with water!

Little_Missy

Hi all,

I've dug a hole approx. 3ft deep and it keeps filling with water (...when it hasn't rained). Each morning it has around 2" of water sat in the bottom; I keep emptying it out, but it is there again the following day!

I've had a close look today and the water seems to be seeping out of the clay very slowly.

Does anybody know why this might be and how I can prevent it (...without filling the hole back in )?

Thanks in advance!

I_have_spoken

Sounds like a high water table or groundwater from autumn rains can't drain through the clay

http://www.gardendesignexposed.com/water_table.html

NeverInDebt

My front lawn is a bit like that this time of year, due to clay in soil.I try every year to add some extra mulch designed for lawns looks like peat a bit but suppose to feed lawn too, also added sand for lawns also. The water doesnt seem to drain away much despite lawn being higher than pavement. In summer lawn get very dry easily so often have to water it I also put a fork to aerate the lawn too

Davesnave

It's more than likely that you have higher land somewhere beyond your garden, and if you are on clay sub soil, water from that land will tend to seep along the clay rather than pass through it. This would then be a normal situation, especially at this time of year.


Is there any special reason why you want a dry hole 3' deep?

George_Michael

Davesnave wrote: »

Is there any special reason why you want a dry hole 3' deep?

You've obviously never tried to bury a body in a waterlogged hole!

ariba10

I think it is called a "Well"

Herzlos

Depending on the reason for the hole, you could line it with something like pond liner or even brick/concrete. But with exposed soil you are going to have water seeping.

Davesnave

George_Michael wrote: »

You've obviously never tried to bury a body in a waterlogged hole!

On the contrary, I have buried three in the past few years.

I even have a couple which had to be logged by the council, and I have the approval cert to prove it.

moneyistooshorttomention

This thread has had me promptly studying websites about low water tables and thinking "That thought hadn't crossed my mind" as to a possible reason for a fair-size waterlogged patch I've discovered had had a makeshift solution done to it once I started "digging".

Fingers crossed that that isn't the problem here.

Now googling as to "how to tell the difference" between a drainage problem that's down to what I "think" its down to (ie combination of heavy rain at times here and no visible way for the water to run off into my drains at present) and watertable problems.

Would it be the case that, as long as part of a garden DOESNT have waterlogging problems, then that must mean it cant be a too low watertable? (as otherwise the rest of the garden would cop it too....).

90% certain that its what we all think it is and the watertable is fine. My house has clay soil, but isn't sitting on a hill for other peoples water to be coming through onto my land. Next house up from mine is only very very slightly "up"....

theoretica

Liquid nitrogen would umm perhaps be overkill?
http://cms.web.cern.ch/news/massive-underground-excavation