Drainage & Watershed Control

East Tennessee's heavy rainfall and clay soils create drainage challenges for many property owners. Water moving across a property can erode soil, damage driveways, saturate yards, and threaten foundations. We assess how water moves through your land and install drainage features to redirect it where you want it to go.

Drainage and watershed control is the practice of managing how water moves across a property. This can involve reshaping the ground to redirect surface runoff, installing channels and drainage ditches to carry water away from structures, or grading to change how water flows across the site.

Every property handles water differently depending on its terrain, soil type, slope, vegetation, and the surrounding watershed. There is no one-size-fits-all solution — each drainage project starts with understanding how water behaves on your specific site.

Drainage and watershed control may be appropriate if you're dealing with:

• Surface runoff that erodes soil or cuts channels across your property
• Water pooling in yards, pastures, or near structures after rain
• Stormwater flowing toward a foundation, basement, or crawl space
• Driveway washouts caused by water crossing or running alongside the surface
• Saturated soil that stays wet long after rain has stopped
• Slope erosion on hillsides or embankments

• Drainage swales to redirect surface water gently across a property
• Drainage ditches and channels to move larger volumes of water away from structures
• Driveway drainage — shaping and ditching to prevent water from washing out the surface
• Water diversion to redirect runoff away from problem areas
• Site grading related to drainage — reshaping ground to change how water flows

Drainage work cannot be standardized. The right solution for your property depends on multiple factors that are unique to your site:

• Terrain and slope — water moves downhill, and the steepness and shape of your land determine where it goes
• Soil type — clay soils drain slowly and hold water; sandy or loamy soils behave differently
• Existing grades — the current shape of the ground may be directing water toward problems
• Runoff patterns — where water enters your property and where it exits
• Structures — the location of your home, driveway, outbuildings, and septic system
• Vegetation — established root systems can help stabilize soil and slow water flow

Because of these variables, we approach drainage as a site-assessment process. We walk the property, observe how water moves, and recommend solutions based on what we find. We do not guarantee specific drainage outcomes — water behavior is influenced by conditions beyond our control, including upstream watershed changes, rainfall intensity, and soil saturation levels.

Site Assessment

We walk the property with you to identify where water enters, how it moves through the site, and where problems are occurring. We look at slope, soil, existing drainage features, and the relationship between water flow and your structures.

Recommendations

Based on what we observe, we recommend drainage features that make sense for your property. This might include a combination of swales, drainage ditches, or site grading. We explain what each option does and why we're recommending it.

Installation

Once we agree on the scope, we excavate and install the drainage features using our Kubota excavator and grading equipment. After installation, you may want to hydroseed or mulch the disturbed areas to prevent erosion as the new drainage features settle in.

• Soil composition — clay, loam, rock, or mixed conditions affect how water moves and drains
• Slope angle — steeper slopes move water faster and may require different solutions than flat areas
• Existing water paths — natural drainage patterns that have already formed on the property
• Proximity to structures — how close water is getting to foundations, driveways, or septic systems
• Upstream and downstream conditions — what's happening above and below your property in the watershed

Apex Landworks is based in Greeneville, TN. We provide drainage and watershed control services across 16 East Tennessee counties. If water is causing problems on your property, call us or request a free estimate and we'll come take a look.