Rework is not the contractor?EUR??,,????'???s friend. A phone call complaining that a recently completed landscape project has drainage problems can really ruin a good week! It is the best policy to get it right the first time. In concert with proper grading and a few well-placed surface inlets, subsurface drainage completes the drainage task. Subsurface drainage assumes that the topsoil has exceeded its water holding capacity. By way of comparison, flowerpots typically have weep holes in the bottom. Without these, plants can be grown only with very careful watering procedures. Similarly, in planters, flower beds, lawns, athletic fields, and fairways subsurface drainage promotes healthy plant growth. There are several drawbacks to the common French drain system. First of all, it requires a wide trench resulting in substantial expense, effort, and inconvenience. But there is another problem with French drains. It is common for them to become less effective over time until they stop altogether. As water passes through the soil it picks up small particles of clay and silt and these are deposited on the face of the filter. A new generation of drains has appeared on the marketplace. These drains are tall and thin and are typically geo-textile wrapped and installed in an envelope of very coarse sand. This sand serves as a primary filter, slowing down the water and screening out the silt and clay particles. This arrangement is possible because these new drainage pipes are generally installed in a trench that is only four inches wide or are laid out flat and covered with sand. This sand filter dramatically extends the life of the system. Line spacing and the configuration of drainage collector lines will be dictated by the landscape setting. In an athletic field, collector lines should be spaced 10 to 15 feet apart. A herringbone pattern is advantageous if the field has a crown. In residential settings lines are located in low lying areas and the drainage configuration is determined by the profile of the land. Systems such as the Multi-Flow Drainage System by Varicore provide a wide variety of fittings and connectors making such flexibility possible. Locating the drainage lines near to the surface allows for speedy drainage but require that lines be placed closer together. Deeper lines will not react as quickly but can be spaced farther apart. But in all cases the very coarse sand backfill should be extended up near to the surface so that standing water will readily find its way into the trench. Varicore produces the Multi-Flow Drainage system. For more information visit www.varicore.com.