Water Control & Drainage Solutions

Standing water, a soggy yard, or a field that won't drain after spring thaw isn't just an inconvenience — left alone, it damages foundations, kills crops, erodes land, and turns roads and parking areas unusable. ERE Excavation diagnoses the actual water problem on a property and puts in a solution built to handle it long-term, not just patch it for one season.

ERE Excavation | 233119 Co Rd F, Abbotsford, WI 54405 | (715) 613-0011

Drainage Solutions for Every Type of Property

A wet basement, a flooded parking lot, and a washed-out township road all involve moving water off a property — but they call for different approaches, different equipment, and often different regulatory considerations. That's why we treat drainage as three distinct services.

Drain tile, French drains, and pond digging for homeowners dealing with wet basements, soggy yards, or standing water after rain.

Site drainage, retention area work, and grading for commercial properties managing stormwater and parking lot runoff.

Ditching, rip rap, and culvert-related drainage work for townships and municipalities managing road and public property water flow.

Why Central Wisconsin Has So Many Drainage Problems

A lot of it comes down to soil. Heavy clay is common across Marathon, Clark, and Wood counties, and clay doesn't absorb water the way sandier soil does — it holds moisture near the surface far longer, which means properties that look fine most of the year can flood every spring without warning. Add in spring thaw runoff, when frozen ground can't absorb meltwater at all, and even well-graded properties can end up with standing water for weeks at a time. Drainage work in this region isn't optional maintenance — it's often the difference between a usable property and a recurring problem.

Our Drainage Assessment & Installation Process

Diagnose the actual source

811 locate request

Design the right solution

Installation

Outlet and discharge check

Grading and cleanup

What Affects Drainage Project Cost and Timeline

  • Source of the water problem — a simple regrade costs and takes far less than a full drain tile system tied into a sump.
  • Soil type — clay-heavy ground often needs more aggressive drainage solutions than sandy soil.
  • Distance to a suitable outlet — how far water needs to travel to discharge safely affects both material and labor.
  • Site access — tight urban lots and easy rural access change equipment and timeline needs.
  • Scope — a single wet spot in a yard and a whole-field drain tile system for a farm operate on very different scales.

Types of Drainage Work We Do

  • Drain tile installation — perforated pipe systems that intercept groundwater before it saturates a foundation, yard, or field.
  • French drains — gravel-and-pipe trench systems that redirect surface and shallow subsurface water away from a specific low spot.
  • Rip rap installation — stone placement that stabilizes ditches, pond banks, and areas prone to erosion from moving water.
  • Ditching — grading and shaping ditches so water moves off a property and away from roads, driveways, and structures instead of collecting.
  • Pond digging — farm and recreational pond excavation, shaped and sized to the property's needs.

Common Questions About Drainage

  • How do I know if I need drainage work?

    Signs include standing water more than 24-48 hours after a normal rain, a consistently wet basement or crawl space, soggy areas of yard or field that never fully dry out, or visible erosion along a slope or ditch. If any of that sounds familiar, it's worth having the property assessed.

  • Why does my property flood every spring even though it's fine the rest of the year?

    This is one of the most common drainage patterns we see in Central Wisconsin — frozen ground during spring thaw can't absorb meltwater the way it does the rest of the year, so even properties with adequate summer drainage can flood seasonally without a system designed to handle that specific window.

  • What's the difference between a French drain and drain tile?

    They're similar in concept but different in application — a French drain typically addresses a specific surface-level wet spot, while drain tile is a broader system usually installed around a foundation or across a field to intercept groundwater before it becomes a surface problem.

  • Do you need a permit for drainage work?

    It depends on the scope and location — work near a wetland, waterway, or floodplain may require DNR permitting, and some municipalities have their own drainage or grading permit requirements. We can flag when this is likely to apply, though securing the permit itself is typically the property owner's or engineer's responsibility.

  • Can drainage work be done in winter?

    It depends on frost depth and ground conditions at the time — some smaller jobs can proceed, but major drain tile or ditching work is usually more effective scheduled around spring thaw or fall before ground freeze.

  • Will drainage work damage my lawn or landscaping?

    Some disturbance along the work area is unavoidable, but we backfill, regrade, and leave the site as close to its original condition as the project allows.

Have a Drainage Problem?

Dealing with a wet yard, flooded lot, or drainage problem on public property? Call (715) 613-0011 and we'll assess it.