Earthwork that controls where the water goes
Tucson gets most of its rain in a few weeks of intense monsoon storms, and the desert soil does not absorb it fast. Water that has nowhere to go ends up against foundations, across driveways and into neighbors’ yards. G & J Excavating builds and repairs the drainage features that give it somewhere to go: swales, channels, basins and graded slopes, on residential lots and commercial sites.
Drainage and earthwork services
- Drainage excavation for channels, swales and outlets that carry runoff around structures.
- Drainage grading to establish positive slope away from foundations and toward approved discharge points.
- Detention and retention basins excavated to the engineered volume and shape for commercial and residential developments.
- Berms and diversion features that keep sheet flow off pads and out of buildings.
- Wash and channel maintenance including removing accumulated sediment and restoring designed capacity. [CONFIRM WHETHER OFFERED.]
- Erosion repair where runoff has cut into slopes, driveways or lot edges.
- General earthwork including mass grading, cut and fill, stockpile management and import or export of material.
Engineered and non-engineered drainage
Commercial projects and most new residential subdivisions come with an engineered drainage plan, and we build to it: basin volumes, channel sections, slopes and outlet structures as drawn. On existing residential properties without a plan, we assess where water enters and exits the lot, then propose a practical grading fix that respects the rule that you cannot send more water onto a neighbor than arrived naturally.
Timing
The best time to fix drainage in Tucson is before monsoon season starts in early summer. Basins, swales and regrading can be done year round, but scheduling ahead of the storms avoids doing the work under pressure.
Drainage work is closely tied to grading and is often part of the site preparation scope on new construction.
