Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
anise_hyssop

Filled in Swimming Pool Does Not Drain Well

anise_hyssop
11 years ago

I moved into this house at the end of last summer. It has a filled in swimming pool in the front yard, a 14' x 24' oval. There are some plants growing there--ferns, salal, clover, a groundcover, a shrub. This winter, with the Puget Sound rains, I see that the pool drains very poorly. The water peeks through the soil in the low spots, almost up to the rim of the pool. it does drain--very slowly--but there's always new rain to refresh it. I imagine come summer, it will drain out completely, but I'm not positive. You can see in the picture how the previous owners put some rock in the low spot--and I thought it was just decoration! All the neighbors say the previous owners broke up the bottom of the pool, but obviously not well enough. Now I know why the little cherry tree in the middle of it is dying.
I was hoping to make this my main year round veggie garden space--full sun all day. And it's the best space on the property. Any suggestions? I don't have the resources to have it excavated and redone. I'm considering raising the soil a foot in beds, or, perhaps waiting for it to drain and dig down in order to knock out some of the sides. I'm concerned the water will just stay sponged in the pool area and not drain out the sides into the more hard packed surrounding soil, even if part of the sides were missing. I appreciate any advice or experience you can share with me.

Comments (3)