If you notice a soggy or mushy area in your yard that can’t be attributed to recent heavy rain or some other obvious source, don’t just ignore it and hope it will go away. A wet or soggy area of the yard is often a sign of a plumbing, sewer, or septic problem. Ignoring it will only allow the problem to get worse. It’s important to find out what’s causing the problem before there is further damage.
The most common causes of soggy spots are leaking water service lines. If the soggy area is located between your house and the water meter, there is a pretty good chance that a leaking water line is the cause of the problem. Another indication is an unusually high water bill. You can test for a leaky water line by shutting off all of the water in your home, then writing down the reading on the water meter. Check the meter again after an hour and if it has moved, then your water line is leaking.
If the problem is not your water service line, it’s time to start thinking about other sources. If you have an irrigation sprinkler system, a cracked or broken line can cause a soggy spot. Swimming pool plumbing can also create mushy areas of the yard depending on how they are plumbed. You could have a cracked water line for your automatic pool filling system, a leak in the pool itself, or a leak in the plumbing for the filtration system.
Finally, if your home is on a septic system, mushy areas near the leach field can be a sign that the leach field is failing. Have the septic system checked out by sewer-septic contractor before the problem gets worse.
