Homeowner drainage observation checklist

CalgaryGrading.com · Free information and contractor referral resource · Updated October 14, 2026

Observe from safe, dry ground. Do not enter floodwater, touch wet electrical equipment, open drain covers or excavate. Active indoor flooding needs appropriate urgent help; do not wait for an online review. This checklist is not a professional inspection or compliance assessment.

Date / weather / recent landscaping: ___________________________________

Source, route and outlet

• ☐ Record where water first appears: downspout, paved edge, lawn, fence or another location.
• ☐ Note whether it happens during rain, afterwards, snowmelt or dry weather.
• ☐ Trace the visible route without entering neighbouring land.
• ☐ Note low spots, visible settlement, blocked swales and disconnected downspout extensions.
• ☐ Record how long pooling lasts; photograph safely before and after the weather event.
• ☐ Check whether the visible route continues past the puddle to an appropriate outlet.
• ☐ Record any water near a foundation, window well, doorway or inside the home.

Accessible slope segment

Higher endpoint: __________ Lower endpoint: __________

Horizontal distance + unit: __________ Elevation difference + unit: __________

Direction of fall: away from house / toward house / across yard

Slope = elevation difference ÷ horizontal distance × 100, after converting both to the same unit. One segment does not establish whole-lot drainage.

Before changing anything

• ☐ Find the applicable lot grading plan where available.
• ☐ Check current City of Calgary guidance and confirm site-specific approval questions.
• ☐ Avoid diverting water onto neighbours or public walking routes.
• ☐ Arrange an appropriate assessment for recurring pooling, unexplained dry-weather water, significant settlement or indoor leakage.
• ☐ Ask a contractor to identify source, proposed route, permitted outlet, utility planning, restoration, maintenance and written scope.

Notes and questions

Tools: calgarygrading.com/yard-slope-calculator
calgarygrading.com/drainage-problem-checker
City resources: calgary.ca — positive lot drainage