I'm sorry to hear you're facing this problem in your new home/neighborhood. If you want to work with the problem, maybe a rain garden (bioretention basin is a more technical term) would work in this area? The link below is for a site that has information on what it is and how to build one. Basically, it's an area meant to catch water during rains and slowly (within 24 hours) drain it into the ground to recharge the groundwater supply. There are specific plants listed (perennials, shrubs and trees) that will tolerate the very wet to somewhat dry conditions that are found in such a site. Though this site is the NJ Native Plant Society, please note that the northwestern corner of NJ is USDA zone 5, while the coastal area for the southern half of the state is zone 7 ... and other regions are in between ... so, even in your zone 5, you may find some plants on the list appropriate for your region. Also, I'm sure there are websites that will have lists of appropriate plant material for rain gardens in your region. It may require amending the soil to provide proper drainage, but that will depend on the site. Best of luck to you in resolving the problem and in your new home. Here is a link that might be useful: Native Plant Society of NJ

Please allow me to explain some facts about the different types of sand. As a contractor and someone who has worked in a concrete plant you better know what type of snd you need for the job you are doing. With that said lets began. Sand is either dug up in a quarry or dredged from a pond, lake or a sand quarry that they hit a spring in and filled with water. All commercial sand is washed so it can be graded for size and type. You have to go out and dig up your own if you want to get unwashed sand ( which is not recommended for landscaping ) to be used as fill sand or what we call sandbox sand. First thing to fall out of the washer is mason sand. Next is concrete sand followed by fill sand which contains some clay. Next is gravel base and is made-up of lots of clay and small gravel.This is what you typically find on ball diamonds and clay tennis courts or as a base for a gravel driveway or path through your garden. It can be packed down so hard you would think it was concrete with a colored dye in it untill it rains. Dogs, cats, kids and husbands get in quite a bit of trouble when it rains because of this stuff. Next is pea gravel. This can be used to cover the gravel base or partly fill holes like lateral lines where you need good drainage or placed under downspouts to keep the water from making a canyon of you lawn and it gives it a decorative look. Just remember to use something to keep the gravel in place or your mower becomes a machine gun when you mow around It. A lot of people use it in flower beds and around the base of trees too for decorative look. Rock gardens look neat and pea gravel mixed with river rock works well for this. Next comes river rock. Used as I just mentioned in place of the pea gravel ecept not on lateral lines or sewer pipes or any other underground lines and pipes. Although it does work well for drip irrigation or soaker hose. Then the last is river stone. Good for decorative landscaping and filling in wash outs or anywhere you need the water not to erode the ground beneath them.

I definitely wouldn't want to capture *ALL* the rainwater falling on the property, as I understand about the need for replenishing not only our groundwater tables but also for the immediate watering of my big, mature trees. I'm just thinking that with a 10,000 sq ft property, there's a lot of space to put a few additional barrels. I have this big, basically unused area behind my garage where X number of barrels could sit and do their thing without being an eyesore for me or the neighbors. BTW, and this is purely a guess, but I think about 2/3 of the property is earth vs some man-made material. Also, my patio and the walkway from it to the driveway slope at, I believe, 9 degrees toward the driveway. The driveway slopes down to the street naturally, following the slope of the property. I could theoretically reroute the runoff from the patio somehow to save it, although it doesn't really get much water of its own during a rain, because it's covered and its cover is also fully guttered.

I will....and we just had a severe weather storm. I'm not sure when they will be back, but they may have to swim to their front door now. I thought they understood the restriction. I hate wastefulness! Our water company is really good about sending the pamphlet every year. Maybe he thought since he seeded, but the rule is if you sod, not seed, you can water everyday for a week. I don't know. My dh told me to stop talking to him about grasses because he is stubborn and won't listen. After he asked me about overseeding his fescue in the high 90's here, and me warning him it would be a waste to just wait until the fall to overseed, he argued that the landscapers had to fix a spot in his backyard (a drainage problem) and seeded an area back there inbetween some sod they laid where he was amazed that it was growing. I think my dh is right. If he asks me a question, I'll answer it to the best of my ability, but I can't help him if he won't listen. He did finally take my advice about keeping it higher than our bermuda. He used to have bermuda before moving into this house, and is happy to have fescue now....At least I think he is happy? He seems so worried all the time about it. When he catches us, it's all he talks about. Oh well, now to focus on my own lawn :) Thank you for all the replies.