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Within the past few months I've noticed a steady stream of water from the middle of my yard trickle down to the sidewalk. My House is on a hill, and my yard is sloped downward, so all water goes to the sidewalk.

I've dug up around the area, and it's a broken pipe that has left water in the middle of the yard.

I'm pretty sure this isn't an incoming water pipe, our water bills haven't increased, and if I remember correctly, after we have several days of no rain, there isn't any any water streaming.

I'm thinking of digging a large trench from the broken spot, and putting in a new pipe to help channel the water directly to the sidewalk, instead of over the lawn (mudpit). As water will take the path of least pressure, will I need to "fix" the broken section of pipe, or would I be okay with just laying new pipe?

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Consider adding a picture. Could it be a drain for a sump pump, perhaps in your basement? – Jay Bazuzi Apr 9 '11 at 2:45
Will add a picture tomorrow morning. Basement doesn't have a sump pump. About a year ago, I had special basement drainage system installed, but it's all gravity based, and the outlet is further up the yard. – Alan Apr 9 '11 at 2:54
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Is it a drain connected to downspouts from the gutters? – Steve Fallows Apr 9 '11 at 3:09
@Steve Fallows: That's what I suspect, but it's far enough away from any downspouts, and is underground so I wouldn't know how to tell for certain. – Alan Apr 9 '11 at 3:14
is this a known way of dealing with rainwater from the gutters? with a buried pipe? in my area the gutter is open 20 Cm above the ground, and it's very close to the building wall. it seems very odd to me that it is connected to the gutter... – Asaf Chertkoff Apr 9 '11 at 5:56
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2 Answers

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I'm assuming this pipe connects your gutters to the cities storm drain system, depending on the type of pipe and the damage it's probably a simple fix.

If the pipe is PVC and the damaged area is not too large, you may be able to cut out the damaged section and reconnect it using a coupling.

PVC Coupling

If the damaged area is larger (and PVC) you could cut out the damaged area, then patch it in using another length of PVC and two couplings.

If the pipe is not PVC you could use a flexible rubber coupling as @AWMoore suggests, just make sure the one you use is rated to be buried (and is permitted to be buried by your local codes).

Flexible rubber coupling

If this is a storm drain you may want to contact your local water municipality, as they may be responsible for the maintenance of the drain line (paid for by your taxes).

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How big is the pipe, and is the break accessible (seems like it is, from your comments)? At Home Depot/Lowes, they usually have these heavy rubber connectors for joining two pieces of dissimilar pipe, such as cast iron and pvc. The rubber fits over the pipes like a sleeve, and has adjustable hose clamps at either end so you can tighten it down. This might solve your problem without needing to dig a trench. Hope this helps.

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