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Improper surface drainage is the number one drainage
problem on fields and could be avoided by applying these two principles.
Incorrect Field Contours
•
Sports field contours are expressed as percentage of slope. Any
slope that is less than 1% (except baseball/softball infields
which should be .5%) or more than 2% is considered to be incorrect.
The preferred slope for sports field grass areas is 1.25% to 1.75%.
Baseball or softball field skinned areas should be between .5%
and 1.5%.
• A baseball or softball infield should never be the lowest
point on the field – it should be the highest point to enhance
surface drainage.
• If the contour is not even and consistent, it is incorrect.
A field with a 1.5% slope should be graded evenly with a 1½’
difference in grade over a span of 100’.
Failure
to Isolate Fields as Drainage Units
• No field should be expected to drain away
more water than what falls on it. Even if a field is built with
correct contours, water running onto the field from another field
or an adjacent area can seriously compromise playability in rainy
conditions.
• The preferred Sportscape design isolates each field as an
individual drainage unit by using swales and/or catch basins around
the field, or by making the field higher than its surroundings.
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