Case Study: NDS Drainage Systems for Retaining Wall Stability

Challenge: Ensure retaining wall stability with proper drainage solution

As the home to LSU Tigers softball team, Tiger Park opened in 2009 and can seat close to 1,300 fans. The stadium also features an outfield berm – Tiger Park Terrace – that can accommodate an additional 1,200 fans. During the development of the terrace’s retaining walls, NDS was brought in to provide a drainage solution to help ensure design integrity.

Solution: NDS EZflow french drain convenient subsurface alternative to stone-and-pipe drainage

Retaining walls are a great way to offer terraced seating at concert venues and sports complexes. They work well to hold back earth in the landscape, but hydrostatic pressure from groundwater can sometimes cause even low retaining walls to fail, so proper drainage is critical to wall longevity. Also, groundwater weeping through dry-stacked masonry can cause unsightly staining and streaking. That’s why the landscaping team for LSU called in NDS specialists, who recommended the EZflow drainage system, which is designed to intercept and convey groundwater from behind a retaining wall, relieving hydrostatic pressure and preventing weeps. With a full line of options, EZflow is ideal for multiple applications beyond retaining walls, including foundation and footing perimeter drains, landscape drains and sports fields. The product’s lightweight expanded polystyrene aggregate offers structural integrity and resists compaction. Engineered flow channels increase void space, creating improved water flow and greater storage.

Impact: Drainage solution offers significant savings in time, labor and construction footprint

EZflow saved the landscaping team significant time and labor during installation since there was no waiting for deliveries, staging and moving heavy stone and pipe typically used for French Drain. LSU will also benefit from EZflow’s long usable service life with a heavy 30-sieve fabric wrap which is less likely to clog from silt.