Water does not disappear in West Michigan. It lingers. The clay soils hold it. The flat terrain offers nowhere for it to go. The lake effect weather delivers persistent moisture from October through April. And the properties across Holland, Grand Haven, Zeeland, Hudsonville, and the surrounding communities sit in a landscape where the water that falls on the ground stays close to the surface for days, sometimes weeks, after the rain stops.

The homeowner sees the symptoms. The lawn stays soggy long after the neighbors' has dried. The mulch in the planting beds washes out during every storm. The patio holds puddles. The basement smells damp. And the corner of the yard that was a minor inconvenience five years ago has become a swamp that makes the entire back half of the property unusable during the wet months.