I had a water line installed in my yard on June 30th, buried 3 feet deep in a very narrow trench made by a Ditch Witch. The affected area is partly prepared for seeding, and I'd really like to be able to seed it by September 1st, or September 15th at the very latest. The contractor said the dirt could completely settle in a month if there's plenty of rain, but I'm starting to wonder if that's optimistic. The mounds have definitely gotten smaller, aided by daily soaking from a hose, followed by some heavy rain. But I'm afraid progress will be much slower from here on. I need the dirt completely back in the trench so I can freely rake the area.

So far the trench has become visible only on the curves, where the trencher apparently threw the dirt mostly to one side. I moved that dirt so it's heaped directly over the trench. By now it's pretty heavy, not the fluffed-up stuff that quickly shrank down. On the straight runs, the mound shows no signs of the trench underneath.

Is it worthwhile for me to go back to soaking it with a hose every day? I have a well, so it doesn't cost me anything but time.