sheet flow
n.— «Norfolk Public Works spokeswoman Sylvia Ballinger said Little Bay depends on a process called “sheet flow” for drainage. That means water flows off the streets into a grassy era. It’s a drainage method also referred to as “no drainage method.”» —“Little Bay. Midsize rains. One real big puddle” by John Warren Virginia-Pilot (Hampton Roads) June 3, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Lucy in Louisa, Virginia, recalls that if her mother was exasperated when the kids were misbehaving, she’d announce I’m going to put you both in a wet paper bag and see who falls out first! This is part of a complete episode.
Related
Rose in Lebanon, Virginia recalls a phrase passed down from her great-grandmother: The night before the first day of school, parents would come into the children’s bedroom and say in a singsong voice: School butter, school butter. This...
Actually, “sheet flow” is not as specific a term as noted here. It does not specifically refer to water flowing into a grassy area. It is a term used in the hydrology and civil engineerng fields that simply refers to water flow or drainage over surfaces (either paved or unpaved, planted or unplanted), rather than being diverted into channels, culverts, or pipes. Where the water ends up — a drainage pit, a pipe, the ocean, or a grassy field — doesn’t matter when you are referring to a “sheet flow.”