Problem: the whole neighborhood and backing park area drain into the lower back portion of our sloping yard on way to the storm sewer located about 15' into our yard on lot line with neighbor. (In the picture it is just this side of those cable/electrical/phone boxes. Note the sloping fence.) After rain and snow we have about a 55' x 4-5' puddle about 4" deep across this area. I want to put in a vegetable garden over part of this.

Solution: I am planning some sort of underground canal (white rock section about 12" deep x 6" wide, buried under the grass and garden about 1 foot down), to drain into the storm sewer. But then I thought, hey make lemonade out of this lemon of a yard. Water is expensive here. Anyone know how I can collect this drainage before it hits the storm sewer and use it to water my garden--CHEAPLY? Thinking some sort of inexpensive barrel-thing buried deep enough to collect the water but with an overflow pipe to the sewer. Or something. Any inexpensive ideas, or information of books about this stuff, would be helpful.