Dealing with flooding

Posted

Q. We’re having a flooding problem. The neighbors behind us rebuilt their home and also raised their yard, sloping into ours. We now have about two feet of water every time it rains. We spoke with the building inspector, who doesn’t think there’s a problem and won’t do anything. We’re so frustrated because I have cancer and my husband has a heart condition, and this financial burden of raising our yard or suing just isn’t affordable. Is there any rule or law that protects us? We thought our local government would help us, but they’re turning a blind eye to the whole thing. What can we do?

A. Over the past 25 years I have received questions like yours many times, and it always seems to be the same thing. I have seen this as bullying, as one neighbor in this fabric of a community of close homes inflicts pain on another for their own selfish reasons. I have also seen the reaction of local government, and that some municipalities do not react to the problem. I am not certain why this is, but it enables some building owners to get away with not following the rules at the detriment of the others around them. And that is what you want: enforcement that makes us all equal.

The county you live in has such rules, that one property shall not drain into another, that rainwater shall be retained on that property where rain falls. Some communities ask for property data, including elevation surveys that show high and low points, and require proof, in the form of rain-collecting drywells and calculations, shown right on the architect’s plans. I appreciate the towns and villages who do not ask for calculation, only because many property owners do not necessarily understand that this is needed and do not want to pay for it.

Page 1 / 2