Flooded again!

[Louis D]

17 hours ago, Mr Spock said:

I can't access next door's drain as there's a wall in between properties. As next door is much lower than here the rainwater must be going there somehow as there's nowhere else it could go.

It boggles the mind that the builder was allowed to block the natural drainage by building that wall.  I forced my neighbor to remove foot high metal edging along his side of our common privacy fence that was causing water to pool 6 inches deep on my side (the high side).  I pointed out that Texas law forbids blocking the natural drainage of water causing adjacent properties to flood.

The section of Texas code:

Texas Water Code 11.086:

(a) No person may divert or impound the natural flow of surface waters in this state, or permit a diversion or impounding by him to continue, in a manner that damages the property of another by the overflow of the water diverted or impounded.

You might want to check on your local water code laws to see if you can force a drainage notch to be cut into the bottom of that common wall.

Edited November 3, 2023 by Louis D

[pipnina]

12 hours ago, Seelive said:

Really? There seems to be many places with hills in my part of the UK.

I have often been told by Scottish family that "england is flat" and to be fair I think a lot of it is compared to scotland. But devon/cornwall certainly seems hillier than most places I've been to. Certainly the Scottish family were surprised when they came down and this part of england was not flat haha.

[UKDiver]

First things first, I'm not a flood engineer,  but I work with them. I've picked a few things up along the way, but a little knowledge is a dangerous thing....

Water will go somewhere, usually down.

If a soakaway, the ground must be permeable and not already 'full'. No go in clay.

If using a french drain, swale etc, then be sure you're not moving your problem onto someone else. 

If I had the space, funds etc, I'd go for a rainwater attenuation tank. These take the peak and then slowly release it to the existing drainage system. Options exist for rainwater toilet flushing etc too, so a little potential to reduce water bill. ROI might be a while!

Would a couple of water butts connected to gutters help? Collect the water, then empty slowly later?

[saac]

26 minutes ago, pipnina said:

I have often been told by Scottish family that "england is flat" and to be fair I think a lot of it is compared to scotland. But devon/cornwall certainly seems hillier than most places I've been to. Certainly the Scottish family were surprised when they came down and this part of england was not flat haha.

I think we call those bumps  

Jim