# Water logged back yard



## canadianwhite (Sep 13, 2010)

Hello, hope someone can help. We bought out home 2 years ago. We done our perimeter drains last summer and still getting a water logged yard, it's not that bad but in places it is. We put a French drain in to across the back off the yard. We live on Vancouver island and it can get lots of rain. Is there any thing else we could do? We also we the house behind us as 2 pipes running towards our house coming down from there gutters is that legal? Thanks hope you can help


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## jlsconstruction (Apr 26, 2011)

They can do what ever they want as long as the pipe doesn't go onto your property. Maybe a few dry wells


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## painterman (Feb 5, 2005)

Think like a farmer...run drainage tile through out yard. 3 inch perforated o pipe would work .Check with bylaw enforcement office. In Ontario you can not direct water from one property to another .


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## CarpenterSFO (Dec 12, 2012)

If their pipes are directing water onto your property, more than would otherwise naturally occur, you might be able to do something about it. Think like a farmer, indeed (Edit: I mean that positively.)


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## 91782 (Sep 6, 2012)

Plenty of interpreted law on artificially directed vs naturally occurring runoff.

http://realestate.findlaw.com/neighbors/water-damage-and-neighbor-disputes.html 



> If your neighbor has landscaped his land, however, or altered his property in some other way that causes more water to run onto your land than would otherwise naturally occur, then you may have some recourse to recover for the damage.


In my area, site/topo engineers are one of the most fundamental requirements when presenting site plans for review consideration.

So, yes, you can do something about it.

The costs of arbitration/civil suit are far, far greater than remediation, and a competent real estate attorney can usually make an equitable explanation to your neighbor without ever having to step inside a courtroom.


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## ehart (Jan 6, 2014)

In alot of areas it will be a subjective sort of thing. You're neighbor cannot deposit water directly onto your property and must take all reasonable measures to minimize the amount of rain water that indirectly flows to your property from his.

Anyway you can just re-grade or do something to direct the flow from his downspouts back towards his own home?


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