Neighbor plans to discharge standing water into creek

[LouNY]

I suggest that you contact your local N.Y. DEC office. They are the ones who will probably have jurisdiction.

Yea, sic the damned DEC on them without even talking to either of them what a way to have good neighbor relations.
And the way I read it that water drains that way anyways.

 

[Rustyiron]

I suggest that you contact your local N.Y. DEC office. They are the ones who will probably have jurisdiction.

....only after "Fred" turns out to be a prick after speaking to him about your concerns. He will be one for sure if you get the state involved.

 

[Clint S]

If it is considered ''stormwater'' he will need a discharge permit. Here is a good read on NYS drainage law. It seems he may be liable for damage as he is increasing flow or velocity by gathering surface into a drain pipe.
http://senecacountyswcd.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/drainage_law.pdf

 

[TheMan419]

As you see water is a hot topic issue. Most eastern states are "common enemy" states. That means I can alter my land to cause the water to drain on on to your land and there is little you can do about it.

However collecting it into a pipe and discharging it is usually not allowed. Also may be a wetland issue. I am on my phone so can't google for it. There are plenty of web sites you can go to and find out if Fred is draining a wetland. If so many agencies will come down on him.

However like many before me have said.... Talk to your neighbors first.

 

[4570Man]

It doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me. After the fairly brief period of draining the stored water it seems that the water discharged across your land would be the same.

 

[oosik]

If this fellow(Bob's neighbor) is going to be altering drainage on land designated by the Corps of Engineers as WET LANDS - he's looking to get into a world of hurt. The permitting process, alone, will require a Philadelphia lawyer and an engineer from Georgia Tech. If this land being drained is truly designated WET LANDS - once notified, the Corps of Engineers will "attach" to this project like an old bulldog on a fresh bone.

If you really want to get involved - call the COE and ask - " is this property(insert legal description) included in any designated wet lands?" Believe me - this simple phone call should really get the ball rolling.....................

 

[CobyRupert]

It doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me. After the fairly brief period of draining the stored water it seems that the water discharged across your land would be the same.

:thumbsup:

Water flows downhill!

 

[nybirdman]

You can try the NYS DEC but if it is not on their master "wetlands"map there will be nothing you can do.
I called about someone putting in a culvert on a large permanent stream(cuts across dozens of properties and drains thousands of acres) and it wasn't even on their "map".
It ended up he actually improved the flow on this particular stream;a good thing.

 

[bspeedy]

It doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me. After the fairly brief period of draining the stored water it seems that the water discharged across your land would be the same.

Agree. Am I missing something here? Initially, more water will move. Then, only water added to the system will move downstream. Same as last year and the year before that. I bet you'll never notice.

 

[Thomas]

May want to check out your state regulations when it comes to change natural water flow coarse.