Thursday, July 31, 2014

Water update

I woke up on Tuesday morning at 4:30, wondering how much water was in my back yard. Once the sun came up, I could check! Increased flow in the driveway ...



And in the new "creek" in the back yard.


I called the county back ... it turns out there was a worse leak that needed attention on Monday. Tell that to my back yard ...

They showed up about 10:30 and started digging. It didn't take long for them to figure out that they couldn't shovel water faster than it was being replaced. So they got in their truck and left. About a half hour later the returned with a truck that had a pump and a holding tank.

By now, all that clay they dug up was finding its way to the bottom of my driveway and was clogging the drain in front of the garage. No way I was leaving until the water stopped in case my garage flooded and I had to figure out what wasn't in a plastic tub and needed to get moved.

 
They finally got the truck pumping faster than the leak so I went to work. I came home to find the leak repaired, but the access to my water meter now well above grade. Probably because of all the dirt ended up here covering my drain:
 
 
Of course, the county has said nothing about the damage in my back yard, or come to get the two bright orange traffic cones they've left by the water meter.
 
I'm thinking since I've already begun digging the trench, I might just want to go ahead and extend the drain hose down to the edge of the property. Once I fill in that giant underground hole ...

7 comments:

  1. Seriously, it could be worse, it could be the sewer. The sewer main at my boss's house clogged up, and, their basement being the lowest point in the system, filled up. And the city has some sort of escape clause and didn't have to take any responsibility for it. It could be worse. It could be the sewer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I should clarify that it was the sewer main for the whole neighborhood. Not just theirs...

      Delete
  2. Luckily we're got septic - not sewer - but I agree it could have been so much worse. Both a foundation and contents of the garage are dry, and free cones!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Keep the cones! Donate them to your local SCCA region for the auto-X program if not needed around your own castle...which apparently has the beginnings of a moat now... :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Helluva mess... And yeah, keep the cones! ;-) Now the FUN part will be getting the adjustment on the water bill!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I can definitely empathize with your soggy backyard issue! Looking at the pictures you've posted it seems that with a little digging and rerouting you could have your very own lazy river on your property. Although I'm sure that wasn't your original intent!

    I hope by now the problem is under control and that your property is leak-free. But I also know that sometimes when the so-called experts come out to fix the problem, another one ensues. Best of luck!

    Rudy Swanson @ Haaker

    ReplyDelete