Author Topic: oh dear ive really ****** up! flooded part of neighbours allotment  (Read 4781 times)

RenishawPhil

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Took on new allotment,

When it first became wet a few months ago, dug a channel from the gate and on to the lane to take the water away.  Also dug a large pond as  a place for the water to run away to

Now this weather has caused that to overfill, so ive now removed a few slabs to our gate and dug a trench to get more water of.

Today it is like a river, running through this channel and a river running into this trench for higher up the lane

The problem is, all this water has run over and down to the bottom very quickly has caused a very deep flood down the bottom corner and i think has contributed to a neighbours flooding (but he;s got another path where the water has run of from)

Ive apologised to him and feel gutted if it ruins his parsnips:(.   Just feel crap, said if it caused him to loose stuff i would some how make it up to him

Trouble is i am between a rock in a hard place, if i hadn't done it i would be completed flooded out, but now as hes said ive shifted my problem on to him!
« Last Edit: July 06, 2012, 16:01:46 by notts_phil »

goodlife

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Hmm..if the water runs onto his plot..is his plot lower down?..in which case the water would have eventually flooded his plot anyway.
When we get this extreme weather..there is no way you could have see this happening and your neighbour should be more understanding.
Have a chat with other people of lottie and see what has been happening in there in past..perharps you should not take 'blame' of it all so easily...it is very neighbourly of you but even then... :-\

RenishawPhil

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Yes it is down from me. I think what I've done is to accelerate thw process by maybe 8 hours or so as there is no where for it to run or drain to.

I just feel bad about it. The water in the corner on this lane area is nearly welly height in depth

goodlife

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Well..think of it this way...you've dug a pond that holds quite a bit of water...you've dug a trench that holds quite a bit of water...your neighbour dug a trench that takes away quite a bit of water and still your plots get flooded...wouldn't his plot been even worst if all that water that is been hold on yours would have drained away and ended up to your neighbours..
As far as I can see you haven't done anything wrong but trying to help the situation..the sky is leaking too much for even to your pond to able to hold it all...without it your neighbours plot (and yours) would be one big lake.

Perharps neighbourly chat is in place once worst of the 'puddle' is gone down and trying to see the situation from your point of view...wouldn't it been just average amount of rain..he would have thanked you for keeping his plot dry...or perharps he is one of those that is never happy and you would have ended up being quilty of nicking all the water.. :-X ::)

goodlife

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Is there room on your plot in that 'damp' corner for a willow?..willow is able to use lot of moisture up from the soil and once established, you could chop it down yearly. All the chop up growth can be used up as canes (but they need to dry out first or they just root and produce more willow plants).
One willow won't help in this kind of wet weather..but average year it could make big difference to the moisture levels.
On our plots we have hedges around each plot and we rarely get flooding here.

RenishawPhil

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I think.I made the.mistake of digging the trench when it has ni where to run of to apart from the lane,as it was me that did all the digging.

But can only hope it drys out quickly and things will be ok.in a few days

There is a big willow at the bottom. We are surrounded by an industrial estate that has ground levell of at least 5 ft higher.

Digeroo

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I am not sure you caused the rain.   

If you made a mistake apologise.  If that is not accepted there is nothing more you can do.  We all make mistakes.

RenishawPhil

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Aye indeed

The most galling thing is that the is a proper drain but its slightly up hill from on this same path, only slightly mind you , GRRRR!!!!!

pumkinlover

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Well even IF it is your fault you have done the right thing so please do not beat yourself up :)

Gordonmull

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Environmental scientist hat on  :(  Not one that I like wearing very often in my spare time.

I don't have an allotment yet so forgive my ignorance if there is any. Isn't drainage something that should really be handled at a site level, rather than individual plotholders digging trenches willy-nilly? Water flow does seem pretty straightforward to the layman, but to the semi-initiated it's a flipping complicated mess of horror. Not just the actual physical flow but the consequences of upstream influence by humans. Imagine Phil's problem on a continental scale and you'll get my drift.  ::)

What's happened here is that the water that has landed pn Phil's plot has simply run down a straight channel, going as fast as water can go on the surface. Normally it would flow downhill by a more winding route, slowing it down and giving it time to soak into the ground. I'm not saying you're to blame Phil, anyone could have done it. There's a bit more stuff like groundwater flow, how high both plots' water tables were to begin with, friction, soil type, and other crap that I can already feel my mind rebelling against.

From my point of view, I'd have thought a central drainage channel or two to either side of the site slope with individual plots drained into it on a herringbone system would be much safer.

http://www.equine-ideas.co.uk/riding-arena-drainage.html

Bottom right picture. It talks about sub-surface, but that's not necessary. The main drainage channel(s) would then lead into a soakaway at the bottom of the site. A soakaway is basically just a big hole back filled with gravel. Plant some heavy water using trees, like, as goodlife said, willow on it for good measure.

For a more natural, but space absorbing look, a man-made stream could be constructed instead of a channel. Sinuous stream curves slow water down but risk the banks flooding. Now gardening and boring land drainage are coming together. Hmmm.... streams, wetlands, the wildlife they would bring. The benefical wildlife. The way I'm going no-one would have space left to grow a carrot! Anyways...rambling.

Another option is that if there's a local farmer you know. Maybe one you get manure from. Get him to have a wee look and see what he suggests. You can be d**n sure those boys know about drainage.

I don't mean any of this to come across as a lecture, I just wanted to give something back to those patient, kind people that have suffered all my gardening questions this year.  :D I think we'll be seeing more of these kinds of high rainfall events to come, so I suggest waterproofs on, spades in and dig some proper, organised drainage.

And Phil, if all that comes out of it is that your site gets some good drainage in place then you've actually done everyone a favour!

telboy

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Gordon,
Sounds like p*ss taking - get yourself a load of watercress. Make a few bob out of a disaster(?).
Don't charge mateyboy though!
 ::) ;D
Eskimo Nel was a great Inuit.

Gordonmull

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P*ss taking or p*ss talking?  ;D

Either way - why?

Not trying to start an arguement, just curious.  :-\

Ellen K

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What Gordon said is spot on - it is something that needs to be addressed at the site level.

But kudos to you Phil for taking ownership of the results of what you did, even though no harm was meant. 

Hope you can work something out.

Ellen K

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And the rain has been exceptional, that is the other half of the story.

My house is at the bottom of a long sloping driveway and for the first time since I moved in (1993), I was worried my house would flood.  So I've looked at which neighbours were diverting rain from their property on to my driveway - and it is just about all of them.  With their blocked drains and paving to create little patios or just extra parking, all with a slight gradient to run water off on to my driveway.  And for nearly 20 years it has never mattered but suddenly I am out in the rain trying to sweep a torrent into the drain outside my garage.  Exactly as you say, the problem is shifted on to someone else grrr.  But what can you do?

Gordonmull

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If their drains are blocked they legally need to unblock them as far as I can tell. (Part III of the Environmental Protection Act). I'd have a gentle word and just say look - this should have gone down your drain and I'm worried it's actually going to end up in my house.

Failing that it looks like the council or the EA could help you make them do it.

Although definitely the most humourous approach would be to hire a pump and pump it all back uphill to them. Chap the door - "Hello! Delivery of four tonnes of water! Where do you want it?"  ;D

Seriously though, I don't think this weather is particularly a one-off. Flooding's been getting worse and worse over the recent decades. I know decades are blips in climate terms but I really think there will be more to come.  :( Antiquated drainage systems, huge undrained paved areas, canalised rivers, etc. throw in a bit of extra rainfall and it all ends up a watery mess. If I'm wrong, I'll gladly eat my hat in the sunshine!

natjam

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dont worry about it everywhere is flooded at the moment

persecuted unlimited

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The council cut down all the willows on our allotment and dug a soak-away at the back of my plot, since then my plot floods really badly and upto now i only have 1/3 of it planted, anyone have any ideas how to improve this?

Gordonmull

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Have you spoken to the council about it?

 

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