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Strom Draiange from Neighbors Horse Corral

jet496

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A few years ago my neighbor built a horse corral on an extreme slope, built a retaining wall & has been leveling it for a few years. It now has very little slope, the rip rap storm drain ditch is filled 3 feet high to the brim with dirt & now floods horse shit mud on my property during heavy rains.

The water flows over the brick wall & I have most of it directed over the horse trail which is maintained by the county. They may be concerned or may give me shit for the sandbags.

I had the county out years ago & explained how a pure dirt hillside, which they keep barren, will be a problem but they said I'm on my own. I talked to the neighbor & she says she can't afford to slope the dirt with a bobcat or dig the mud out of the storm drain system. I think I'll contact the county again understanding I'll probably get somebody different this time.

Has anybody dealt with something like this before?
 

SBMech

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state and county you live in would be helpful, some will help , some don't give a shit.
 

Go-Fly

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Hill side run off is always a problem to the one at the bottom of the hill. Don't hold out for any help from the county. It's the biggest complaint next to leaves blowing into my yard from down the street. Take matters into your own hands and build a drain pipe system around your house and pass it on. I know you shouldn't have to do it but, get it done and move on.
 

c_land

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The shit run off is the only issue.

This is it. Are you in California?

You need to get with whoever is in charge of the storm water quality dept and speak their language. Tell them you are building a case to submit a complaint against the county’s MS4 permit. Fines can be big money if they know of an issue and did nothing about it. Give me till tomorrow and I’ll find some links for you.

What county are you in?
 

Wheeler

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the city of Yorba Linda built a horse trail behind my brothers house which caused flooding to his back yard during heavy rain. After years of battling with the city he finally sued and won.
 

Shrub Lurker

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You may have a leg to stand on with the health Dept over the floating feces.
My understanding is any water (and shit), generated on your property needs to stay on your property unless there is a natural flow through it and if she changed it ....
Maybe go down to the county and ask to see the supervisor?
In any case, appears the neighbor doesn’t care.

My neighbor complains if I back wash my pool sand filter into his orange grove.
 

jet496

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This is it. Are you in California?

You need to get with whoever is in charge of the storm water quality dept and speak their language. Tell them you are building a case to submit a complaint against the county’s MS4 permit. Fines can be big money if they know of an issue and did nothing about it. Give me till tomorrow and I’ll find some links for you.

What county are you in?
San Diego County
 

Singleton

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My neighbors runoff was being diverted into my side yard back in 2010 and flooded my house.
Quick talk with a lawyer then my neighbor and my neighbor paid for all repairs and fixed his yard so his runoff was diverted to street and not my property.

I was told your responsible for your runoff in Carlsbad CA, if diverted to another property and not the street, your responsible for the damage it could cause.
 

Lucky Larry

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My neighbors runoff was being diverted into my side yard back in 2010 and flooded my house.
Quick talk with a lawyer then my neighbor and my neighbor paid for all repairs and fixed his yard so his runoff was diverted to street and not my property.

I was told your responsible for your runoff in Carlsbad CA, if diverted to another property and not the street, your responsible for the damage it could cause.
x2 ~ same in Riverside County.

Tell your neighbor to fix it or you'll call the Grading Dept. and/or Code Enforcement & they'll have her fix it.

"Lucky's Wife"
 

Willie B

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...It might not be permanent and it could cave in ...but the cheap deal here is if your neighbor were to dig a trench on the inside of her fence...all the way down it looks like from where your sandbags start...
...I have solved a ton of water runoff problems by trenching...
 

DUNEFLYER

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We are not allowed to change a natural water course. If a property has a natural water course that runs thru it the locations that the water enters and exits the property can not be changed. Within the property you can “reroute” the water course but once again the water has to enter/exit the property at the same locations it did naturally.
 

RiverDave

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I was always the impression that you are responsible for your own run off?
 

Carlson-jet

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If improvements were not made, meaning natural landscape, there might not be recourse Horse property or not.
Any improvement that disturbs the natural course of runoff has to be run through the city/county. Imagine if there was a reservoir where jet496 lived. The County/State would be having men with guns out there.

She is your Neighbor jet496 and obviously has some means.
Maybe you can help her somehow. It might be time better spent unless she is telling you to pound sand.
Shitty situation.
Good luck.
 

jet496

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If improvements were not made, meaning natural landscape, there might not be recourse Horse property or not.
Any improvement that disturbs the natural course of runoff has to be run through the city/county. Imagine if there was a reservoir where jet496 lived. The County/State would be having men with guns out there.

She is your Neighbor jet496 and obviously has some means.
Maybe you can help her somehow. It might be time better spent unless she is telling you to pound sand.
Shitty situation.
Good luck.
Yea, she's a nice girl & said she'll do what she can but needs to keep leveling the land for her arena (she rides a buggy behind them mostly). I told her I'll come out & help her trench or run a bobcat if she gets one. She says money is tight & she'll do what she can.

The problem is as long as it's bare dirt, it's always going to be depositing dirt & moving down hill. There was a huge storm drainage burm (ditch) where the brick wall is now and was part of the storm drain system for these hills behind me. I saved Google Earth pictures showing how it used to be.
 

Taboma

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HGP3's link was for the city, what you want or at least a great start you'll find here for the county --- https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/dpw/watersheds.html

I'm not sure what watershed area you're in --- Warner perhaps ? But one thing, your run-off goes somewhere downstream :D
The county gets really prickly about bare earth, erosion, especially with polluted run-off.
Just be careful you're personal ducks are all in order :p Once these folks get involved it can snowball !!!

I'm assuming this dirt sprouts weeds, instead of scarfing it to bare dirt, why can't she just mow or whack the weeds leaving some level of soil stabilization ?

Good Luck sir :)
 

Chili Palmer

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If she's not going to regrade her property she needs to put a concrete curb at the top edge of the retaining wall with a gutter/flowline that flows into a catch basin an reroutes it so it doesn't flow onto your property.
 

c_land

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HGP3's link was for the city, what you want or at least a great start you'll find here for the county --- https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/dpw/watersheds.html

I'm not sure what watershed area you're in --- Warner perhaps ? But one thing, your run-off goes somewhere downstream :D
The county gets really prickly about bare earth, erosion, especially with polluted run-off.
Just be careful you're personal ducks are all in order :p Once these folks get involved it can snowball !!!

Good Luck sir :)

Agreed with what is above. The link @Taboma provided has an email and a hotline to report pollutant sources. I would start there.

Report to the state as well. Reference that you are within the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board's jurisdiction:
https://calepacomplaints.secure.force.com/complaints/

The county has a dedicated section to equestrian runoff for you to reference in your case: https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/dpw/watersheds/residential/ManureHorsesLivestoc.html
 

Xring01

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In Riverside County, she would have serious problems...

You are responsible for the run off of your property, and the damages caused by said run off.

A buddy of mine bought a very nice custom home years ago, and spent 6 figures fixing issues like this and his neighbors fences and other items. This was behind winery’s area in Temecula.

His lawyers told him immediately, you dont want to get lawyers involved, because the price will double,, pay up now and make this problem go away.
 

Old Texan

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Inform her of the costs she will incur if you have to bring in the county. Cheaper to fix it now than later. Perhaps a retention pond to hold the polluted water and then it gradually releases. Open flow with manure is not allowed anywhere regardless of state. At least in states I've lived in which surely are not as strict as CA.

I recall a ranch outside of San Antonio having manure polluted rainwater runoff from a holding lot flowing directly into a small creek going into a lake. They were cited and had to build a retention pond to keep the flow filtered.
 

JDKRXW

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Yea, she's a nice girl & said she'll do what she can but needs to keep leveling the land for her arena (she rides a buggy behind them mostly). .

This would be a huge red flag for me.
From your pics..... the total area is tiny for an arena, especially for buggy riding.
For this to happen, that entire slope, rocks and all will have to be moved.
 

DC-88

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In our and many other counties the trend and requirements with site drainage/ public works have moved away from draining to the street and gone toward keeping as much water as possible on site with "groundwater recharge". It doesn't work as well, but in this case would definitely be required since there is nowhere for the water to go except into the yard below due to what looks like a belly in that horse path.
 

Taboma

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Google 'San Diego County Grading Ordinance' --- lots of info to apprise yourself of and to kindly SHARE with your nice neighbor lady.
 

C-2

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Who is responsible for maintenance of that rip rap rock drain? Does it spill into a County storm drain? If it was built as a drainage easement, I'm sure it came with maintenance responsibilities - but by who? Property owner or County?

Run her name thru the San Diego County Recorder, see if there is an easement filed. Maybe it's the County's responsibility; similar to street gutters.

With all those trails, there's gotta be some type of agreements in place.

On the flip side, why couldn't she argue that she too is downstream from that house higher-up?
 
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