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Drainage ditch reroute

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valverde

Junior Member
Conroe, Texas

I have a ditch running across the back of my property that goes thru my neighbors pasture behind me. I would like to reroute the ditch roughly 100 yards. I will do all the work, cover all the cost and it will have NO impact on my neighbor. since it will have to be rerouted on his property as well, he is not interested in changing it. Since it is just pasture land, no culverts, all privately owned, what are my options to reroute the ditch? Am I unable to improve my property if my neighbor will not work with me? I feel that he is just playing hard ball hoping I will back down, but if he has no legal stand, I could reroute the ditch and he would then be responsible for fixing it on his property. Before I threaten to move forward with or without him, I want to make sure he has no legal position that I am unaware of.

Thanks in advance!
 


FarmerJ

Senior Member
Does any part of this ditch cross thru your property ? if so is it possible to make just the alterations you need only on your own land ?
 

justalayman

Senior Member
is this a natural drainage ditch or a man made one?

In either case it is almost certain changing the ditch such that it would affect the flow on his land would be prohibited without permission from the proper authorities. If your actions caused water to back up and cause the neighbor damages, you would likely be liable for them.
 

John Se

Member
you need a section 404 permit clean water act

from the army corp of engineers, probably. You own your land, just not the water that run on it! its not that hard, they are nice people, make a couple of drawings submit, no more difficult than a patio cover.
 

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