What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Indiana. I live in an unincoporate area of northern Indiana. Several years ago our local county highway dept. did road improvements to the road in front of our farm. During the process of the improvements, they placed an 18" culvert next to and slightly below an existing 12" culvert. My husband and I protested because of concern for the grassed waterway that the storm water would dump into. We knew the waterway was not designed to handle that amount of water at one time. Our theories were proven. Within 2 years, the waterway was destroyed. We spent several thousand dollars repairing and rebuilding the waterway. Now, 8 years later, a neighbor is complaining that she doesn't like the design of the catch basin and outlet for the culverts.
The county is saying that it is our responsibility to repair the catch basin and outlet. We did nothing to the catch basin or outlet before. We left it the way the county highway dept. left it. We did put in a rock deterent so to slow the flow of water into the waterway.
Why is this a problem now 8 years later? Because the neighbor has made of 30 calls to various county depts. (highway, surveyor, and NRCS) in the past 3 months.
Because of her complaints, the county is requiring us to rebuild the catch basin, outlet and waterway at our expence.
Should the county have to pay for this since it is their placement of the second culvert and lack of improvement that caused the original expense for us?
The county is saying that it is our responsibility to repair the catch basin and outlet. We did nothing to the catch basin or outlet before. We left it the way the county highway dept. left it. We did put in a rock deterent so to slow the flow of water into the waterway.
Why is this a problem now 8 years later? Because the neighbor has made of 30 calls to various county depts. (highway, surveyor, and NRCS) in the past 3 months.
Because of her complaints, the county is requiring us to rebuild the catch basin, outlet and waterway at our expence.
Should the county have to pay for this since it is their placement of the second culvert and lack of improvement that caused the original expense for us?