Neighbor is driving us to drink!

[AnotherMoron]

What is the name of your state? Georgia

I'll try to keep this cogent. We live on a slight rise with neighbors to the south, southwest, west and north. We are on septic in a single family home in a 20 year old subdivision. We've lived here for 3 years, never a problem with any neighbor (I'm quite friendly with the older gentlemen living to our south and others that don't live adjacent to us) except for this family of...well, trash, is the best way to describe them. Their children ride dirtbikes around and around their tiny backyard all summer long. I don't complain, though, better that than vandalizing property, which is undoubtedly what the cretinous little brats would be doing otherwise.

Every time it rains more than a day or so this neighbor with the brat children stomps angrily up to my backyard and tells me my septic tank is leaking all over and it's running down into her yard when it rains.

I could believe this except that I've been out there right after a nice, heavy, soaking, multi-day rain and there is no sewage in our yard, at all, anywhere. Also, our septic tank is on the other side of the house so it would take quite a feat of physics for it to flow first uphill and then downhill into this harridan's backyard.

Despite telling her this, she insists the previous owner had big, huge septic problems with the tank in our backyard (there isn't one!) and was constantly digging up the backyard. I don't know if she's on drugs or drunk or just stupid and crazy, but the backyard has never been dug up as far as we can tell and other neighbors don't recall the previous owner ever digging up or working on his backyard.

Basically this person is making us crazy. She constantly harasses us and tells other neighbors that our sewage is running into her yard, which is not true! To top it all off, last time it rained she drove by our house as I was unloading groceries and screamed, "fix your septic tank! I'm sick of your f*****g s**t running into my yard!" Argh!

I know this sounds like a such a petty thing, and it would be, if it didn't keep happening over and over and over and over. Is there anything we can do to stop this nonsense? We've tried reasoning with her and writing her letters. Despite the vitriol in my post, we are always most polite and factual when writing or speaking to her.

We are at our wits' ends here. Any help is most appreciated.

 

[FarmerJ]

Since reasoning doesnt work at all be insanely polite or slightly nutty, like next time she screams ignore what she said and consider telling her something off the wall like `sorry your hear your not feeling well, hope your feeling better soon , I gotta go now` and go do something else and ignore her. If she really thought there was a problem she would have called inspections ??????????????? then again some people dont get the concept of such logic. The other thing you can do is speak with a atty to learn what you would have to do to document her behavior towards you so should you end up someday having to call the police you also will have a history to help you.

 

[AnotherMoron]

Thanks, Farmer. I may have to try your 'fight crazy with crazy' method since nothing else seems to work and hey, if it doesn't work, at least we'll be entertained by the crazy things we come up with!

 

[Cedrus]

Get a small, pocket size tape recorder and tape what she is saying. After doing this a few times get a video camera and openly use it when she acts up.

See an attorney.

 

[snoopdogg]

have helpfull suggestions

 

[snoopdogg]

reaseach the proof

I have typed up some helpfull info twice now and it didn't post i will try again later if i see this post. have alot to say but don't type to fast

 

[snoopdogg]

reaseach the proof

ok,just because your tank is far from them dosent mean much, first of all your local health department should have a schematic drawing of your septic system. your tank is probably connected to hundreds of feet of leach field throughout your property.When you flush a toilet the waste flows to the tank and solids fall into the tank which is basically always full of liquid waste as well. The tank also has outlets or an outlet that distributes liquid waste throughout this leach field and then evaporates.there could be a boat load of reasons why the system is not working properly.here is a way to test if the standing water on your neighbors property is caused by your system. you need to find liquid dye. i used a lime green that i got from a city sewer system employee. I am sure you can find some. you pour a few ounces of this down your toilet.remember it doesn't take much.its like Chicago dying the river on St. pats day.If you see this dye within a couple days where there is standing water, sorry to say but you have a problem.beleive me you cannot mistake the dye.if it doesn't surface let your neighbor know. you can argue,fight,tape record,or whatever but thats not going to fix anything.dont stoop to there level of accusing and name calling. Heres a quote I try to live by " There is a principle which is a bar against all information,which is proof against all arguements and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance - that principle is contempt prior to investigation"