Tuesday, June 28, 2011

squeeky wheel?

  After nearly five years of asking, and two different  highway managers holding the job, we finally may have a solution in the wind for our water problem.  Our road and the one on the hill in front of our house are graded in such a way that the water and effluvium from storms runs down our driveway and into our garage - making for a very messy, muddy garage at times.  The previous owners put in a drain system to carry driveway runoff under the patio and have is run out into the grass in the backyard.  Which works - until all the road  water brings  gravel from the road along with the maple seeds and leaves, and everything else that comes down in storms.
The lower step was covered with water, where the basketball is floating is the  lower patio - the water is anywhere from
6 - 12 inches deep there

Garage door handle is 4 inches above the pavement



the water is racing over the patio, as well as pouring through the pipe under the patio.
the result is washed out gardens,  and a magnolia with roots being exposed more and more.


   After calling and leaving another message for the highway manager about how I voted for him because he stood on my front step and promised he would help me with this mess if he got the job; saying I wanted a day and time when he would be here not just -"oh we'll be working out there sometime in July," yesterday at 8 a.m., we walked the area and showed him the mess - as well as all the road gravel in our magnolia roots, and we have a promise of road work including a swale and rock work  starting July 5th.  
    Of course, if all the works, and the culverts actually take care of the majority of the water in the way they should, I am not certain how I shall handle it.  In our house, if a storm comes - day or night either my husband, or I, are out in the driveway getting soaked to the skin as we clear detritus from the drain.  How odd it will be to be able to just sit and look out the window at the rain...