Ground water alongside/under party wall - Drainage of ground water

[WalterW]

We share a garden wall with a property which is about 2' higher up an incline. There is water coming through/under the footings of this wall.

Water company and council say it is nothing to do with them.

I can stem the flow - about 1100 liters a day - to some extent by packing the earth against the wall, but this eventually gets saturated and the water reappears on the surface.

I've dug a smallish trench away from the area to get the water to flow, and it does, although it silts up after a while.

The wall is a 1930s construction, and the footings/underside seem pretty porous. They are also very gradually eroding.

I need to do one of two things; either stop the ingress, or drain the ingress (or possibly a bit of both).

Has anyone any experience of either of these types of work in this context?

Thanks

[stephen gibson]

That's a complex problem, you would be best obtaining professional help.
Groundwater does not sound like the right term for what you describe. It sounds more like surface / vadose flows.

Its generally an area covered by the rights and responsibilities set out between parties under the Land Drainage Act. I have some basic info on this at http://www.wilsham.co.uk/land-drainage-act-1991

Both stopping and draining have their own complications. Especially as you sewerage authorities can refuse taking any groundwater flows......

[WalterW]

Stephen,

Thanks for the one and only reply.

It is indeed complex. We've had the info about Riparian rights and duties from the Council, and a couple of drainage people have looked at the problem and scratched their heads. Most people have noted that there has been a lot of rain in the last 18 months.

As the water is very clearly coming from the property next up the slope, I think I'll have to see what the owner has to say - the Council say they have the power to get someone to do something to prevent water coming onto our garden.

Regards,

Walter

[lutonlagerlout]

sorry walt I must have missed this 1st time around
as a builder water coming under a wall is a bad thing
eventually it will erode the earth and undermine the wall
a picture uploaded here would be handy
is there anywhere for you to discharge the water to?
1100 litres is a lot of water
cheers LLL

[stephen gibson]

"Council say they have the power to get someone to do something to prevent water coming onto our garden." They can't prevent any flows which would naturally occur.

This a complex mix of law and hydraulics. I suggest you google "civil engineering consultants" and find someone to provide professional assistance.

[WalterW]

lutonlagerlout

Thanks for the reply. I'll see what I can do with an image.

stephen gibson

Yes, indeed. It is a question of who pays. The council said in their reply that they can take action against a third party who is allowing water to go off their property and onto another. At the moment I'm trying to nudge the neighbour into recognizing that it is, in part, her problem. Alas, at present her general wail is that she has a problem with the neighbours on her other side - no doubt, they have an issue with their neighbours further up.

A suggestion has been that somewhere there is an old leat/spring which has been triggered by last year's rain. Of course, as so much of the gardens has been slabbed/concreted over it's not easy to see where to begin.

Regards,

Walter