# Possible pond problems



## meisterdog (May 10, 2004)

we built a home and we are trying to install a septic system. with all the wet weather we have had it has been tough, however it did dry out for quite a few days and it was still wet. we have a neighbor that installed a pond last year and other neighbors said they had trouble having the pond hold water. also while installing the foundation we hit a field tile and when we did the installers showed me some nice bluegill that had landed in the basement from the pipe. i am wondering if that pond is leaking into my property and that is why our yard is not drying out fast enough? did they have to have a permit to install that pond and have it inspected? we are lower than their land (pond) and even my installer said it could be a problem. how do i find out these answers to these questions. frustrated home owner. we are in licking county if you need to know. any replys would be wonderful.


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## hang_loose (Apr 2, 2008)

Whoever dug their pond did not close off the field tile right. I think your neighbor needs to lower his pond and have someone close the field tile off correctly. I don't think you need a permit to have a pond dug in Licking county. But I would bring your neighbor over and show him some of his gills in your basement. Or if he doesn't want to do anything about it, have someone come in and plug the tile on your property.


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

No permits or inspection required for building a pond usually but a plan may have been submitted to the county soil and water or building dept. Nothing was required when I build mine but I voluntarily submitted a plan and paid a small fee to have it reviewed in hopes of avoiding problems down the road and determining the best overflow and discharge options.

Was the pond there first or the house? A tile running towards/into a basement doesn't sound like a good idea, who installed the tile? How was the tile running into the basement issue solved?

Was a perk test done where the septic/leach bed is going?
Were test holes dug before the foundation was installed?


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## meisterdog (May 10, 2004)

pond one year before. tile was there because it was a farm field tile. tile was rerouted around the front of the house and it is fine. test was done and was fine. seems as though neighbor is having water in his basement now and his house was there 4 year prior to pond install. licking co. water management is comming out on the 9th of april to investigate and determine the problem. hopefully this points me in the right direction.


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## catfishnut (Dec 23, 2010)

This is a weird/interesting post....going to be following this one to see how it turns out. Do you mind if I come over and do some bluegill fishing in your basement?lol


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

This tile that was rerouted...was is perforated or solid? Either way, this could be causing problems. If it was perforated, water could be leaching from the perforations. If it was perforated then changed to solid, you may have eliminated some drainage. This may sound dumb, but is outlet of the tile that was rerouted lower than where you're having issues? If so wouldn't it be as simple as running a second perforated tile to the same outlet to drain your yard...basically a curtain drain for your septic.

Was a perk test performed for the septic? What was the result?

The way I see it, the pond was there first and problems are arising because of where the house is being built. Usually problems like this can be found and addressed preconstruction by performing relatively inexpensive investigation. There are other factors too, like you can't dump water on another property...which could go the same for the swales of the new house. It's very possible that the pond wasn't constructed as well as it could have been with a core trench and properly sealed and they could cause a leaky basement for your neighbor. Hopefully you and your neighbor can work out a plan with help from the county. 

I say there plenty of houses around, turn the basement into a pond and take advantage of the free stocking


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## hgbjr (May 15, 2008)

Simply put, makes no difference which came first, the pond or the house, case law shows that if u do anything that causes the change of the natural drainage of your property and it adversely affects adjoining propertie(s) you would open yourself up to civil liabilities. Of course thats always fun for evry1 and in the end only the attorneys win.


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## Ben Fishing (Aug 2, 2010)

My father hit a drain tile digging his new basement last year on a new home build. This was once corn field, now a 50+ new home allotment. As soon as they cracked the drain pipe with the excavator the basement filled up with water and had to be pumped out. They traced the field tile exceeding 100 feet from the newly dug foundation and dug that portion up of tile, back filled it, and the problem has since been solved. I don't know if a sink hole will ever develop....only time will tell.


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## Taco (Jan 4, 2009)

hgbjr said:


> Simply put, makes no difference which came first, the pond or the house, case law shows that if u do anything that causes the change of the natural drainage of your property and it adversely affects adjoining propertie(s) you would open yourself up to civil liabilities. Of course thats always fun for evry1 and in the end only the attorneys win.


I don't know how that is accurate. Hundreds of miles of drain tile are laid in Ohio every year without fears of litigation. His neighbor didn't run the tile into his basement, he put his basement on the tile...pretty big difference.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

Taco said:


> I don't know how that is accurate. Hundreds of miles of drain tile are laid in Ohio every year without fears of litigation. His neighbor didn't run the tile into his basement, he put his basement on the tile...pretty big difference.


Exactly right. Plus the fact that when the tile was put in, it was probably all one tract of land. Now its been divided up into lots and the tile crosses numerous tracts.


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

I bet somewhere in the house contract supplied by the contractor/builder is a note that says something along the lines of "The homeowner is responsible for a buildable lot", not "The homeowner's neighbor who was there first is responsible for the homeowner's buildable lot", 

Hindsight is 20/20 yet foresight is the key to success. Due diligence at the planning stage would likely have avoided these issues, conflicts, and costs associated with corrective measures.


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## hang_loose (Apr 2, 2008)

[email protected] said:


> I bet somewhere in the house contract supplied by the contractor/builder is a note that says something along the lines of "The homeowner is responsible for a buildable lot", not "The homeowner's neighbor who was there first is responsible for the homeowner's buildable lot",
> 
> Hindsight is 20/20 yet foresight is the key to success. Due diligence at the planning stage would likely have avoided these issues, conflicts, and costs associated with corrective measures.


Excellent point [email protected], Its that small wording in a contract that gets you sometimes... 

One more thing Pond....Your fish are looking superb...My pond was dug about the same time as yours and I think my fish are keeping up with yours.


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

hang_loose said:


> One more thing Pond....Your fish are looking superb...My pond was dug about the same time as yours and I think my fish are keeping up with yours.



That's great hang loose. You should add some photos to the pond fishing is hot thread. Rod Hawg's perch were awesome...would love to see some more great Ohio pond fish on there like Lundy's super healthy bluegill from the other thread.


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## meisterdog (May 10, 2004)

the neighbor is always out looking at the water level dropping in the pond fellas. i still have ONLY a very WET backyard that keeps draining to a hole my contractor put in by a 6 inch drain tile to help drain it.. however the yard remains WET AS A PORN STAR. we are starting this week and i will have him dig up the back trench to see if there is another drain tile that has collapsed and is causing MY WATER PROBLEM... i intend to cap that and move on with life... SCREW THE OTHERS.... it has to be that problem because all of the other parts of my lot are dry as a CANADIAN DRY SODA...JOKE.. I'LL keep you all informed..... anyone want to fish in the wet soggy grass area you are welcome...ha ha ha


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## chopper (May 15, 2004)

I am an old pond builder and have dug many/many basements.This sounds so common and simple to me. The talk of lawyers just upsets me unless you have tryed to work this out with the neighbor. To me it does not matter who was there first. A problem exists and needs fixed. I am sure that he does not want a pond that leaks and I am sure you don't want a wet yard and/or basement. You need to work with the neighbor, locate the obvious tile leaving his pond and collapse a long section of the tile. It is best to remove the tile because that is the sure way. I will bet that this will solve both of your problems and you can be great neighblors. You will also need to make sure that this tile is no longer sending any water toward your basement. Re-route that tile around your basement. A common problem with only dealing with the tile as it leaves the pond, is the fact that the upper end of this tile needs to be destroyed and/or re-routed. If that upper end of the tile is underwater, as it sounds like it is, head pressure can force water up hill. Water seeks its own level. This can cause problems on both ends. Always, always, check and deal with all tile when building ponds and basements.


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

This is the easy part. Just wait until it's time to pick out curtains, tile and paint colors.

Hopefully the county can shed some light on this. If your neighbor needs to fix something, it would be nice while equipement is already there.


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