Viewing post #2016509 by HansMoleman

ShawnSteve said:The purpose for these "drainage ditches", is so that water can flow freely, during naturally occuring disasters such as during a Hurricane & torrential downpours, so that deluges an inundations don't "flood" your home. Water, needs to have -some- place to drain off, & away from your home, possibly, eventually leading to a waterway...so it can continue to flow, unobstructed "downstream."
Before digging in one's own yard, in Virginia, you must notify Dominion Power, ahead of time, in advance, so they may mark your yard, for locations where underground , utilities, like gas water electric , that supply, your services, even if it's underground 'cable' for internet, etc..Your laws & City Codes, may vary, from the Commonwealth's, but if I were you, I'd be looking it up for your County, at minimum, so you know, prior to doing anything.
Have you asked a single neighbor, why, it appears no one has yet to plant any trees in their front yards yet ?
Because, it looks to me, as if there are no trees in the front yards, at all & quite possibly, there's a reason...

There are a few houses with trees in their front yards, just not many. There is one house with a bushy tree on the slope of their ditch, but I don't know if that was deliberately put there or if it just sort of there out of neglect. It's a small military town and we are just outside of a military base, so probably half of the people living here are renting. I think that goes a long way to explaining the lack of work in the area. I did the 811 thing and should have a map of utilities in a few days.

That said, I didn't intend to alter the topography of my ditch, just put some plants there which the water could wash over when rain was heavy. Do you think it might be a flood issue even if I'm not changing the topography?