WWYD? Issue With Neighbor

Neighbor has had water bubbling up from ground around his water meter for about one week now. Water is running into street and down his drive. Water  now seems to be coming up in our yard as a result and  our yard now has an area that has become chronically wet and muddy (as an aside, we just dealt with a very expensive water line issue on our property which destroyed our front lawn so I'm not thrilled about our back yard now being damaged.)

Neighbor wants to wait 30 days to contact water company until his water line protection plan is in effect. He's asking us to "wait it out."

We went through this hell once--only we couldn't figure out where the water was coming from and it took the water company multiple trips before they found the source. 

1.  Tell the neighbor that his water bill is likely to exceed the cost of having the problem fixed NOW. Our neighbor that didn't know their water was inundating our lot had a water bill in excess of a thousand dollars!  

2.  If they still won't call the water company, you can.  Have the water company trace the source back to their house and then let them take over.

Over a month that water coming on your property can do damage to your home, landscaping and sidewalks, depending on where it is flowing.  

Oh, by the way--your neighbor is actually attempting to defraud the water company by waiting until the insurance kicks in.  I don't know if the water company could deny a claim because of a 'pre-existing condition', but that is a possibility.

Good luck.

I totally agree with krnl on this!

If the break is before the meter they probably won't get charged for it. 

I agree with krnl that it's defrauding the water company and a real scumbag move. That said, you have to live with these people and they don't.

I don't know that you have a duty to get involved outside of it causing your property damage. If it's just getting wet back there without making a total wreck of things maybe wait and see. 

If you end up calling the water company I doubt they'll say "your neighbor called". 

You've approached the neighbor once- I imagine he checked his water meter and knows he won't be on the hook, so approaching him again is only going to let him know you're really focused on this. 

*****ty situation. It is pitiful how willing some people are to allow their problems become everyone else's problems.

Just remember, he's focused on his problems without worrying about your problems. If it becomes damaging to your home, you do the same and don't feel the least bit bad about it.

ETA: you might want to take some shots of your yard as it is now in case it gets really ugly.

If it is really damaging something, I would call the water company. If it is only making things soggy for now, I would try to wait.

However, that soggy mess is going to become a freezing mess VERY soon. As the temperatures drop going into December, whatever leakage problem there is in a pipe is likely to become much worse as water expands into ice, thaws, ices again. I would get it taken care of now, I think. Waiting to repair an outdoor leak when winter is setting in is a dangerous game, IMO.

PeggyC said:

If it is really damaging something, I would call the water company. If it is only making things soggy for now, I would try to wait.

However, that soggy mess is going to become a freezing mess VERY soon. As the temperatures drop going into December, whatever leakage problem there is in a pipe is likely to become much worse as water expands into ice, thaws, ices again. I would get it taken care of now, I think. Waiting to repair an outdoor leak when winter is setting in is a dangerous game, IMO.

The water line is below the frost line, so it shouldn't freeze- but the ground as you point out certainly could. Once again, all the risk accrues to cubby and not the neighbor.

Is the leak/bubbling at a higher elevation from your house? If so, gravity could take it to the foundation of your house. If the leak is on the downside of your house, less likely.

the meter is inside the house. If the break is anywhere on the property, its the homeowner's responsibility. If its in the street, its the water company. If you're saying the water is coming up from where the street shut off is then its anyone's call. 

I never would have mentioned it to the neighbor. Call the water company, say there seems to be a leaky pipe nearby and be done with it. Wait 30 days so he can stick them with the bill? Nah.

joy said:

the meter is inside the house. If the break is anywhere on the property, its the homeowner's responsibility. If its in the street, its the water company. If you're saying the water is coming up from where the street shut off is then its anyone's call. 

Thanks all...We called the water company...We went out and when we returned the water was no longer streaming over the curb...I think they came and shut it off.

Joy: I don't even care who is responsible for paying. I know its not us.

Excellent! Good for you. 

Update: Just returned to our house and water is again bubbling up and streaming into the street. Husband called water company and was told water company came out and shut off the water. Apparently homeowner turned it back on. They're coming out again and turning it off again.

The first sustained cold weather will also make the water freeze on the affected driveway and sidewalks - if there is a good deal of foot traffic on your street, this homeowner is leaving himself open to possible lawsuits from anyone who is injured because of the icy sidewalks. Since he is not correcting the situation (and is making it more hazardous by turning the water back on after it has been shut off, and documented that it has been shut off), his homeowner's insurance could possibly contest any claims that might be made for falls/bodily injuries due to ice. There's a difference between not clearing ice off of the sidewalks and knowingly allowing a situation where ice will form.

eta: We also have been dealing with a close-to-drought situation because of lack of rain, so allowing water to run off into the street for weeks isn't very environmentally conscious, either, on your neighbor's part.

Whoa, uncool. Definitely let the water company deal with it. (And keep calling if it shows up again.)

cubby said:

Update: Just returned to our house and water is again bubbling up and streaming into the street. Husband called water company and was told water company came out and shut off the water. Apparently homeowner turned it back on. They're coming out again and turning it off again.

Is it possible there was a second leak, rather than the neighbor turning it on again?

Formerlyjerseyjack said:

cubby said:

Update: Just returned to our house and water is again bubbling up and streaming into the street. Husband called water company and was told water company came out and shut off the water. Apparently homeowner turned it back on. They're coming out again and turning it off again.

Is it possible there was a second leak, rather than the neighbor turning it on again?

The water is bubbling up in exactly the same spot; right at the meter, so, no, it's not a second leak.

I wouldn't wait, an anonymous person can say they saw the water running from  the street..

and it is foreseeable that the water company will realize what they did...maybe if it was 3 months after it wouldn't be so suspicious...but just after a month....will raise red flags....and the water company will see the damage and know it had been happening for a long time and the owner would have known about it

Here's hoping he doesn't read MOL.