They're working on our drainage ditch -- finally . . .

Every time it rains heavily, the whole street between our property and Nicholson floods.  The store up on the corner looks like it's floating in a pond and you can't actually see where the road turns off of our road and goes over to the mayor's office!  Anyone who tries to turn that way and isn't familiar with exactly where that road is might well end up in the ditch instead of on that road because it's all under water.  NOT good.  And why? . . . because the water cannot drain past our house into that main canal that runs over to Bayou Manchac.  And why not? . . . well, that seems to be because the drain pipe that the city put in a few years back seems to have collapsed completely.

 

They used to come by and clear out the drainage ditch in front of our property routinely, but one day when they were doing that they managed to break the water line that runs across the bottom of that ditch and they ALMOST broke the gas line!  That would have been really REALLY bad!  So they installed a drainage pipe and covered that portion of our ditch from our driveway over to the drainage canal.  But apparently they didn't do it well because now when it rains that entire ditch runs over while the one on the other side of the street doesn't come up high at all.  When they threw in a small rubber ball this week, it didn't go through to the canal so they finally figured out that the drain pipe was apparently collapsed now.  So today -- after they FINALLY came by and took away all those live oak branches that we stuck out there when we had all those live oak trees trimmed a couple weeks back -- they were out there digging up that area to replace that drainage pipe. 

Looked out the window and there they were digging up that drain pipe area -- they originally said they'd be by tomorrow (Thursday) to do that, but instead they were back here in less than an hour!

 

Not sure who these guys are who are standing over by the big canal keeping an eye on things, but I  imagine at least one of them is from the gas company.  I was told someone from there would be coming by to make darned sure they don't screw up that gas line that runs through our ditch!

 

We talked when I came home from work today and they agreed that if replacing that portion isn't sufficient, they will install piping on the whole rest of the property (on the other side of the driveway) so that I can drive across that area before they remove our driveway and replace the pipe under the drive.  I insisted that they do that not just so that I can get in and out all the time, but so that they will have to close in that ditch that we've been trying to get them to do for the last FIVE years!!!

Well, given that it's supposed to start raining AGAIN beginning Friday until Monday, I guess they'll probably try and get that portion done tomorrow.  They did work on it until dark, so I'm sure they're trying to get it done soon.  Guess I'll find out if that's the case when I get home from work tomorrow.  In one sense, I hope replacing the piping on that side of the drive will let the water through again so they won't have to remove the driveway!  But on the other hand, if it does we'll probably STILL be waiting to have pipes installed across the rest of the property for yet another  five years!!

Well - we'll see what happens.