How do you stop a fresh water spring from running???

[busbus]

Hello,

I have a problem that is becoming pretty big. Early this past spring, I noticed a lot of water running all over the bottom of my driveway and sidewalk. At first, I thought it was a broken water line but it really looked like a spring to me. So, I waited...and waited...and waited. Once summer came along, it stopped. So I now know it is a spring.

Well, it has started back with a vengeance!!! It doesn't really bother me but now that the cold weather is coming, it is going to pose a problem with a public sidewalk being constantly coated with water and the ice buildup is going to be horrible. Not to mention all of the ice on my driveway, which is a hill.

I know it may be too late this year and I will have to deal with it but how does one stop a spring from running? It comes out of a big flower bed that I don't really want to lose but if I have to, I will. The only thing I can think of is some sort of French drain and, maybe a cistern of some sort. I cold make this into a positive and capture a bunch of water to use to water my lawn and garden and to wash the car and such.

Any and all thoughts welcome!!!

Thanks, busbus

[EXT]

If it flows over a public sidewalk and possibly onto the street, you need to get your city or town department involved as there could be some serious liability issues. Call them and get their engineer to come over and assess the situation. They may take on the project and pipe the spring into a storm sewer or some other place. They may want you to grant them permission to come onto your property and to do their work.

[Tony Miklos]

You don't stop it, you dig it up, add some pipe and stone, cover it again and reroute the pipe to where the water will not be a problem.

[Ed Pawlowski]

The drain and cistern may be a good idea for catching water, but it is not going to solve the problem. Once the cistern is filled, it is going to just flow again

Think about diversion. It may be possible to divert it near the source, if not, at your driveway you may be able to get it to go under to the other side to avoid icing.

If you divert it to the road, you may have other problems with the town for causing a nuisance or hazard in the road.

At a minimum, you may get away with a trench and PVC pipe in a drain. Or you may need an environmental impact study, engineered drain and bridge system to allow natural flow. Seriously, these things do happen.

[Joe]

The builder/previous owner of the house must have known of the problem. Consider getting legal advice as the situation could escalate into something rather nasty.

Joe

[trader4]

Installing a cistern isn't a trivial job. And once it's full, then what? You have to pump it out. Since you have to pump it, a simple sump pump basin system would do the same thing. But any such system would have to deal with freezing issues in winter. A drywell would at least drain itself, but again given the conditions I suspect that if you dug a hole it would fill with water on it's own, so that's out.

Before contacting the town, I'd carefully consider where you could channel the water to. If there are any reasonable options, you might want to consider them first. If there is some simple method that might not be 100% Kosher with the town and you just do it, you'd probably get away with it. Once you get the town involved, that option is pretty much closed.

[busbus]

I know it is a big job. That is why I was asking if I should consider it as part of this job. I don't think I can divert the water to without the municipality knowing about it. I would have to break up the side walk and the break up the curb to put the drain pipe thru to the street and, eventually, the water will drain into the storm drain. I am sure I will get nailed if they find me breaking up the curb and I also think I can be fined if I drain into a storm drain without them knowing.

Well, I think the cistern idea is out. It seemed like such a good idea even though I know the work and materials would cost a fortune. I think the benefits don't outweigh the costs.

[dennisgauge]

Hell, it still might be a broken water line... Better get the water authority out there to check if you have municipal water.

In the summer it gets dry and the ground can absorb the water. Now that the fall rains are going full swing, the ground is saturated and it's got no place to go but up.

[dennisgauge]

Where do the other French drains go? The most logical choice would be to tie the drain for this spring into the existing drainage system.

[busbus]

I suspect under the driveway.

[Harry K]

If you _do_ have french drains already that don't feed into a dry well, that is the place to lead a drain to. Would not be all that expensive, walk behind trencher and a bit of pipe.

Harry K

[bob haller]

get water tested for cholrine or whatever city water uses to make water safe..

its possible to tunnel under a sidewalk to put in a drain line if you have access to both sides..... i have done this in the past:)

local buiding inspector copuld be large help:) or royal PIA,....

largely depends on the person.

the excess water could also be from a sewer leak....... that happened to a friend

[despen]

First thing, look at the overall lay of the land. Water will flow downhill but also sink into the soil. If it reaches any depression that will accelerate sinking into the soil.

Water getting into the soil causes springs.

You want to eliminate depressions and add drainage. Places where the water leaves the soil and gets to the surface to run off will help. As long as it's not your driveway or sidewalk.

I live on a street called Springridge. As the name implies there are lots of springs. Every house has a pipe running through the curb to the street surface. This is for sump pumps and gutters.

If you're going to break through the curb you're going to need a permit. It's not like that can be hidden.

Good luck.

[Joe]

[willshak]

busbus wrote the following:

You don't say where you are located, but here in the NE where we had a lot of rain this summer and an early heavy wet snow that caused a 3 day power outage taking out electricity, cable TV and internet, and the phone lines. The streams and rivers are still running higher than normal. At my house, there is an aquifer that is very near the top of the ground and runs under my asphalt driveway. It caused a lot of damage to the driveway after an extended period of rain or by snow melt, i.e. the driveway looks like it was built using jigsaw puzzle pieces. The water seeps out of the cracks in the driveway for a couple of days after a heavy rain. My driveway is even with the ground at the house end, but cuts deeper into the ground as it goes down some 90' to the street level where it is about 5' below ground level, as is the street. In case anyone is wondering, the driveway was built correctly by a driveway company, including sub-grade materials. The highway department installed a leech pipe under the driveway at the street end to protect the street from damage, but that doesn't help me.

[busbus]

I live in southwestern PA. We had a really wet spring this year and a lot of late snows. It has been a pretty wet autumn, too.

I think I will still have the water company come out and see what is happening first. I suspect they can quite easily tell if there is a leak in the yard. I understand what somebody else said here that it could still be a water main break because of the ground will soak up the water whenever it is really dry.

I still do not think it is the sewer line because the flow is CONSTANT.

[DanG]

Talk to the inspector fella. He may be more interested in allowing a remodel of the sidewalk and curb with the addition of a nice little sign showing the spring as the head waters of "such and such" river. Our city has just such a sign at a dry ditch stating it as the head waters of the Deep Fork which ultimately gets pretty big.

[micky]

Turn the world upside down.

Make a channel with a waterfall and goldfish and little china scuptures of boys fishing, etc.

Bottle it and sell it.

[Stormin Mormon]

I'd be thinking of call several building contractors near you, and see what they say. I'm guessing this has happened before. On the bright side, you've got a source of water if the municipal water fails.

[Stormin Mormon]

That would be a nasty surprise. The OP should call the water dept. That could save the town a lot of disaster, the pipe could fail worse, and make a total mess.