Terracing technique and implement(s)

Thanks in advance.
ken

Obviously, you don't live in Minnesota. :) They will soon be handing out tickets here for merely looking at water, much less trying to divert, contain, drain, or use it..... We need permits & so forth for any of that - no minimum size, etc.

I hope the guy is aware of the laws in his state, whatever they might be. 'Here' your first stop is a govt office if you want to do anything with water, and wait 3 months. As stated in other discussions, Iowa for example allows a person to install drain tile up to 2 feet of the property line. If that causes a problem on your property, it's up to you to fix it. In general, we are not supposed to care what happens to water flow downstream. That is the way most legal systems are set up.

It's nice if we all get along, but that just doesn't seem to happen when property rights are involved. I just hope people are aware of how water issues are handled in law. Natural (and sometimes unnatural) flows of surface water on your property are your problem, not someone else's. Be aware of that when you go talking to the neighbors, and life will be much calmer.

I realize I have not helped the guy with his machinery question. I wish I could, I hope we find good answers. (In fact, I have one of those plows with the spinning auger & a transmission on it, but wouldn't know how to use it! Love to hear uses for it.) I just feel my concerns are an important part of his question which he may not have realized. I would have e-mailed him with this off-topic stuff, but no address.

--->Paul

Also, your neighbor will not want to hear anything about changing his land. And he is not obligated to do anything, assuming this is natural water flow. So, you can go ahead & mention it to him, but don't expect anything at all from the conversation, and drop it after that. Anything more will just invite hard feelings, and you would be in the wrong.

Unfortunately a lot of us that have been in the country for a while are familar with the problems newcomers cause on these issues. Water can flow where it naturally flows, and must be allowed to do so.

--->Paul

If he doesn't fix the problem, talk to a lawyer.

Your best resource is your local US Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) office. The NRCS has rules of thumb on what kinds of terraces to build, how big they should be and how far apart they need to be.

Terraces that are too small are just as bad, or worse than, none at all. If a terrace overflows, you will end up with a big gully.