Durham and Hansen lots moving forward.

I've started working on my property again.  I'm trying to get it cleaned up and walkable, so I can start planting native plants and restoring the badly damaged land which is covered with invasives like Himalayan blackberries, Morning glory and thistle.

Cutting back the scraggy trees making room for natives.

I've cut a bunch of the scraggly trees, am building fences out of recycled wood, have set up a tent for storage and will be building a garden shed soon.

Josh models the line as we lay out the fence and double check property lines.

And all the while I'm working on drawings for the county on how I'm going to convince them to let me fix the water problem.  Thousands of gallons of water end up on my property, the last vacant unfilled lot in the neighborhood and the county and two neighbors drain water directly onto my property.

dbBrad building a fence and happy to have the Thompsons as my neighbors.  I'm putting in a gate along this fence, just in case they can't resist my tree house!

But that's not the problem.  The problem is no absorbtion higher up, thanks to big houses and impervious surfaces.  This entire neighborhood has been subjected to flooding ever since Spinaker Ridge development went it.  Not only flooding, but failing of septic systems.

The tent which will keep stuff dry for me this winter as I continue to improve the lot no one else wanted.

I have two lots which clearly hold water and could hold a lot more if the County will work with me.  My plan is to set aside half the total area of my property for water management and habitat.

dbBrad fence out of recycled lumber.  All the short pieces and rippings from projects over the years that I can't bare to throw away now have a home and what I hope will be a fun, natural and neighborly fence.

There's already a bit of a pond, hand dug at some point in the past.  I'd like to make this existing pond much, much bigger, to make if a feature, and then to restore the plants around it turning a swamp into a precious little beautiful wildlife habitat pond.

Beyond this large pond would be another large area I will call a bog.  It will have lots of organic material, logs and moss, and plenty of wet loving plants to soak up water, but hopefully will only have water once an a while.  Currently there is water there almost all the time.

Got an excavator and no experience, perhaps you can work for Island County.  This is probably the worst drain set up ever and not only does it not address the problem, which is the drainage at Bob Gailbreath Road, but it doesn't alleviate the sypmtoms either.  Rather it restricts my access to my land and creates a hazard the neighbors have already had several issues with. 

The county knows about this.  They recently dug a culvert on the Thompsons' driveway next door as a quick fix.  They did such a bad job, I wrongly accused the Thompsons of doing it themselves.  The fact of the matter is the water is a problem, but it's not from my property.  It's from decades of irresponsible development and Island County's neglect of water management practices.

dbDog rides in the trailer as I bring some Moore big rounds.  L and S Moore have been so generous with me to let me use their truck, their trailer and of coarse to stay at their lovely little cabin.  They truly are lifesavers for me right now.

The good news is I can fix it, if they will let me.  I've already fixed a similar if not smaller problem next door during a Hearts and Hammers work weekend.

dbBrad Hearts and Hammers 2011 project a success three years later.

Three years later the pond looks great, the soil around the house footings is dry, the gutters no longer back up, the lawn isn't mushy any more and the driveway which acts as overflow retention alleviates any ponding below on the neighbor's property.  If common sense plays a role in my dealings with the County, I'm in good shape.  But...

Water retention, habitat and common sense needed!!  

...well, we'll see how it goes!