A member of Saugeen Shores Council says rules are needed when it comes to drainage on residential properties.
Vice Deputy Mayor Doug Gowanlock says the municipality should develop a policy saying lot buyers need to have respect for water drainage on their neighbour’s property whenever excavation work, like backfilling is done.
Gowanlock says common law says one property owner cannot allow water from one property to drain onto a neighbouring one, and that subdivision agreements echo that rule.
He says however that the buyer of a subdivision lot is not directly bound by the agreement.
Gowanlock says sometimes the only thing that has to be done is the installation of a drainage tile to let water through, but property owners sometimes do not consider the issue and the matter often ends up in court.