As heavier downpours test neighborhood drainage systems, homeowners can end up with the same frustrating question: if runoff from somewhere else is washing away the yard, who is responsible for fixing it?
That is the dispute at Terry Svennsson’s home in Macon, Georgia, where he says stormwater runoff is still flooding his yard and worsening erosion near a culvert even after the Macon Water Authority visited the property last year.
The problem is in the Stoneedge subdivision. According to WGXA, Svennsson said the latest heavy rain washed rock away from the top and front of the area, left rock in the creek bed, and exposed a metal sewer pipe again.
Svennsson said runoff from a subdivision behind his property is driving too much water toward his yard. He wants the drainage redirected instead of patched after each storm.
The Yard Has Been Eroding for Years
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Svennsson told WGXA the erosion has grown significantly since he bought the family home in 2003. He said the problem started as an area about a foot across and a foot deep, but parts of it are now about three feet across and six feet deep.
His concern is not just standing water after a storm. He told the station the erosion removes hundreds of cubic feet from both sides of his property every year.
Svennsson said the drainage path has troubled him since the nearby subdivision was first built. He told WGXA he warned at the time that the pipe placement would send water toward the back of his property.
The Exposed Pipe Became the Biggest Concern
The exposed sewer pipe became Svennsson’s biggest concern because he worried about what could happen if it were damaged. He told WGXA he looked at nearby manhole covers marked “Sewer” and feared a major problem if the line were affected.
Macon Water Authority Board Chairman Gary Bechtel later told WGXA that MWA returned last week at Svennsson’s request through the mayor and worked to further support the exposed pipe.
Bechtel said the pipe is supported and presents no danger of damage.
The Water Authority Says the Ditch Is Private
Bechtel told WGXA the stormwater is in a private ditch where MWA does not have responsibility because it has no easement to work there.
MWA’s own stormwater services page says its current stormwater utility covers services such as repairing cave-ins and sinkholes, repairing or installing stormwater pipe, and maintaining ditches within the public right-of-way. The same page says MWA is not responsible for maintaining or replacing stormwater infrastructure on private easements, including ditches and pipes.
A separate MWA policy summary says stormwater maintenance responsibility typically lies within the public right-of-way, but can extend to private property if authorized drainage easements are recorded on the property deed in the Superior Court Clerk’s Office.
For Homeowners, the Paperwork Can Decide the Fix
Svennsson has questioned why the monthly stormwater fee is not leading to a more permanent fix. MWA says single-family residential customers pay a flat stormwater user fee of $4.99 per month, and that revenue is dedicated to managing Macon-Bibb County’s stormwater infrastructure and system.
In Macon, as in many communities, the difference can come down to whether the drainage feature is in the public right-of-way, on private property, or inside a recorded drainage easement.
For homeowners dealing with runoff, that paperwork can decide whether a flooded yard is treated as a public drainage issue or a private-property problem.