Broken drains and lawns

Tehya

'm not quite sure if this really belongs here but as you all seem to know a lot more than me about garden/gardening I thought I'd come and ask a question. Hope this is OK.

We've had an ongoing problem with our drains and apparently so did the previous tenant here. Our neighbour has lived here for years and has said that every time the garden floods on one side of the path a hump appears on the other lawn and on this hump the grass dies. Well for the second time this year the drains backed up into the garden, and this time sewage has risen up yuk, the hump is there and over the last week the grass has died or at least looks like it has. The grass has turned yellow and is now not growing at all on this hump.

What I would like to know is would human waste cause the grass to die as according to the neighbour this has been going on for at least eight years and our landlord (housing association) don't seem to be doing much about it.

Also when the problem is fixed will the whole lawn need to be dug up and replaced or is there some kind of treatment I could use to help bring the lawns back to how they were?

Thank you for reading this and I do apologise if it's not the correct place for it.

Tehya

foxwales

Think about all the things that go down a toilet apart from human waste, you could possibly have bleach, cleaning chemical, toilet fresh blocks etc all which contain chemicals that would be harmful to nearly all organic life.

If the drain is backing up and it is raw sewege that is leaking into the open, then this is a matter for your local environmental health department as this is a health risk. They will speed things along with your landlords if they are not prepared to do anything about it.

If there is a hump appearing when this is happening, it could be due to a broken pipe and a clay sub-base of soil, when the blockage is backing up on itself causing a build up of pressure, the clay will not allow the water to saturate the surrounding area properly hence why your likely to be getting this raised hump, as the problem subsides, the clay dries out and the soil will sink somewhat to its original level.

Once they get this fixed, turn over the soil and expose any clay that may be there, you can either remove a majority of the clay or leave it dry out a bit and then mix in some mulch, maybe some compost and some top soil to put some nutrients back into the area. Level the area and place a layer of sand over the patch so that its not in direct contact with the sun or rain, leave for a week or two and then rake the soil. Mix quantities of grass seed in with some compost or topsoil and generously spread over the area and give it some water.

macman

You've got raw sewage leaking into your garden and all you are concerned about is some dead grass?
You need to insist that the HA get onto the problem as a priority. If they do not then report it to EH as advised above.

ormus

as above. i agree entirely.
something is broke down there and it needs repairing.

the grass will then fix itself over time.

Tehya

Hello again,

Thank you foxwales for a very comprehensive and clear answer. Just what I needed. I can now talk to the housing association and at least feel like I know something of what I'm talking about. I am worried about children playing on the lawn, even though my son is grown up, I have lots of nephews and nieces that play here with my doggy who I also don't want to see get ill.

Thank you again,

Tehya

macman wrote: »

You've got raw sewage leaking into your garden and all you are concerned about is some dead grass?
You need to insist that the HA get onto the problem as a priority. If they do not then report it to EH as advised above.

I think you have presumed a lot about me in just one post . I am not just concerned with some dead grass I needed to know what work is needed to make the area safe not just for us but visitors too. This is an ongoing problem and we are seeking legal advice as well as help from my MP now. I came and asked about the garden part of things on this board because I wanted to at least be able to insist that the HA do the right things and as I know very little about gardening I thought the best people would be gardeners.

Thanks for the assistance.

Tehya

macman

I'm not presuming anything about you. But in what you have described there is nothing very complex. Clearly there is a broken or blocked drain or sewer which needs fixing urgently, that is either the responsibility of the HA or the water authority. If you can't get action from them then I suggest you contact EH or your local councillor as a first step. I think your MP may have other priorities just now...
Raw sewage is a hazard to humans and dogs-what's gardening got to do with it?

Tehya

Sorry my post didn't come across very well, I've just read it back and looks like I was having a go I'm not arguing with you it's sometimes hard to convey meaning online. I had even thanked you for your contribution.

macman wrote: »

I'm not presuming anything about you. But in what you have described there is nothing very complex. Clearly there is a broken or blocked drain or sewer which needs fixing urgently, that is either the responsibility of the HA or the water authority. The pipe is being fixed, they were her until 8pm last night and today they are going to to put cameras down to find out what is going on and hopefully fix it once and for all.
If you can't get action from them then I suggest you contact EH EH didn't want to know because the HA had temporarily cleaned it up and even though the pipe is still leaking underground there was no imeate risk to health or your local councillor as a first step. I think your MP may have other priorities just now... our MP is the one who got us this far and is very interested in helping us as we're perfect material to use foe self promotion as I'm disabled but also a full time carer for my seriously ill hubby.
Raw sewage is a hazard to humans and dogs-what's gardening got to do with it? I just wanted to know where I stand not just as as far as getting the garden safe but also looking nice again as we don't get out very often (only go out for hospital visits) and the garden is something my hubby likes to look at and we encourage wildlife to visit us too.

Hop this helps to clear things up a bit.

Tehya

macman

No problem, hope they can get it fixed soon. But I would stay out of the affected area until it's been sorted out properly.