During the last lot of torrential rain I had water bubbling up from about half way down a sloping field and running into the neighbours' garden and garage on its way down to the road
I had to get a JCB contractor out to make a ditch to divert it across behind my field wall, after which it ran down inside that to the gate, out on to the road and into the ditch between my field and the road..
JCB came back and dug up the problem area during frost, found the end of a large clay type pipe but nowhere that it appeared to lead to - the water came up there and had come through the grass under pressure rather than underground. He left it open as there was too much flow, but discovered where it could go back down through stones into the underground bit. I thought it might be my neighbour's water supply but they said not - it also appears to head towards an old well in my field so I assumed that as destination..
Heavy rain keeps silting up the drop down area but I am now keeping my pinch bar up there and can clear it when needed so that is under control until the ground dries enough (and the water flow subsides enough) for the JCB man to investigate further. At the moment the ground is all but liquid mud
but the neighbour is safe and happy that I acted promptly
However, more heavy rain has led to a further bubbling up further down the slope. While this is also flowing into the new ground ditch across the field to the wall, I don't want to stick the pinch bar in there as it's making the water flow faster by opening up the breakthrough through the grass
Far too wet for JCB to come in but I'm really not sure what is going on that so much water is flowing compared to previous winters and that it is now breaking through the surface in two places - how many more if/when this is dug up
The field is about 6.5 acres in total and has 12 ponies up to their knees in mud at this area eating adlib off round bales of hay and straw as fast as I can put them in - further areas are soggy and/or have standing water at the edges and of course the run off behind the wall whenever it's raining.
The mystery is where the water used to flow from this pipe as there is no sign of broken pipes, just loose stone, mud and grass above it
I was thinking of fitting an old bath into the opened up section to supplement troughs during winter freezes as the water appears constant even between rainy days..
The area used to be a railway line and station yard (neighbours live in the old station house which is 150+ years old) and as far as I know it isn't wetter than other years I've been here so I wonder if there is something changed up the top where there is a wee loch, but why would a pipe lead to nothing and then the water run through below the surface for 12-14' and drop back down into underground drainage of some kind (natural or manmade) only to bubble up another 10' further down the slope
I'm stumped - and already owe Mr JCB £190 before he even gets to the root of the problem so I want him to sort it all not just have it reappear again every 10' down the slope on a weekly or even monthly basis
The original bubbling was dug into - maybe I should have had more earth piled on top to keep the flow underground all the way to wherever it is going, the well is 40' away and slightly to the left as you look down, where their house is immediately below and slightly to the right hence it hitting their garden/garage not their kitchen thank goodness