My question involves real estate located in the State of: South Carolina
My neighborhood has a little problem that occurs maybe 4 to 5 times a year. The area, especially that of myself and my neighbors on each side, slightly slopes down from the road. Today we received 3 to 4 inches of rain in a 12 hour period. My neighbors and I get the rain run off from our neighbors across the street (if the ground will no longer absorbed the rain) as well as the rain off the street. The rain from the street is a result of the street drains inability to take in so much water at one time. When this happens my backyard has water standing in it.
Let’s start where this whole problem began. When I purchased my home from the estate of some dear friends (the house never went on the market, we settled on a price and a attorney conducted the close), there was also a piece of land the original owner owned that I had the option to buy. The .25 acre lot falls behind my neighbors home, and everybody around here knows what goes on with the lot when it rains . . . it becomes a lake. For that reason, plus I didn’t won’t to pay city/county taxes on it and because I knew the many restrictions the town and the subdivision placed on the lot, I didn't want it, and the lot was tossed into the estate auction. The auctioneer disclosed the restrictions on the property and that the lot turned into the neighborhood reservoir when it rained. Once all this was announced the bidding began There was some interest in the lot by my two neighbors who’s property also adjoined the small lot, but when the price went above $1,000 they stopped. Some woman that lives an hour away was bound and determined she was going to get that lot (I believe she went bid crazy) and got it for $1,500. Some time later she finally came back down to earth and got a reality check. She wanted to store firewood on the lot to sale in the winter, she wasn't allowed to do that. She was going to place a mobile home on the lot, she wasn't allowed to do that. Because the town requires that so many feet must be between a new dwelling and the road, there's no way the required "living area" 2,000 sq. ft. house can be built on the small lot (living area meaning livable space, an attached garage cannot be considered into the living sq. feet.). When she ran out of options, she mailed letters to the neighborhood offering to sell the lot for $3,000. She didn’t get any takers and a “For Sale” sign sat on the property of six months with no buyer.
We can only guess her next actions was done in some sort of retaliation. Between my property and my next door neighbor runs a natural storm ditch that again, catches rain water when the street drains are unable to take in so much water at one time. No one dug this ditch, it was formed over 50+ years by rain water. The ditch is actually the property line. In October, she dumped a load of mulch onto the ditch where her property began to prevent water from continuing down the ditch. First, can she dam up the ditch? Second, if the ditch is the property line how do you half it? After noticing a very large amount of mulch the rain had transfered into my yard, I went out, in the pouring rain, with my shovel and opened up the ditch, so the water could flow as it has for 50+ years. Do towns protect natural storm ditches, especially when they serve as a relief when storm drains cannot handle the volume, thus getting the water off the street and preventing the roads from flooding? My neighbor and I could fill in this natural ditch that runs between our property, but at what cost, flooding out our street . . . no way. Is this a clear case of she can do what she wants it's her property (even though only half of the ditch "technically" belongs to her, or would the town council back us?
Thanks for taking the time to read. My neighbor and I are trying to find out as must as possible before we approach the council. I can find nothing in our state or town's legislation that covers this subject.

