Opinion ID: 513964
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Basin C and Ditch 2

Text: 36 Basin C appears to be a swale crossing the southeast corner of the main portion of the farm. Ditch 2 lies within and along it, and appears to drain northeasterly onto adjoining land. Judge Devitt found that Ditch 2 had been leveled and also evidenced exposed clay and wheel tracks from leveling activities. 37 Basin C did not clearly show a ditch within it in the 1966 photograph. In May, 1976, a photo showed the woods had been cleared, but the basin remained intact. By November, 1979, Ditch 2 had been excavated and previously-deposited material had been smoothed out within the basin. In May, 1980, brush and vegetation had been removed from the basin. A year later Ditch 2 had been further excavated and by August was cut starkly in Basin C. Jerome admitted he removed trees from Basin C (not in itself a violation), but claimed Ditch 2 was a natural waterway and he had only veed it out. 38 The finding is not clearly erroneous. The type of work found to have been done in Ditch 2, running as it does through a swale, must necessarily have increased drainage of the swale, and thus have violated the easement.