There is another dimension to this.
An associate purchased a home in a subdivision only to discover that the surface storm drainage from some adjacent lots ran across his back yard. As he researched his remediation options, he found that this ditch was marked as a dashed blue line on the USGS topographical map. It turns out that this also means the Army Corps of Engineers has jurisdiction over this “navigable waterway”. So, he talked to the local Corps office and they informed him that he could apply to have his remediation plan approved by them, and that he could not otherwise modify the waterway in any manner. To top this off, his plan would have to be submitted by an approved engineer. When he researched that demand, he found that their fees for the “study” they would have to perform and document would start at $10,000.
He was also told that the Corp regularly opposes such plans.
Land of the Free? Not any longer.
How has that zoning control worked in cities like Deadtroit?
Americans are just beginning to reap what has been sowed for more than forty (40) years.
The unfortunate reality of the 21st century in America is that the government can do what ever they want. If they want to take your property to give it to someone else or simply render it worthless, they will. They can and will arrest and imprison you for any reason or no reason at all. The police can kick in your door at any time and for any or no reason, kill your pets and drag you away to prison. You have little or no recourse and no chance of recovering damages from such abuse.
There are dozens of threads right here on FR about just these things happening all over the country.
This is another BS thing EPA has done in the last few years. They redefined "navigable waterways" to include ditches, many which sit dry most of the year.
I have one that cuts my property in half. It was a ditch when I bought the place. How does the US Government have the right to change the definition after the fact and redefine the rules associated with affected properties? The mere definition of "navigable waterway" applied to a ditch that isn't even 4 feet wide or deep is ludicrous. It is a man made drainage ditch, created for the purpose of drainage. It is not a natural stream.