Changes to aquifer and water mitigation

[Eddy Dizzle]

Greetings,

Please excuse a laymans use of your forum. I thought you'd be the best folks to get an objective opinion from.

I own a mid-sized cape style house built in the 40's. The property sits snug against ledge and due to a number of factors I get water in my basement regularly. I have a sump area and french drain around the basement that gets piped out down to street level.

Often the water fills the sump area and gets pumped out. Ffour times in the three years I've owned the house, water came up through the floor, just enough to make a couple small puddles... but, the sump would be pumping 5 gallons of water every other minute for 2-3 days.

Already approved is a 50 house development going in behind my house. The space is over 400 acres and was logged 100 years ago but never developed.

I fear that this development may make my water situation worse and I'm trying to educate myself on the subject as to be prepared for whatever may (or hopefully may not) come in the future.

One of my questions is whether the displacing of dirt from the project has an affect on the aquifer. How much affect would his have on a propety 100-150 yards away? Also, do mitigation techniques such as holding ponds, have an affect on how the water naturally filters down?

I looked at the plans at the town hall and the women assured me that they "would let more water build up than already does" and showed me lots of holding ponds and culverts, etc that are planned to send most the water away from me. She also indicated that I am the high spot so "i shouldn't get water even now". My neighbor 50 yards to the right says in 10 years he's only plugged in sump in twice. To the left the neighbor is about 300 yards away and about 50 yards from a 30 foot wall of where they blew out the ledge my house sits on.

Am I perhaps worried for no reason? Is there anything more I can bring up to have this professionally investigated? I'm not sure exactly what to do since the town hall "wont let that happen".... however accidents do happen and I just like to be prepared.

If anybody could advise me, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks!