Directing runoff

Hello,
My property is halfway up a rather large hill in my town. I am concerned that the runoff from my neighbours driveways and property’s up the hill from me will impact my garden. Is there any good way to filter/divert the water that runs onto my property or decrease the amount of it that ends up in my garden?

Of course the runoff from above will affect your gardens.

Maybe make a berm with a ditch on the neighbors side of your land?

Make sure the ditch drains on your property where no vegetables are grow?

If I were doing this I would first observe what happen during a heavy rain and Mark problem spots on paper.

Once the berm and ditch are completed, I would line the ditch with rocks to keep everything from washing away.

Again observe what happens in a heavy rain.

I know reeds and willows can be planted in those sorts of areas. They are great for taking up extra water and filtering it too.

A ditch or berm need not be very large to do the trick. Depends on the contour of the land, and how much water we are talking about. It's quite possible a hedge is all you need. The hedge bushes will hold soil in place and make a natural low 'berm'. If there is a natural contour to the land to direct the water flow that may be sufficient.

Some photos of the slopes and areas involved would help us to understand the situation better.
Often driveways enable the water flow to get fast [ 3 feet per second ] and cause erosion, creation of cascades, ponds etc can slow
it down.  Vegetation on any bare earth is also very helpful.

Do you have an issue with shortage of water?
Is it worth storing that water?
What area of catchment are we looking at?
Can you encourage replenishment of the ground water in your area?

I have definitely considered berms and ditches but my concern is that such things are permeable as they are made with soil and an amount of the run off will permeate into the soil where I grow my food. I do not want this to happen. I do not trust the water running off peoples driveways and I do not want it to enter my gardens in any appreciable amount. The grade is quite shallow and I observed in a torrential rain today that the water runs quite slowly if that helps. I have also looked into filtration by means of willows, sedges and rushes which seems to be promising but I can’t find how effective they really are concerning filtering polyaromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals coming from cars on said parking lot I am receiving runoff from.

can you lay a brick or concrete channel along the area and divert it away to a roadside drain or depression without causing somebody else problems?
WHAT length of driveway are we talking about?

Nick Kulik wrote: I have also looked into filtration by means of willows, sedges and rushes which seems to be promising but I can’t find how effective they really are concerning filtering polyaromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals coming from cars on said parking lot I am receiving runoff from.

I suggest you read Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets. Filling a swale or ditch with fungi inoculated wood chips will go a long way to breaking down hydrocarbons and sequestering heavy metals.

Some plants are grown specifically for their ability to harvest some of the metals you're concerned about. An example is growing sunflowers to absorb any lead in the soil. These plants would need to be harvested and sent to the landfill to get the lead off your land, rather than being composted. There's some good research out of Britain the last time I looked, that identifies specific plants which are good for specific concerns. Sunflowers is simply one example that I remember from my research years ago.

I've also read recently about how some humans are *much* worse than others about excreting heavy metals from their bodies. Most of us can cope with small amounts in our food, because healthy gut biomes and internal systems can excrete small quantities effectively. However, a friend of Hubby's was being poisoned by the fillings in his teeth and needed specific treatment to help his body excrete the metals. If you, or your family members, might be in this group, even dust being blown onto your land from nearby areas could contribute to contamination in your garden. This makes planting remediator plants/fungi important, as possibly runoff may not be the only source of trouble?