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MINUTES OF THE <br /> ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING <br /> Monday,July 22,2019 <br /> 7:00 o'clock p.m. <br /> Crosby asked whether Countryside is a private development. <br /> Edwards indicated it is. <br /> Crosby commented he lives on a private road and his property was flooded in 2013 to the point where he <br /> experienced water in his house on the first level. Water in the yard is extremely different than having <br /> water in your home. Crosby indicated he spent approximately$50,000 to put drain tile in his yard to <br /> address the water issues. <br /> Johnson asked if the City knows whether any of the residents are experiencing water in their homes. <br /> Rief stated the only time it impacted a house was at a time when their sump pump failed in their <br /> basement. The City does not know whether the private drain tile at that property is currently working. <br /> Walsh commented it would be helpful if the residents were here to discuss this. <br /> Crosby stated the City Council is also talking about setting a precedent. <br /> Edwards indicated the Public Works Department has been keeping an eye on this situation over the past <br /> few years and that they have observed water has been collecting in a rock drainage way. During some of <br /> the 2-inch downpours Staff has observed occasions where water has backed up over the top of the rocks <br /> in the drainage way, but they have not seen anything similar to what occurred in the 4-inch rain a few <br /> years ago. <br /> Walsh noted these are city culverts that might not be sized correctly and that the City has cleaned out the <br /> culverts in an attempt to improve the situation. <br /> Johnson stated the question is to better understand how it is impacting the residents and that the City <br /> recognizes the size of the pipes may be inadequate. <br /> Walsh noted the pictures are from before the culverts were cleaned out. <br /> Johnson asked if the situation is better or whether Staff is recommending these improvements. <br /> Edwards stated he is very leery about spending$207,000 on this issue, but that as a homeowner he would <br /> be upset if there was water ponding in his yard every time it rained. The pipes were predominantly <br /> installed in the mid-1990s. Based on historical records,the development did change after some of that <br /> was installed. One of the things that has caused some issues overall for the development is they installed <br /> a privacy berm along Watertown and Old Crystal Bay Road and there were concerns expressed at that <br /> time by the City Engineer about the impact on the drainage. After the berm was constructed,it started <br /> causing problems. The fixes that were recommended were creating a swale on the inside and outside of <br /> the berm, which has been done. Since then, in the later 1990s,the homeowners' association put a number <br /> of drain tiles through the development to help address water issues in general throughout the <br /> development. <br /> Walsh stated if the pond is high,the water will drain slower. <br /> Page 5 of 10 <br />