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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 />