09-22-2014 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, September 22, 2014 7:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 12 of 18 (10. COUNTRYSIDE DRIVE DRAINAGE ISSUES, Continued) Martini noted he did speak with the City Council about this back in July of 2014 and that he was authorized to take a closer look at the neighborhood to determine how the drainage in this area works. Martini indicated that work has been completed and that they found that in this area there are different components that have some control over how quickly the water is able to drain from this area. There are several culverts ranging in size under Countryside Drive and Crystal Bay Road, some ditches in the area that are overgrown, as well as some culverts underneath the trail. Ultimately those culverts and ditches drain to a ponding area. Martini stated based on their modeling, they have concluded that some of the culverts are not sized adequately to handle the runoff. Martini indicated there is approximately a 30 acre area that is draining through this area and that the culverts can get overwhelmed during a larger rain event. Martini stated Staff looked at the improvements that should be made to improve the drainage and handle more water. Potential improvements include replacing the existing 18 inch culvert, upsizing the existing 18 inch storm sewer along Old Crystal Bay Road, upsizing the existing 15 inch culverts in Countryside Drive, and removing vegetation from ditches and restore channel bottoms. Martini stated the potential improvements would have very little effect on the high water elevation at this property for small to mid- sized rainfall events but would have a greater impact on the bigger events. Martini indicated the cost to do all of the improvements is fairly significant and would amount to approximately $116,400. Martini stated as Staff looked at the costs; their first conclusion was that it was a lot of money to address this issue. Further it was felt, based on Staff’s review that this is a nuisance condition that exists because of the temporary ponding that occurs during heavy rainfall events on the north side of Countryside Drive. Martini noted there are no buildings that are affected by this ponding, and as a result, it is Staff’s recommendation that the City continue to maintain the existing facilities but take no further action at this time. Martini stated if the Council decides they would like to make some improvements in this area, they could choose to do one of the options or a combination of the options. McMillan asked if all the vegetation in the ditches would be removed. Martini indicated they could be somewhat selective in what is removed, but that in order to re-establish the ditches, it would be necessary to remove most of the vegetation. Greg Vitas, 2800 Countryside Drive, stated this has been a problem that has been going on for the last 20 years. Vitas stated their property accumulates all the water coming down from Old Crystal Bay Home and Watertown Road as well as the water that comes from their own yard. Vitas pointed out the area the water drains to on their property on the overhead. Vitas stated the problem stems from the outflow of the water down Old Crystal Bay Road. Vitas indicated he has worked over the years with the City Council and engineers and surveyors to attempt to get resolution of the water issues. Many times over the years a significant amount of water has accumulated on their property. Vitas stated the heavier rainfalls are occurring more frequently and are no longer a rare or unusual event.