Morton County staff updated the Drainage Board on Sept. 2 about stormwater controls for the new MSD of Martinsville elementary school site, saying the school has received final approval and the drainage design was revised to store runoff on-site.

Staff said a 12-inch corrugated metal pipe under Centennial Road currently conveys water toward the location across from the new school. The school design, staff said, keeps most runoff on the east side of the road and stores water on-site, limiting the area discharging to the west to roughly a quarter acre compared with an earlier estimate of about 22 acres.

"We've reduced that from about 22 acres down to about a quarter that will be going to the West," a staff member said. Staff told the board they will release stored water to the east in accordance with the county's stormwater specifications. The board discussed providing a public information letter and webpage content for residents who call about flooding concerns in nearby neighborhoods.

Staff cautioned the change reduces but may not eliminate all local flooding concerns; they said some nearby properties historically flood and that the new construction "will not contribute to any part of anything" moving forward, meaning the design should not increase flows to the affected neighborhood to the west.