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Surveyor declares 950-foot section an urban drain; board continues Gradison Estates review for 60 days amid downstream concerns
Summary
Johnson County Surveyor Greg Cantwell declared a roughly 950-foot portion of the Scott Pruner tile an urban drain July 1 and the Drain Board voted to continue review of Gradison Estates Section 6 for 60 days amid downstream capacity concerns and proposed reconstruction conditions.
Johnson County Surveyor Greg Cantwell declared about a 950-foot section of the Scott Pruner tile to be an urban drain during the July 1 Drain Board meeting, and the board then voted to continue consideration of the Gradison Estates Section 6 petition for 60 days amid concerns about downstream capacity, required reconstruction and the need for additional outlets and bonds.
“For the record, Greg Cantwell, Johnson County Surveyor,” Cantwell said during the presentation on the Gradison Estates project. He recommended reclassifying the first 950 feet of the Scott Pruner tile to an urban drain and listed conditions including a legal description and exhibit for the urban drain, an added outlet where the developer connects to the existing legal drain, a bond (Cantwell recommended $125,000 or the engineer's estimate, whichever is less) and 48 hours’ notice before work in the drain.
EJ Mabu of American StructurePoint presented the subdivision layout and noted pond outlets and connections. Several downstream residents, represented in part by Larry Vandenberg, questioned how much new runoff would be added to the ditch and whether existing bridges and channels could handle added flow. “This amount of water is after, inch and a half rain...we're going to add 50 more acres of property that's going to go in this ditch. So I think this ditch needs to be oversized because it's going to get bigger as it goes,” Vandenberg said.
County staff and engineers noted that the developer's calculations met the county's ordinance standards and that the design included detention and an outlet that had received a review letter from the outside engineer (BERC). Cantwell said the engineering calculations, as presented, “meet our standards,” but told the board he favored reclassification and reconstruction of the near-bridge tile to urban standards because of anticipated growth and future development in the watershed.
Several board members said they needed more time to analyze off-site impacts, funding and timing for reconstruction and whether conditions should be mandatory rather than voluntary. A motion to continue the petition for 60 days carried after a second. Cantwell said he and staff would continue coordination with the developer and circulate details by email and follow-up meetings.
The board recorded the continuance; no final action on the subdivision was taken. Cantwell’s recommended conditions for reconstruction and the urban-drain reclassification will be part of the follow-up work the board and staff will examine during the continuance period.
