Council reviews Ramble report on stormwater box culvert after basement flooding; staff recommends further investigation estimated at about $100,000

The Oshkosh Common Council on May 27 discussed the final report from Ramble Americas Engineering Solutions regarding stormwater infrastructure near a recently replaced box culvert and ongoing reports of basement flooding. Staff said a series of inspections had cleared some possibilities but that further subsurface investigation — including additional soil borings and permanent monitoring wells with transducers — was likely needed to better understand groundwater behavior near the culvert.

Public Works staff told the council that one of the four inspection methods used on the replaced storm sewer — electromagnetic leak detection — found only minor defects and “nothing was discernible in that connection between outside and inside,” meaning the replaced box culvert…