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Walsburg council presses for answers on ditches, culverts and right-of-way maintenance
Summary
At its Sept. 5 meeting the Walsburg Town Council discussed repeated flooding, filled ditches and removed culverts across multiple neighborhoods and agreed to pursue state technical help and grant funding while asking the planning commission to clarify right-of-way rules.
Walsburg Town Council members spent the bulk of their Sept. 5 meeting discussing recurring drainage problems across town, focusing on filled ditches, removed culverts and uncertainty about who must maintain the town’s 66-foot road right-of-way.
Council members and residents said areas alongside North 100 and portions of the main road have repeatedly washed out, creating soft spots and driveway flooding. Councilmember Scott Larson told the council he has arranged a meeting “with Nancy O’Toole and the lady from the Department of Water Quality next Thursday to see about getting some grant money to pay for some engineering and work on the training stuff.”
The discussion centered on two linked issues: getting short-term relief for known problem segments before winter and creating a clear, enforceable policy going forward. Residents and council members described at least four recurring trouble spots where neighbors report culverts pulled out or ditches filled in, which they say diverts water onto adjacent properties. Several speakers urged the town to define responsibilities and enforcement so the town does not repeatedly pay to fix work others filled or altered.
Council members said the immediate next steps are to meet with Department of Water Quality staff to learn what emergency or storm-drainage funds and technical assistance are available, and to bring draft code or permit language to the planning commission so the town can require permits for work that alters road shoulders, ditches or drainage features. Councilmember Justin (resident speaker listed in discussion) noted that “typically, you have to have a permit from the municipality to do work anyway,” and several councilmembers suggested adding a right-of-way/encroachment permit and related enforcement language to the town’s development code and fee schedule.
No formal council action was taken at the meeting; instead the council instructed staff to gather grant details, to invite planning commission review of draft language, and to prioritize fixes for the most critical segments in spring construction plans. Councilmembers and residents emphasized that some sites may not accept large storm events regardless of fixes, and that measures should focus on slowing and capturing water where it lands to reduce downstream impacts.
The council scheduled a follow-up after the Department of Water Quality meeting and asked staff to report likely match requirements and timelines so the town can apply for funds and identify which repairs it should pay for directly versus seek through enforcement against property owners who altered drainage.
