Wallsburg council discusses washed-out ditches, right-of-way encroachments and seeking storm-drain grants

Council members and multiple residents raised long-running storm-drain and ditch problems across Wallsburg at the Sept. 5 meeting, pressing the town to clarify who must maintain road right-of-way and to seek grant funding for engineering and repairs.

"I believe the roadway is 66. The right way," one council member said during the discussion of maintenance and encroachments, noting that poles and utilities and easements lie within that width. Council members and residents described culverts removed or buried when properties were reworked and said ditches that historically carried stormwater have been filled in as pressurized irrigation replaced open ditches.

"We can't just allow people to fill it in," a council member said, and the discussion repeatedly returned to how the town should enforce setbacks, encroachments and future permits. Council members said the town lacks a specific fence or right-of-way enforcement ordinance and agreed the planning commission should develop development-code language and enforcement procedures for encroachments.

Scott Larson and staff reported a meeting scheduled with Nancy O'Toole and a representative from the Utah Department of Water Quality to explore grant money for engineering and repairs; the staff member said those statewide programs can include emergency storm-drain funds. Council members emphasized that before the town accepts grant money it must determine cost-sharing, matching requirements and how the town will address property owners who filled ditches or removed culverts.

Residents described four priority problem spots that flood or soften roads in wet seasons and urged short-term fixes—sump boxes, ditch cleanouts, culverts and diversion channels—along with long-term policy to prevent recurring problems. The council asked staff to pursue the Department of Water Quality meeting outcomes and to return with options and cost/match details.