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Wallsburg council debates responsibility for filled ditches, seeks state help to fix drainage
Summary
Council members and residents discussed multiple drainage trouble spots, property encroachments on a 66-foot town right of way, and a planned meeting with the state Department of Water Quality to pursue grant funding for engineering and repairs.
Wallsburg Town Council members and residents spent the bulk of the Sept. 5 meeting on an extended discussion about stormwater, filled ditches and who must maintain the town road right of way.
The discussion centered on four problem areas where residents reported repeated flooding, plugged culverts and soil or fill that has redirected runoff onto neighboring properties. Council members said the town’s road right of way is 66 feet and that encroachments — lawns, rock walls or fences sited in that easement — complicate repair and drainage work.
Council members said they have arranged a meeting with Nancy O’Toole and a representative from the Department of Water Quality to explore grant funding for engineering and repairs. Council members said those grants could cover engineering and culverts, but added that the town must clarify who will be responsible for maintenance going forward and how the town would address property owners who fill or block ditches.
Residents said several culverts were removed years ago and many historic open ditches were filled when pressurized irrigation replaced open ditch systems; the change left fewer channels to convey stormwater during heavy events. Several speakers warned that band-aid fixes are costly and that without a plan some roads and private driveways will degrade further by spring.
Council members and residents discussed short-term steps the town can take now, including cleaning culverts and scheduling ditch cleanouts, and longer-term code changes to require permits for work in the right of way. Council members expressed interest in charging a permit fee for work that affects drainage and involving the planning commission to draft ordinance language.
The council asked staff to report back after the meeting with the Department of Water Quality to share details about eligible grant programs, potential matches and the engineering scope needed to apply.
The council did not take formal action at the meeting; members directed staff to pursue grant information and to engage the planning commission on possible development-code changes to control future encroachments and require permits for work within the right of way.
