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Council discusses clogged ditches, 66‑foot right‑of‑way and grant meeting with state water officials
Summary
Councilmembers and residents debated who is responsible for ditches and road right‑of‑way after multiple washouts; staff scheduled a meeting with the Department of Water Quality to explore emergency storm drainage funding and engineering help.
WALSBURG, Utah — The Wallsburg Town Council and residents spent the Sept. 5 meeting reviewing recurring storm‑drainage problems, disputed fills on road easements, and how the town should use potential grant funding to repair roadways and ditches ahead of spring runoff.
Councilmember Scott Larson and several residents described four problem areas where culverts and historic ditches have been filled in, creating repeated washouts and soft road sections. “There was a ditch system that gathered up all of the water in this town,” one resident said; council discussion traced how pressurized irrigation and yard improvements over time have removed historic open ditches and left nowhere for stormwater to collect.
Larson told the council he has a meeting scheduled with Nancy O’Toole and a representative from the Department of Water Quality “next Thursday to see about getting some grant money to, to to pay for some engineering and and work on the on the training stuff.” Larson said some state money is available “just for the storm drainage emergency situation,” but the town must produce a plan and identify matches and responsibilities before funds can be distributed.
Residents and councilmembers debated responsibility for filled culverts and private work in the right‑of‑way. Council discussion repeatedly referenced the town right‑of‑way width: “I believe the roadway is 66. The right way,” Larson said, and council members noted that right‑of‑way encroachments — rock walls, fences, or yard fill placed in easements — complicate repairs and create liability and maintenance questions.
Councilmembers discussed options that would be required to make enforcement possible, including placing clear requirements into the town’s development code and adding a permitting step for any work that touches the road shoulder or right‑of‑way. “You’ve got to come up with something to put in and and then some way to enforce it,” Larson said; council consensus was to task the planning commission with drafting code language and enforcement process.
Larson also explained short‑term operational actions the town can take — cleaning culverts, installing silt fences and drain rock, and installing temporary sumps or diversion boxes — while pursuing engineering funds. He cautioned that design cannot fully mitigate extremely large storms: a consultant at the meeting noted that municipalities often design for a 10‑year storm event and that very large, atypical storms can still overwhelm infrastructure.
Why it matters: Repaired drainage and enforced right‑of‑way rules will affect many homeowners and town road maintenance schedules. The council plans to pursue state assistance for emergency drainage and to clarify local code and permitting to reduce future encroachments and repeated repair costs.
No formal council action was taken at the Sept. 5 meeting; staff will return with results from the Department of Water Quality meeting and recommended changes to the development code.
