Champion Township resident describes years‑long erosion and flooding on Aspen Drive; county engineer says private property limits county action

A Champion Township resident told the Trumbull County Board of Commissioners on July 30 that undersized pipes installed during a development about 30 years ago have caused recurring yard flooding and erosion on Aspen Drive, and asked the board to intervene.

The resident said two pipes — one 53 inches and one 36 inches — discharge into a ditch behind his property and that recent heavy rains have caused significant erosion, estimating he has lost 15 to 18 feet of yard. He said the enclosed pipe ends and the downstream channel are not conveying flow to the larger nearby 72‑inch pipe under Mahoning Avenue.

Gary Shaffer of the county engineer's office reviewed available plans and told the board that piping an open channel reduces capacity and will cause scour and erosion where the pipe discharges to a ditch. Shaffer said the county generally does not work on private property, that the easement at the site appears to be private and not dedicated to a township or the county, and that an engineering firm and coordination with soil and water or the Army Corps of Engineers may be necessary. He said the county does not have immediate plans to replace the larger culvert at Mahoning Avenue.

Commissioners advised the resident to secure an engineering assessment to determine current drainage area and hydraulic needs and noted that obtaining any required permits from state or federal agencies would be part of a remediation plan. No county funding or direct county repairs were authorized at the July 30 meeting.