Residents tell Aberdeen council adjacent development is rerouting stormwater onto private yards

Two residents asked the City of Aberdeen to intervene after they said a nearby development breached a berm and redirected stormwater onto their properties, creating standing water, a submerged manhole and basement water intrusion.

Stan Hunstead, who identified his address as 1716 Spruce Drive, told the council the developer “broke the levee” and that the change in drainage has led to water entering his basement floor drain during heavy rains. Joel Mann, a next‑door neighbor, said the problem is longstanding and has worsened since the development began.

Stuart Nelson, identified in the meeting as a city staff member, said a letter had already been sent to the developer requesting corrective work and that the city has protocol to remediate problems caused during development. Mayor Shoneman said staff and legal counsel would be engaged to pursue timely fixes and asked the residents to provide contact details so staff can keep them informed.

Why it matters: the complaint alleges changes to stormwater routing that residents say damage private property and public infrastructure (a manhole). City staff said the development did not install a culvert at the time the berm was constructed, and that omission likely contributed to the present condition.

Next steps The mayor asked the residents to provide email and phone contact information so staff can follow up. Council members said they had inspected the site and supported staff engagement with the developer and legal counsel to ensure corrective measures.

No formal council action was taken beyond directing staff to investigate and engage appropriate departments and legal counsel.