Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Stormwater And Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Alsea residents raise storm-drain and water-quality concerns to county and LCDC staff
Summary
Residents reported new storm drains and sidewalk work that they say has redirected or blocked runoff, flooding yards and affecting wells. Speakers urged engineering assessment of underground springs and county follow-up; participants asked whether existing sewer maintenance funds could be used for drainage fixes.
Local residents described storm-drain and surface-water problems after recent road and sidewalk work, telling the Alsea Community Advisory Committee that runoff from the hill is not reaching new or existing drains and is flooding yards and village properties.
Resident John Tittman described water running from a hill, failing to reach a new drain in front of the old bank building and noted possible broken drainage in a field. “There was a water issue…this is an underground water coming off the mountain,” Tittman said during public comment. He later provided his address for the record.
Residents and committee members discussed who is responsible for the work and whether Oregon Department of Transportation or county crews are leading projects. County staff said the county is a partner on the work and that the county has been notified about the drainage problems. Participants repeatedly urged county crews to inspect drains during heavy rain to see where surface flows are going.
Funding and systems
- A resident asked whether county maintenance or special funds intended for sewer projects could be used to address the runoff that is overwhelming sewer infrastructure in parts of town. County staff said sewer funds are for maintenance and repair, not expansion; a separate water-tank project was completed as a separate undertaking.
- Naomi Shadwick and others urged a basin-wide engineer’s assessment of springs and subsurface water. Shadwick said a blanket hydrologic evaluation would help determine where water originates and how it should be managed rather than relying on ad hoc fixes.
Practical considerations and constraints
Participants and staff warned that designing and implementing a durable stormwater solution would be expensive and complex, requiring basin-scale hydrologic and hydraulic analyses. County and state representatives said channelizing or piping runoff can move problems downstream and may have cumulative impacts on river flood levels; residents said localized solutions such as buried pipe have been used on private property.
Ending
Committee members agreed to keep the drainage issues on an ongoing action list and to ask county public-works staff to inspect problem locations during heavy rains. Naomi Shadwick and others asked the committee to explore funding and engineering assistance for a larger assessment of springs and drainage.
Quotes
- “There was a water issue…this is an underground water coming off the mountain,” John Tittman said in public comment.
- “Their maintenance and repair funds, but not expansion funds,” county staff said when asked about sewer funding.
- “We don't have a program person with the kind of experience to bring all these pieces together and work with a professional to develop…that’s our real issue,” Naomi Shadwick said, urging a staffed effort to coordinate funding and technical work.
