Humboldt County supervisors debate who will pay for water-main repair tied to drainage-tile project

A leak in a city water main discovered this winter near a drainage-tile crossing prompted Humboldt County engineers, the contractor and county supervisors to negotiate how repair costs should be allocated.

County consulting engineer Brad (Jacobson Westergaard) reported the leak was found in the trench where Doyle Construction had crossed a water main with drainage tile. Brad said the tile project’s one-year warranty period had passed only months earlier but that his investigation did not show clear contractor negligence that would validate a warranty claim. "I don't think there is something that you can say the contractor did negligent or wrong that would have caused that," Brad told the board.

Brad described three payment possibilities: a contractor warranty claim, the city paying if the leak was unrelated to the project, or the drainage district paying if the crossing contributed to the failure. After inspecting the site and the pipe, he recommended the drainage district pay the repair because the evidence did not support a firm finding of contractor error but did show the leak began at the project crossing.

Doyle Construction representatives and the county discussed the on-site repair process, difficulty locating the leak and extra excavation that increased labor and rock costs. The invoice discussed in the meeting for the repair work was $4,453.33; board members also estimated paving or final surface restoration could add roughly $1,000, putting the immediate total near $7,000.

Contract representatives offered concessions during the meeting. A Doyle Construction representative said the company could reduce charges (discussed figures included about $1,500 toward labor/rock) and Jacobson Westergaard offered to take roughly 10% off its consulting bill. Supervisors and contractors agreed to place final invoices on the board’s next agenda rather than resolve payment immediately.

Board members and city staff also discussed standards for vertical separation between water mains and storm sewers. Brad cited a May 2024 Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) guidance and related administrative rules showing reinforced concrete pipe with gaskets can be acceptable when vertical separation is between 6 and 18 inches; he said the storm sewer installed met the gasketed-RCP standard cited in the guidance.

No formal board motion to charge any party was taken. Instead, supervisors accepted the engineers’ recommendation to treat the repair as part of the drainage project costs to be coordinated through the drainage district and asked staff to place the contractor invoices on the next agenda for formal action once the bills are submitted.

The discussion underscored board concerns about excavation practices in winter conditions, how contractors locate leaks when site marks differ from where leaks ultimately are found, and the limits of warranty claims where evidence of negligence is not decisive.

Ending: Supervisors instructed staff to bring the actual contractor invoices and any recommended split back to a future meeting for a formal decision.