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Council orders routine maintenance plan and legal review after canal bank failures
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Summary
Council directed public works to prepare a stormwater‑funded maintenance plan to repair recurring canal embankment failures and asked legal to evaluate contractor recourse on phases 2–3 after multiple cells showed damage and warranty concerns.
Council members pressed staff this meeting for a concrete plan to address persistent deterioration along a long canal embankment that has been repaired in phases but continues to show holes, missing cells and washouts.
Public works director Omar Santos told the council that several cells in phases 1–3 show damage and that in many locations the cause includes private irrigation lines or discharges that have undermined the installation. "We need to do routine maintenance similar to what we do with our roads," the manager said, adding that some damage was caused by private irrigation and might require staff to pursue cost recovery from adjacent property owners.
Council action: Council asked staff to prepare a phased, stormwater‑funded maintenance program (staff suggested an annual rolling budget approach tied to the stormwater fund rather than the general fund). Council also asked the town attorney to review potential legal claims against the contractors who worked on phases 2 and 3, and to report back with options for cost recovery and timing. Several council members urged the town to begin work on the oldest and most damaged cells first to prevent a larger collapse.
Costs and next steps: Staff committed to prepare a formal proposal with estimates (examples discussed included a $50,000 per‑year pilot program or higher, depending on scope) and to work with grants staff to research external funding sources. The manager said work would be prioritized by age and severity and executed as stormwater funds allow.
Representative quote: "We need to do routine maintenance similar to what we do with our drainage system, similar to what we do with our roads," the town manager said, urging a rolling maintenance approach funded from stormwater revenues.
