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Township officials press Good Thunder on aging culvert, drainage impacts during project hearing
Summary
Township board members and residents urged the city to examine an aging 100+-year-old box culvert under Hiller Drive and potential drainage impacts of the proposed storm sewer work; engineers offered a field review and to involve Soil & Water and county partners.
During the Good Thunder public hearing on water and sewer projects, township board members and residents pressed engineers and city staff on stormwater routing and an aging box culvert that carries concentrated flow from the ballpark and surrounding farmland.
A township board member noted a corrugated steel/concrete box culvert south of the project area appears to be more than a century old and said its condition should be verified before design decisions are finalized. Mark, the project presenter, agreed the culvert's ownership and condition need checking and proposed involving the local Soil and Water Conservation District and county staff: the drainage ultimately discharges to the Maple River and may involve county tile systems.
Residents and board members described repeated overflows near Hiller Drive and the ballpark, saying the culvert and downstream tile already reach capacity during heavy rains. One attendee argued that the project's additional impervious area would not create a large new volume but may change where water runs: "It's going to be more and it's going to be as fast or faster," a township representative said, expressing concern about downstream impacts.
Mark proposed an on-site visual review and an informal workshop with Eli, Paul and others, and suggested inviting Blue Earth Soil and Water to participate either by phone or in person. He cautioned that drainage pipe funding is harder to secure than water main or sanitary sewer grants but said watershed districts sometimes have funding and that coordination with county and watershed partners will be explored.
The city agreed to set up dates for a site visit and to check records for any bridge or culvert reports; participants flagged the need to clarify ownership and maintenance responsibility to avoid future disputes if the city ties into county tile lines.
Next steps: schedule a field review with engineers, council/township representatives and Soil & Water; investigate ownership and condition of the north-side box culvert; report findings back to council.
