Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Stormwater topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Town engineer outlines culvert inventory, recommends pre‑monsoon maintenance and targeted repairs
Summary
Town engineer CJ Deaggio presented a GPS‑mapped inventory of roughly 250–300 culverts and drainage features across Carefree, finding most need routine maintenance but identifying specific problem sites (including the Leisure Lane culvert) that will require prioritized capital work and coordination with the Flood Control District of Maricopa County.
Town engineer CJ Deaggio told the Town Council that a recent inventory of the town’s drainage features — conducted with contractor CVL — has produced GPS coordinates, photographs and condition records for roughly 250–300 culverts and wash crossings across the town.
Deaggio said the field work filled a long‑standing data gap: previous county mapping (circa 2000–2004) did not include GPS coordinates. The contractor’s engineer logged each culvert, noted pipe diameter and condition, and photographed outlets and headwalls so staff can schedule inspections and routine clearing more efficiently.
While a few sites appear to need structural repairs, Deaggio said most entries point to routine maintenance needs such as vegetation clearing and sediment removal that public works crews can handle on a prioritized cadence. He highlighted vegetation‑clogged outlets that can act as temporary dams and urged pre‑monsoon clearance to reduce flood risk.
The inventory also confirmed several specific problem locations. Deaggio identified a collapsed headwall at a location outside Carefree’s municipal boundary (noting maintenance responsibility falls to Scottsdale) and a notably problematic "whitewash" condition at the Leisure Lane culvert. He said the town has an intergovernmental agreement with the Flood Control District of Maricopa County and expects to pursue design and solicitation later this year for the Leisure Lane repair, estimating the town’s share could be in the mid‑six‑figure range when coordinated with the district.
Council members asked how the inventory changes the town’s five‑year capital improvement plan (CIP). Deaggio said the exercise did not reveal widespread catastrophic failures and suggested that previously budgeted placeholders (the CIP had listed up to about $2.7 million across several years) may be larger than immediately necessary. He and councilmembers agreed the inventory will help the town better target both maintenance budgets and capital spending.
Public works supervisor Travis was reported to be carrying the inventory on his truck and beginning to schedule maintenance work based on the new data. Deaggio and staff characterized the project as a first step — a geographically precise snapshot that will be used to prioritize near‑term maintenance, schedule pre‑monsoon clearing and inform future engineering design work.
