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Council authorizes $95,000 drainage study for The Woods after residents report repeated flooding
Summary
The council approved a task order to fund phases 1 and 2 of a drainage study for The Woods neighborhood. Residents testified that nearby development and grading have raised the floodplain and caused recurring yard and septic flooding; the city engineer said the study will use surveys and modeling to identify options and avoid creating downstream problems.
The Gunner City Council agreed to fund a proposed drainage study for The Woods subdivision after residents described recurring flooding and staff outlined a three-phase engineering approach.
Jenny, the city27s review engineer, told the council the proposed task order covers phases 1 and 2: field surveying and hydrology/hydraulics modeling to identify existing conditions and to evaluate options. "The 1st is looking at existing conditions and figuring out where the problems are, how bad they are, what's happening," she said, describing use of LIDAR, on-the-ground survey work and H&H modeling. The work will not include final design (phase 3), but will identify potential fixes and whether those fixes would shift impacts downstream.
Residents who live at the bottom of the basin described changes after nearby development. Billy Stewart said developers "brought a bunch of truckloads of dirt, and they raised most of that property out of the family" and reported, "I have videos of my kids riding rafts in my backyard" after storms and two failures of his septic system. Neighbors pressed staff on the $95,000 price tag and on whether the study would produce cost estimates for construction; Jenny said the fee covers survey teams and modeling so the city will have precise data before recommending fixes.
Council members and residents discussed possible near-term, low-cost actions (for example, clearing or regrading a local culvert) but staff warned against piecemeal fixes that might worsen downstream flooding. After discussion, council moved to accept the task order authorizing the study; the motion passed on the floor.
