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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I CULVERT REPAIR POLICY By: Engineer Steven Jankowski CASE Background: Throughout most of the City, drainage is facilitated through a system of culverts. The majority of these culve~ are placed beneath individual driveways, but culverts also cross public roadways. When drainage problems arise, the City is often asked to repair, replace or install culverts. There is a question Of responsibility at issue since individual driveway culverts are required to be placed by the homeowners on City right-of-ways. City Code 9.11.08(d) only briefly addresses the requirement of culverts as follows: "When necessary, the lot owner shall install a culvert of adequate size, as determined by the Building Official. All culverts shall be a minimum of 15 inches in diameter." Staff believes it would be helpful to develop a written policy to address the responsibilities that arise contemning this issue. We are suggesting the following provisions be incorporated in such a policy. · The City shall be responsible for the maintenance and cleaning of culverts which cross City streetS, The property owner shall be responsible for the cost of installing and maintaining any culvert which provides access to his property. Rationale: There are approximately 5,000 culverts in the city and the sheer number makes it unreasonable to expect that the Public Works Department can clean and repair this number. Also the culvert, although it is on public property, provides its primary benefit to the property owner and should be considered similarly to mailbokes and sprinkler heads. Finally, the method of cleaning partially filled culverts by the Publi~ Works Department is the same as the homeowner, by hand. This policy might be reconsidered if a power vacuum or mechanical piece of equipment could be obtained by the City in the future. The City will accept the responsibility for cleaning ditches between culverts. Rationale: The City does~wn heavy equipment to facilitate ditch cleaning, whereas, the homeowner could not reasonably be expected to undertake this type of work. Also, the filling of ditches is primarily caused bytaefivifies which are not a direct result of homeowner activities. The Public Works Supervisor should be given the authorization to require any homeowner to install, .r.~air or maintain their culvert. Failure to comply with a proper order within a reasonable amount of time, or in ease an emergency should be cause for having the work performed by Public Works, the cost would be assessed to the property owner. Committee Action: Based on diSCussion, direct the City Engineer to prepare a policy for consideration by City Council. Reviewed by: City Engineer R&B: 08/10/93