Agenda - Public Works Committee - 10/20/2015

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what that was. She stated she remembered seeing it and wished she would have taken pictures. She asked if that could have affected all of this. Chairperson Riley stated he went to observe the situation on the premises. He said it is obvious that the lawn has turned into wetland vegetation. Just the nature of wetland vegetation with large stems makes it difficult to remove. He asked how long the drainage ditch holds water. Mr. Bergevin responded it holds a few feet of water all summer now. Councilmember Johns raised the issue of all the other water issues residents have brought up recently. Those issues are mostly with flooding into the homes. This flooding is related to the water table being higher. She said the City cannot control the water table. Mrs. Bergevin noted her neighbors that are right on the lake are not having issues due to a rising water level. She asked if the issue was the water level, why hasn't it affected others. City Engineer Westby stated he also saw standing water in the swale when he visited the property. He explained if the weather stays wet, then the swale will continue to have standing water. The levels of that lake are completely dependent on the weather, and it will rise and fall according to the weather. He stated a drainage easement does not necessarily mean there is moving water, and that drainage easements are designed to accommodate runoff from the hundred year storm event. Mr. Bergevin said the definition of a drainage easement is from the State of Minnesota. The drainage easements are supposed to be for flowing water. City Engineer Westby responded the City uses drainage easements for static water. Chairperson Riley asked if permanent standing water is allowed in the drainage easement. City Engineer Westby replied it is allowed, to the best of his knowledge. Chairperson Riley clarified that the simple fact that there is an easement would allow permanent standing water in the easement. City Engineer Westby confirmed. Councilmember Johns questioned if this is a rainy year, or if there is a lot of snow, whether there will be issues with the house flooding since this drainage easement could be full. City Engineer Westby explained there was less attention paid to drainage in the 1980s , but then in the 1990s more attention was focused on drainage designs to make sure the drainage design could accommodate runoff from larger storm and snow melt events. However, the drainage easement on this property appears to be performing as it was intended to since it was built so flooding is not anticipated to be an issue. Public Works Committee / September 15, 2015 Page 3 of 9