Living in fear of the next big rain

Stormwater discussions resurface again

City Engineer David Bange, at right, talks about the stormwater basin behind him and how it controls the flow of excess water in heavy rains. In early September, several members of the Jefferson City Council joined city Public Works staffers on a bus tour of stormwater trouble spots in town.
City Engineer David Bange, at right, talks about the stormwater basin behind him and how it controls the flow of excess water in heavy rains. In early September, several members of the Jefferson City Council joined city Public Works staffers on a bus tour of stormwater trouble spots in town.

Stormwater has been a frequent topic of discussion in Jefferson City for several years, and recently, it has returned to the forefront.

Jefferson City residents on Wednesday discussed ways to improve stormwater infrastructure, and a few weeks ago, Jefferson City Council members took a bus tour to see stormwater problem sites around the city. This came after the issue was discussed in council and Budget Committee meetings last month.

As of Saturday, there were 85 projects on the city's list of stormwater issues, which is created based on calls from residents and reports from the city's Street Division. Jefferson City Stormwater Engineer Don Fontana estimated it would cost more than $15 million to repair all the items on the list.

This list does not include some of the projects in the city's Comprehensive Stormwater Master Plan Update, which outlines more than 100 stormwater projects in Jefferson City.

The city hired Burns and McDonnell Engineering, based in Kansas City, in 2001 to conduct a study and create a plan for Jefferson City's stormwater infrastructure. According to the master plan, published in February 2006, the last study on the city's stormwater system was in 1986, and the company thought the suggested improvements needed re-examining.

The plan grouped the projects into four categories: low-cost projects, high-cost projects or moderate-maintenance projects, closely monitored projects, and monitored projects not in the city's jurisdiction - projects either under the Cole County or the Missouri Department of Transportation jurisdictions.

The estimated cost for the projects in the city's jurisdiction at the time was more than $32.7 million, according to the plan.

Fontana said some stormwater projects on that list were completed after the plan was released, such as at the intersection of Marilyn and Lowell drives. However, there are projects in the master plan on the city's current list of stormwater problem areas, including the Satinwood Drive and Stadium Boulevard intersection.

There were four flash floods last year; the first two impacted the central and southwestern parts of the city mainly, while two more impacted the western and eastern sides of the city.

Frank and Vicki Gilder, who live on Satinwood Drive near Stadium Boulevard, paid more than $9,000 to replace appliances and repair their pool after the flash floods last August and September.

Up the street from the Gilders, Marilyn Russell spent $22,000 to repair her property after flash flooding, while Ward 5 resident Mary Ann Reuter described about $25,000 worth of damage to her property, particularly her basement, due to stormwater.

Other residents said they could no longer sell their houses because of stormwater issues.

Jefferson City resident Eric Weddle said properties have nearly flooded several times since the flash floods last fall.

"We're scared to death when we get heavy rain," Weddle said. "The fear is that it's getting to the point to where, with the development and things that are happening now, if it's going to take 6 inches of rain to produce that type of flood or 4 inches of rain or (if) it's going to get down to 3 inches of rain. So there's this constant fear that we don't know. We don't know what's going to happen. We don't know if it's going to be OK or if it's going to flood."

Weddle said the city has made some improvements to stormwater issues at the Stadium and Satinwood intersection by adding more inlets and placing berms in some surrounding yards.

All of the Jefferson City Council members told the News Tribune they supported finding a long-term solution for stormwater but had different ideas of what the next step was and how to fund the stormwater budget. Some council members said the next step was for city staff to finalize the fund balance project list, while others said discussions about the stormwater utility fee was required. Other council members said the utility fee might not be the solution and required more discussion about other long-term solutions.

The City Council agreed some kind of plan was required, though.

"We've got to find something that's more long-term than just taking money out of the budget this year," Ward 3 Councilwoman Erin Wiseman said. "We've had too many problems in the city, and the money that we just allocated for stormwater is just a drop in the bucket. We're going to be able to spend that on one or two projects, so we need to have a longer-term solution to move forward and really be able to make an impact on the town because we just can't continue to have these sort of problems."

The City Council approved a supplemental appropriation of $750,000 toward stormwater for the 2017 fiscal year last month. This amount was originally set for the 2018 fiscal year budget but was later removed so the funds could be used this fiscal year.

Ward 1 Councilman Rick Prather said the City Council could do supplemental appropriations again if the $750,000 is spent.

Weddle said while this was a step in the right direction, it's a reactive approach instead of a proactive one. Public Works Director Matt Morasch agreed with the department's current budget, they are being more reactive to stormwater issues.

"Our funds are pretty minimal to the scope of the problem, so quite frankly what we're doing is a reactive approach," he said. "So we know something is going to happen with stormwater (during the) next big rain we have, but we do the best we can to prioritize the funds we have."

The Public Works department receives $360,000 from the city's sales tax annually. With $360,000, he said, the department could only place a bandage on some of the stormwater issues.

Morasch said it would cost several millions of dollars to address stormwater problems in Jefferson City. However, he could not give an estimated total cost to fix everything since the issues are changing on an almost daily basis.

Morasch said he would like $2 million a year to go toward replacing and repairing stormwater infrastructure. Even with an annual $2 million budget, though, he said it would take years to address all of the stormwater issues, but that amount might help the department be more proactive.

During an August city Budget Committee meeting, a proposed $1.5 million from the fund balance for 2018 fiscal year stormwater improvements was voted down. Some council members thought the $1.5 million was a good starting point, but others said while they want to add more stormwater funding, they were not comfortable putting that amount toward it at that time since they did not have the final fund balance project list and did not know what else would be included in next year's budget.

The plan suggested the city adopt a stormwater utility fee to fund current and future stormwater infrastructure. It noted the stormwater management visibility and the community's service expectations would most likely increase if a stormwater utility fee was adopted.

The plan stated stormwater "represents a pervasive, community-wide issue that cannot be solved by one-time measures or temporary funding mechanisms." It recommended a comprehensive program that "drives a cohesive, long-term funding strategy." The plan recommended implementing this program in steps.

Earlier this year, the City Council voted against placing a stormwater fee on the August ballot.

The plan noted items like prioritization of capital projects regarding stormwater and any funding policy problems be addressed before adopting a service fee rate.

Morasch said the stormwater issues are due to several issues, one being most of the current stormwater system has surpassed its lifespan, which is 20-30 years.

Along with this, a city ordinance that provides stormwater guidelines for new developments was created in 1986 and has been updated several times, but 70 percent of residences in the city were built before the stormwater ordinance. Since they were built before the ordinance, some of these buildings are not as protected from stormwater as newer developments.

Weddle said he would like the ordinance updated since there are more developments in the city. At the residents' stormwater meeting, several said they believe some of the recent developments have created more run-off water, playing a role in the city's stormwater issue. By updating the ordinance, residents said they think developers would have to reach stricter stormwater guidelines.

Some residents recommended the city create a stormwater committee to address issues. Fontana said there were two city stormwater committees over the past 10 years.

The Stormwater Advisory Committee met from December 2006 to October 2007 to discuss creating a stormwater utility fee. An Oct. 15, 2007, memorandum from the committee recommended the city not pursue a utility fee at that time, but instead "identify all funding needs city-wide and pursue a comprehensive approach to the city maintenance funding shortfall issue."

The second stormwater committee, the Stormwater Quality Advisory Committee, met between 2012-14 and focused mainly on municipal water quality, not funding or infrastructure issues, Fontana said.

Morasch said there is a line between what property owners can do and what the city can do. The city might upsize a pipe for a reasonable price if funding is available, but that does not guarantee the flooding issue will be fixed.

Sometimes properties are built too low to a surrounding creek or other drainage way, so adjusting a pipe might not be an option. In these cases, Morasch said, they try to provide advice to property owners on ways they can modify their homes or properties to prevent flooding.

According to the master plan, ongoing education should be a priority. Morasch said city staff has done a better job of educating the public and City Council. He discussed the plan with the council and said it was now up to them on how to address the city's stormwater problems.

Residents, the City Council and city staff all agree on one item, though: stormwater is a city-wide issue, not a ward issue.

"You'll have individuals that will say, 'It doesn't affect me because I live up on a hill.' I don't look at it that way," Ward 5 Councilman Mark Schreiber said. "I look at it from the standpoint of, 'Yes, it does affect me,' because if you got a need for an ambulance or something and that vehicle has to come through an area that is prone to flooding, and that happens the day it's needed, then it does affect every single one of us."

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The Jefferson City Department of Public Works creates a list of stormwater issues based on calls from residents and reports from the city's Street Division.

Jefferson City Stormwater Engineer Don Fontana estimates it would cost more than $15 million to repair all the items on this list.

  • Sue Drive, four locations (inlets and pipes)
  • Satinwood at Stadium (box culvert)
  • Cedar Hill Road (culvert)
  • Marilyn Drive (cross-road pipe)
  • East Circle (box culvert) - completed
  • 3X2 Box Crossing Dunford and John
  • East McCarty, Church to High streets
  • Mesa Street (arch pipe)
  • Forest Hill system - completed
  • Jobe and Major drives system - 2017 Lining Project
  • West McCarty Street (box culvert)
  • Monroe/Hickory/Atchison Street system
  • Greenberry Road C & G
  • Hillsdale system, 2017 lining contract
  • Southwest and Bassman Road (pipe lining)
  • 701 Leonard
  • Country Club Drive near Huntleigh Place
  • Chickadee Drive system
  • Buerhle Drive / Ponderosa
  • 607 Sue Drive system
  • 101 Riverwood
  • Timber Road, cross-road pipe (Near 2006)
  • Midway Drive (box culvert)
  • Berry Street system (West Main to West McCarty)
  • 101 N. Taylor (improved channel failing)
  • St. Mary's Boulevard and Ohio Street
  • Hub Street system (West Main to West McCarty)
  • West Ashley from Broadway to Washington
  • Leslie Boulevard (cross-road pipes)
  • Duane Swift Parkway
  • Pamela/Linden system
  • Geneva Street (inlets and pipe)
  • Marion/Ridgewood system
  • Washington Street (trunk line)
  • Ridgeway Drive system
  • West McCarty Street near Manilla
  • West Miller Street (box culvert)
  • Heritage Hill Road system
  • Valley Park Drive
  • Yorktown Drive, Vieth to outlet
  • 200 block of Fredricks Lane
  • Meadowlark Lane
  • Bluebird Drive
  • Air Streets, phase 2
  • Rosevalley and Major drives system
  • Allen Drive system
  • Inlets at High and Marshall intersection
  • West Edgewood Drive, C and G
  • Lowell and Marilyn
  • Landwehr Hills (various exit structures)
  • Douglas and Davis streets system
  • Union, Case and Adams streets system
  • East Atchison at Locust
  • North Polk Street system, paved ditch
  • Deer Trail, cross-road pipes
  • Allen Circlesystem
  • 400 block of Belair
  • East Tanner Way, east from Madison Street
  • West Circle at Main Street system
  • Schellridge to Huntleigh Place
  • Holly to Hawthorne Parkway
  • Daisy Lane at cul-de-sac
  • Ihler Road from Wesley to Lola
  • Concord Drive, Saratoga and Lexington Drive
  • Seven Hills Road - repaired
  • Riverview Cemetery and 405 Belair
  • Lee Street
  • Carol Harrison - County, detention
  • West Stadium Boulevard near West Edgewood
  • Bald Hill at Del Cerro
  • Sterling Price Road
  • 1100 block of East High Street system
  • 311 Manila Steet (pipe in rear of lot)
  • Starling Drive
  • 1706 St. Mary's Boulevard
  • Boss Terrace
  • 2511 East Schellridge
  • 614 Hobbs
  • 229 Fredricks
  • 1708 Notre Dame
  • 921 Bannister
  • Julie Lane, 2017 lining project
  • Cari Ann toward Jason Drive, 2017 lining project
  • 229 Eastland Drive, 2017 lining project
  • 2635 and 2639 Jennifer Street, pipe between residences