If your maintenance crews do not regularly check the condition of your culverts and storm sewers, consider this: a minor problem on a private development storm sewer that went unchecked resulted in a costly repair that required obtaining permits from several state agencies. The end section of the sewer, which drained into a creek, backed-up and the overflow eroded the banks of the creek. The expense and hassle could easily have been avoided by making routine inspections and repairs.

On another project, inspectors investigating the cause of potholes and pavement distress knew that they found the source of the problem when they could see daylight shining through the top of the underlying culvert. The impacts? Emergency repairs, labor and equipment diverted from other worthy projects, lost profits, and road closures that caused detours for business patrons and residents.

Train your maintenance staff to observe, report, and repair minor drainage problems and develop a storm sewer inspection plan. A preventive maintenance plan will help you fix problems before they become big-ticket repair items. Even a basic plan can help you identify, budget for, and address preventive maintenance activities before you are forced to react to and pay for a crisis situation.

Here are some tips for getting started:

Identify and locate your drainage features. Using a copy of your record plans or survey maps, conduct a site walkover to make sure that all drainage features are shown. Sketch missing catch basins, culverts, and storm sewers on your map, using ties to features such as poles, signs, building corners. Then record the culvert type and size, end section treatment, number of spans, depth of cover, and any stone protection around the end sections.

Check out your storm sewers after a heavy storm to record information that may be invaluable during the design of remedial measures. Locate the high water mark, identify any back-ups that occurred, and use a digital camera to record what you see. Be sure to note if there are marsh grasses, cattails, or other vegetation that may indicate the presence of wetlands. If repairs are needed, these can indicate the need for wetland delineation and permits from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Determine condition and repairs needed. Note the overall condition of drainage structures (including blockages), the condition of roads and parking lots overlying storm sewers, and eroded soil on slopes or in outlet channels. Without this information, you are merely taking stock of what you own, not laying the groundwork for managing it. If you think repairs are needed, avoid a second trip to the site by identifying maintenance activities, estimating quantities of work, and noting the priority of repairs.

Analyze the results. Review this information with your maintenance staff or discuss likely repairs with a trusted contractor who specializes in this type of work. Then work up a cost estimate for each activity. This will allow you to sort repairs by priority (emergency, routine, etc.), cost, and type of repair (so similar work items can be scheduled at the same time).

Develop a maintenance plan. Use the results of your analysis to draft a maintenance plan over a reasonable time frame in which maintenance activities can be performed (usually one to five years). Check the cost of repairs per year, compare it to your budget, and adjust either your schedule or budget accordingly. Now you have a multi-year plan and know the annual cost to implement it. Once your program is set up, revisit it annually and make adjustments based on routine field observations.

By inventorying and prioritizing required repairs, you can plan your repairs and maintenance instead of reacting to unexpected emergency repairs that can break your budget.

To learn more about site drainage issues, contact Robert Goossen, P.E. at (585) 334-1310, ext. 225 or rgoossen@fisherassoc.com.