Proposed Jefferson City stormwater utility fee may help flooding, erosion issues on east side

Some Jefferson City residents on the east side are dealing with recurring flooding and growing erosion issues, and city officials say a stormwater utility fee may help.

If the proposed fee is going to be on the August ballot, the City Council must approve the ballot issues by May.

ABC 17 News has reported on stormwater issues in the city’s third and fourth wards. Thursday, ABC 17 News got a look at issues in the Boggs Creek Watershed, or the east side of the city.

One area that is no stranger to flooding is the cul-de-sac at the end of Chickadee Road. A large tree fell there last year with the heavy rains in August and September.

The current pipe is undersized for capacity and is not in good shape, according to the city’s public works director Matt Morasch.

“We’re just getting a lot of debris out of the creek that will wash up here, clog the pipe and flood the intersection– or flood the cul-de-sac,” Morasch said. “And so, it’s a constant maintenance thing, constant aggravation for homeowners too.”

A few blocks away, two homeowners are dealing with major erosion off Eastland Drive.

Crews have put in some rock to keep more from washing out, but one of the residents told ABC 17 News it is just a band-aid on a problem that is not going away.

“What really needs to happen is repair the pipe from the street all the way out … you need to slow the water down and let it out at a different elevation so it doesn’t do this once again,” Morasch said. ” … It’s an issue that needs addressed, but with our $360,000 a year, that only goes so far.”

In the entire Boggs Creek Watershed, these projects and all needed improvements to the drainage system would cost nearly $31 million, according to Morasch.

The proposed stormwater utility fee would generate about $2 million a year and allow the city to tackle some of these projects, potentially getting ahead of the issues.

The fee would be about $3.50 per month for a single family household and may increase 2 percent each year to adjust for inflation.