S. Meadows stormwater plan ready

After roughly two years of preliminary engineering and design, a project is taking shape to correct stormwater drainage problems in South Meadows.

The project aims to restore and upgrade an open ditch and culvert system in the public right of way in the South Kalispell neighborhood.

“Culverts got filled in, overgrown, sunk, collapsed,” Public Works Director Susie Turner said.

“The intent is to fix all that and size the pipe for 100-year flows. Because we have zero [stormwater] detention there, we have to be able to move those larger flows away from the subdivision.”

Some stretches of ditch in the neighborhood, developed between 1977 and 1994, were deliberately filled in by homeowners so that people could park out front along the street.

“There’s quite a bit of that going on, and in the areas where it got filled in there’s nowhere for the stormwater to run,” Turner said.

Officials are reviewing several bids submitted for the South Meadows Drainage Improvement Project. They plan to recommend the Kalispell City Council award a contract at its Aug. 20 meeting.

Construction then would start in September. It is expected to take 60 days.

Bids range from a low of $676,405 to a high of $832,711, with $700,000 budgeted for the work this year. Money for the project comes from Kalispell’s annual stormwater assessments.

Phase-one work starts at Begg Park and goes up South Meadow Drive to Greatview Drive.

“Then we have supplemental schedules to see if we have enough money set aside this year to bring it up Belmar Street and Darlington Drive and Bluestone Drive,” Turner said.

Any affected streets that can’t be addressed in this round of construction would be taken up in fiscal year 2013-14.

Construction plans call for the installation of a filtration system to treat stormwater before it’s discharged into Ashley Creek. The system uses hydrodynamics to channel incoming water into a vortex, whereby sediments and oils are naturally funneled down and removed and cleaner water rises up and out and out of the filter.

“It’s a really cool system,” Turner said.

ANOTHER MAJOR component of the South Meadows Drainage Improvement Project will be protecting and maintaining the open ditch and culvert system in working order going forward.

“Once it gets reconstructed, we really have to make sure it’s maintained that way. People can’t fill in the areas for parking,” Turner said.

Officials plan to hold a meeting to discuss the project with neighborhood residents later this month after a contract is awarded.

“In some areas it is going to affect some people,” Turner said of the work. “We tried our hardest to have it not affect people, but in some areas it will and we just want to make sure we have that one-on-one to go through it with residents.”

Reporter Tom Lotshaw may be reached at 758-4483 or by email at tlotshaw@dailyinterlake.com.