Easement Approved for Grading Work at Western Catholic Union Property

Washington City Council members Monday night approved a grading easement deed with the Western Catholic Union (WCU) club to address stormwater and erosion problems.

The easement will allow city crews to perform grading work on property owned by the WCU located behind the Dubois Court Condominiums near Dubois and Horn streets.

Currently, stormwater is draining onto the northern edge of a parking lot at the condos and into a ditch near the WCU property.

The water is draining in such a way that it’s causing erosion problems and has been eating away at the condos’ asphalt parking lot, according to Andrea Lueken, assistant city engineer.

The engineering department will take the two storm inlets feeding into this area from Horn and Dubois streets and combine them into one pipe.

In addition, city crews will move a ditch back away from the parking lot by about five to 10 feet. The WCU owns property north of the ditch.

About 140 feet of ditch will be lined with rock and the hillside on the WCU property will be graded. Three trees will have to be removed, Lueken noted.

The stormwater being discharged now will be slowed down to avoid any problems that may arise downstream, Lueken explained.

The project will cost about $1,700 for city labor and equipment and approximately $1,100 for rock and concrete material.

The work, which should take about two to 2 1/2 days, will be paid for entirely out of the city’s stormwater improvement fund.

The engineering department had previously proposed to have the condo property owners and WCU pay for piping materials to bury a 12-inch pipe that would extend to and tie in with an existing 12-inch stormwater pipe downstream on the WCU property. However, WCU representatives said they were not interested in that offer.