Drainage problems perturb planners

As knowledge of Kalispell's drainage problems grows, the city Planning Board has become irked.

Board members voiced concern Tuesday about stormwater drainage issues, especially because the board gave positive recommendations to the involved subdivisions when they submitted their plans for city approval.

"When it went through us, it was assured that there would be adequate stormwater drainage," said board Chairman George Taylor.

"I think it's gross negligence on the part of the developers," said board member Tim Norton.

Taylor and Norton were at the City Council meeting Monday, during which about 30 southwestern Kalispell residents talked about constant flooding of their yards, basements and crawlspaces - causing thousands of dollars in damages and ruining the lower levels of their homes. The council told its staff to brief it Monday about the city's overall drainage situation.

Planning Board members supported clamping down on substandard drainage measures.

They wondered whether developers could be held accountable for substandard drainage flooding yards, crawlspaces and homes. Some thought that by moving around mounds of soil and creating slopes on level fields contractors significantly contributed to the flooding.

Board member Richard Hull wondered whether having a water table a few feet below the ground's surface should become a reason to reject subdivision plans for such a site. A high water table has been a factor in some of Kalispell's flooding problems.

The city staff has speculated about requiring tests of the water table's depth when a developer first prepares subdivision plans, said City Manager Jim Patrick.

Norton speculated about whether the Planning Board should reject subdivision plans from engineers who have flooding problems in existing projects - until those flooding troubles are fixed.

Patrick said the city government began addressing this problem a few months ago by hiring an engineer specializing in drainage matters and a construction inspector. Those hirings will increase inspections and reviews to hold developers and their engineers accountable, he said.

"I firmly believe … we have things in place to resolve this," Patrick said.