Problems with a municipal drain near Fife Road, just west of County Road 32, have Guelph-Eramosa council considering a $182,500 fix under the Drainage Act.
Engineer Tom Pridham, of R.J. Burnside and Associates, told council last week two nearby property owners requested the problem be addressed in 2008.
Pridham said the work on the drain, which dates back to 1916, will involve cleaning out the open drain, improving two private crossings, replacing three existing culverts, installing a “smoothwalled bore pipe” and sediment traps, clearing brush and trees, and installing a new outlet pipe at the head of the open drain.
The total cost will be split between the county, township and 57 landowners, with landowner costs ranging from $50 to $9,415, depending on the benefit they receive from the work.
Pridham said the majority of affected owners have seen the cost breakdown and he thought the assessments were “well received” during a recent meeting.
Mayor Chris White commended Pridham for “a splendid job” of explaining the project’s benefits to landowners.
Council unanimously passed a resolution to consider the report, and host a public meeting, on Aug. 23 at 7pm.
Councillor Roger Knapp was absent.
