The township has struck a deal with upstream landowners that will result in improvements to Wellington County’s storm sewer system through Moorefield and alleviate flooding issues in the village.
At the April 25 meeting CAO Brad McRoberts and public works director Sam Mattina explained in a report that as part of the Wellington Road 10 reconstruction project, township staff considered the idea of upsizing the county storm sewer to accommodate farmland drainage upstream or east of McGivern Street.
Upstream landowners were consulted regarding their interests and willingness to contribute financially. The report estimates the overall cost to accommodate the increased stormwater volume as part of the road project at $293,300.
“This cost is significantly discounted as the county is asking for only the difference in cost for the pipe materials and not the excavation, placement, bedding or manhole structure costs,” the report explains.
The current Moorefield Drain dates from 1965 and is considered undersized. The report notes that if the drainage is not accommodated as part of the county project, improvements on the Moorefield Drain in the very near future would cost in the neighbourhood of $1,000 per acre after factoring in the provincial grant for the lands within the catchment area. The allocation would be applied to all land owners within the area and the majority of Moorefield property owners would be assessed a portion of the upgrade costs under the Drainage Act.
“If the Moorefield Drain was upgraded at a later date as part of the Drainage Act, the project would be in the order of magnitude of $3 million with a municipal assessment in order of $2 million,” the report states.
Municipal staff were hoping the owners of upstream farmland would collectively contribute $100,000 to the project, or approximately $750 per acre.
However in a letter to the township, the three affected landowners indicated that they would be prepared to contribute $400 per acre or approximately $52,800.
Township staff recommended proceeding with the storm sewer, noting that adding it onto the county road reconstruction opportunity will result in “a very significant savings” to the township ($250,000 vs. $2 million).
Council approved the recommendation to accept the offer of $400 per acre from agricultural property owners within the Moorefield Drainage works east of McGivern Street. They also authorized agreements with property owners to exclude them in future municipal drainage assessments and to allocate their share of payments in annual installments over up to five years.
