Homeowners wait for drainage solution

Another city-imposed deadline for a plan to drain rainwater from a southeast Wichita subdivision has passed without action.

Work continues on a plan to move water away from the southeast corner of the Maple Shade subdivision, just south of Harry on Webb Road, said Scott Lindebak, the city's stormwater engineer.

Developer Steve Miller and his engineers, Ruggles & Bohm, have been working on a new drainage plan after engineers determined that stormwater played a role in the deterioration of several new homes in the subdivision.

"I understand their drainage improvement plan is being modified and the work should be completed in the next four to six weeks," Lindebak said.

City officials originally asked for a plan by Thanksgiving of 2010, then extended the deadline to March 1 to allow for further modifications to divert water from Maple Shade and the adjoining Brentwood South subdivision to the east.

With the rainy season at hand, one Maple Shade homeowner wasn't surprised by the inaction.

"I cannot believe that is taking so long to correct a huge problem in the two subdivisions," said Steve Garner, whose 3-year-old Maple Shade home is bisected by a growing crack in its foundation.

City officials have ordered builder Clint Miller to devise a plan to repair Garner's home, but the homeowner said last week that he hasn't seen a plan.

"By the time any action is taken on the drainage plan, we will have more flooding and further aggravate our current foundation problems," Garner said.

Lindebak told The Eagle last year that he lacks legal authority to mandate any solutions, serving only as an intermediary between developers and homeowners.

Maple Shade went through code review with a basic drainage plan that shows where the water is supposed to go.

But the water doesn't go there because no drainage channel was developed in the 20-foot easement that was supposed to carry it.

Instead, that easement sits in backyards and is blocked by fences, in an area critics say is overbuilt with houses.

To complicate matters, houses were built on fill soil atop clay that expands as moisture builds, then contracts as it dries, leading to cracks in slab foundations.

One homeowner, Betty Wiens, spent $80,000 to put 45-foot piers under her 5- year-old, $140,000 home to stabilize it. Others are seeking similar solutions.

Several quick fixes, including a handmade dirt berm, have largely failed to address the water flow.

The drainage situation first came to a head in September 2008, when torrential rains hit the city, flooding houses in Brentwood South and Maple Shade, and leading residents to complain.

An investigation by city officials led them to Maple Shade developer Steve Miller and Christ Community Church, owner of a field just south of the subdivision that drains water toward the houses. Miller and the church have been unable to reach agreement to acquire another 20-foot easement to drain the water.

Lindebak said he hasn't established a new deadline but believes work will begin soon.

"No, I have not provided them a deadline, but I believe April 30th would be as good as any," he said.

"I understand that the fencing and berming will begin within the week by Steve Miller and the modified inlet structure plan in Brentwood South is getting prices from local utility contractors."

This story was originally published March 14, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Homeowners wait for drainage solution."