Clogged culverts raise flooding concern in Black Forest

(MONDAY, AUG. 27)

El Paso County officials Monday began the process of cleaning out clogged drainage culverts in Black Forest, after neighbor complaints and a KRDO NewsChannel 13 brought the matter to light.

Workers cleared away debris blocking both ends of five culverts underneath Burgess Road between Greentree and Windmill roads.

A caution marker was placed on each side of the culverts to alert drivers that the road shoulders above the culverts are eroding and unstable.

On Tuesday, workers plan to return to the culverts and finish cleaning them out.

“The culverts still work,” said Jim Reid, executive director of El Paso County Public Works. “They just need to be cleaned out. They’re not all completely blocked. We’ll also install concrete headers at each end to support them.”

KRDO NewsChannel 13 asked Reid how relatively new culverts could fill with debris so quickly.

“The homeowner out there altered the drainage on her own,” he said. “That contributed to or caused the flooding she had.”

That homeowner, Karen Bueche, denied changing drainage in the area.

“I know people are concerned about flooding from storms, but with the (2013 Black Forest Fire) burn scar nearby, it doesn’t take a lot of rain to cause flooding,” Reid said. Cleaning out culverts and drains is a normal process. It’s just that it takes a while because this is a big county with hundreds of drains and culverts. Crews do the best they can.”

Bueche said she’s glad the county responded.

“I just don’t think what they’re doing is going to work,” she said. “I think they need larger culverts there, but they told me that’s not going to happen.”

(SUNDAY, AUG. 26)

A Black Forest resident who said she’s had thousands of dollars in flood damage because of a clogged drainage culvert is worried about it happening again.

Homeowner Karen Bueche said there hasn’t been a repeat of flooding because Black Forest has avoided the strong storms that have hit southern El Paso County this summer.

For 42 years, Bueche has lived along Burgess Road on the east side of town, between Greentree and Windmill roads.

“It’s a natural drainage area,” she said. “Storm runoff comes from above my property, flows through it and went through an 18-inch culvert built under Burgess Road.”

Bueche said storm debris and erosion regularly clogged the culvert to the point that last year, water backed up onto her property and into her basement.

“That alone was about $16,000, and then I had a lot of damage to personal belongings and lost personal stuff,” she said. “Insurance didn’t cover any of it.”

Earlier this year, a county crew installed five new 18-inch culverts under the road — and they’re clogging up on both sides.

“I told them that wouldn’t be enough to handle the debris,” Bueche said.

Bueche and another neighbor, Sheryl Lambert, said they have tried several times to report the problem to the county, but have yet to receive a response.

“It’s kind of difficult with this modern technology,” Lambert said. “Sometimes you leave messages, sometimes you can’t get a hold of them.”

County spokesman Greg Dingrando said Sunday that the county hasn’t received any reports of clogged culverts in that area.

“(But) we appreciate this being brought to our attention now, and we will try to get crews out there to take care of the problem in the near future,” he said.

Even with less rainfall than elsewhere in the county, Dingrando said culverts and drains become clogged often.

“The drainage project along Burgess Road is not complete,” he said. “In addition to clearing out the sediment and debris, more work will be done in the future with concrete head walls to further improve drainage for the area.”

Dingrando also asks citizens to use its online and app tool, Citizen Connect, to report road and drainage problems.

“It’s the best way to report issues,” he said. “Citizens can get updates when work is happening and when it’s done.”

For more information about Citizen Connect, visit: https://citizenconnect.elpasoco.com/#/homepage.