A third sink hole and collapsed storm drain were discovered this afternoon by City Public Works employees following this week's record rainfall. Debris from the collapsed pipe has plugged an estimated 200-300 feet of 42-inch storm drain pipe downstream from the site, located in an open field behind McDonald’s restaurant.
“This explains why we had such a large volume of water sheet-flowing across this property and through the U.S. Bank parking lot and flooding the intersection of Railroad and 5th Street Monday night and Tuesday morning,” City Manager Gary Milliman said.
Milliman said it would be a “major undertaking” to clear the plugged storm drain of rock and other debris. “We do not have the equipment to do this type of work, so we will be bringing in a contractor as we did when the storm drain through the City Hall parking lot collapsed in November, 2010,” Milliman said.
In other storm related news, the City has issued an advisory to anyone who might access the beach outlet of Ransom Creek to avoid contact with water at that location due to a sewage discharge from the storm-damaged sewer lift station at Beach Avenue. City Public Works employees will be assisting a contractor in setting up a portable pump at the lift station site Wednesday evening.
City crews repaired a broken water main in a storm-damaged private road Wednesday morning, and were clearing debris from storm drain culverts at several “hot spots” around town on Wednesday afternoon when the latest sink hole was discovered.
Work continued on the Ransom Avenue storm drain replacement project, and work is expected to begin Monday on the Mill Beach Road culvert replacement project. The City has requested assistance from ODOT in cleaning storm debris from Chetco Avenue and adjacent drainage ditches.