Residents along Watertown’s Cherry Drive get the news they’ve been waiting for (Audio)
February 18, 2020
Mike Tanner
WATERTOWN, S.D.— A long-awaited solution for residents of a northeast Watertown neighborhood experiencing drainage issues finally appears to be in sight.
For six years, residents along Cherry Drive have complained to city officials about a drainage channel behind their homes that fills with standing water.
The problem stems from the lack of elevation change along the channel that fails to produce any energy to move the water along.
Last year, the city requested permission from the Army Corps of Engineers to re-grade the channel.
City Engineer Heath VonEye told the city council Tuesday night that the Corps has given the city the green light to proceed with the work….
New twin homes will be built on property adjacent to the drainage channel, and VonEye says the plan is for the developer of that project to do the re-grading of the drainage channel….
VonEye says if the private developer is unable to do the work, the city will step in and get it done…
Councilman Don Roby has pressed city officials for an update on this issue at every council meeting since late 2019 in an effort to get the re-grading work jump started.
