Letter: Address Sun Valley runoff problem

The Sun Valley area has a 'canyon” runoff problem that the city council, its engineers and consultants are not addressing. Mayor-elect Brad Hart has called and offered to meet and discuss after Monday.

This canyon extends a few hundred yards north from the Deepwoods Court cul-de-sac and branches to the west and east. It has steep earth sidewalls and is wooded, but almost no vegetative cover at ground level. During the months that the trees have leaves they may provide some protection of the mostly barren soil from the impact of rainfall. Several homes are located along the upper edges of this 'canyon” and their impervious roofs probably add to the runoff problem.

Nothing has been done at the site to contain the rainfall runoff. The city has attempted to address the 'effects” of excessive runoff, but not at the 'source/site” of the problem.

When one of these home-grown floods reached the downstream Cottage Grove Parkway Street area, a 42-inch storm sewer was extended from the street to Indian Creek, the house at 4264 got flooded so that property was bought and the home destroyed. The 4266 lot was regraded and a 36-inch storm sewer was extended from the 42-inch to the middle of the 4264 lot.

Nothing has been done and there are no plans to do anything at the location where the runoff originates. The city has plans to spend a quarter million, not at the runoff problem site, but downstream at the intersection of Deepwoods Court and Fox Meadow Drive. The problem 'canyon” site will remain untouched. The city continues to spend large sums at locations that do not address this runoff problem.

Marv Rops

Cedar Rapids