CULVER, OR -- Construction of Culver’s new water runoff diversion culvert is delayed until October. City Manager Donna McCormick says work began at the end of June and the project was supposed to be complete by mid-October. But, crews can't continue until North Unit Irrigation District utility lines are moved. "I know this seems really strange, but it's actually the irrigation district with a power plant out east of Culver that has lines coming through," McCormick tells KBND News, "They need to turn off irrigation water before those lines can be shut down." She adds, "We need to get the water out before we bore under."

A 2004 feasibility found the culvert is necessary to divert snow melt, storm water and runoff from frozen fields, and prevent it from running through the city. McCormick says says flooding is a problem nearly every year, "Any time there's very much snow, as it melts, it channels in through the city. It's just a natural occurrence. But, in order to divert it, to keep it from happening, is what we're working on." She says, "We're kind of a funnel, and it comes through the downtown area, flooding residences, the school, stores, and the post office." 

When the project is complete, a culvert will run the entire length of Iris Lane and under the railroad tracks, the canal and Highway 361. The work is expected to cost $485,000, the majority of which is from the city of Culver, with a $50,000 grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation.

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