To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
Through: David L. Corliss, Town Manager
From: Mark Marlowe, P.E., Director of Castle Rock Water
Mark Henderson, P.E., Assistant Director of Castle Rock Water
Hannah Branning, Water Quality and Regulatory Compliance Manager
Title
Update: Changes to the Castle Rock Water Chase Drain Policy
Body
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Executive Summary
Chase drains are primarily used for nuisance/excess water during dry weather. They consist of an inlet and a metal conveyance system that runs beneath the sidewalk to the street gutter. Since 2008, Castle Rock Water (CRW) has provided chase drains as a courtesy service to homeowners at no charge. To date, CRW has installed 72 chase drains under the program. Attachment A shows a map with the locations of the chase drains to date. Under the current policy, homeowners who request a chase drain must be monitored for a minimum of one year to determine if a chase drain is necessary. Water usage, leak detection, and area of influence are also evaluated in an attempt to pinpoint the source of the nuisance/excess water. If approved at the end of the monitoring period, the chase drain is installed, free of charge by Public Works under the Town’s pavement management program.
The total average cost of a chase drain plus installation is $4,500. CRW estimates that a stormwater inspector spends 24 full time equivalent (FTE) hours every quarter managing the chase drain program. This time does not include FTE hours from Meters, Water Conservation, and Field Services Divisions that may also be required. Under the new policy, CRW would eliminate the one-year monitoring requirement and introduce a charge of $1,500 to homeowners who request a chase drain and installation. Existing program elements including water usage, leak detection, and area of influence evaluations will still be included to pinpoint the source of the nuisance/excess water. The chase drain would still be installed by Public Works under the Town’s pavement management program. Removing the one-year monitoring requirement and charging a fee to cover the chase drain and a portion of the pavement management program would result in a more efficient program and save CRW FTE hours and money.
Attachments
Staff Report
Attachment A: Map of Chase Drains
Attachment B: Chase Drain Policy 2025
Attachment C: Chase Drain Release