The in basket: The neighbors around the Mile Hill Drive
construction project in South Kitsap, including me, looked at
several lengths of huge corrugated metal pipe lying alongside the
work and wondered what it could be for. There aren’t any streams
near there and the pipe is way too large to be needed to channel
rain runoff..
I asked their purpose.
The in basket: The neighbors around the Mile Hill Drive
construction project in South Kitsap, including me, looked at
several lengths of huge corrugated metal pipe lying alongside the
work and wondered what it could be for. There aren’t any streams
near there and the pipe is way too large to be needed to channel
rain runoff..
I asked their purpose.
The out basket: Jon Brand, assistant public works director for
Kitsap County roads, said they are for storm water retention. When
it rains hard, the runoff will be collected in the pipes and
released gradually to keep a heavier flow from damaging nearby
property. It also will contain road oils and such contaminants that
can be removed and disposed of appropriately.
The county weighs the cost of this kind of storm water control
against creating an open pond. The Mile Hill Drive project has at
least one of those, too, at the Alaska Avenue intersection. When
land for a pond can be acquired reasonably or is already owned by
the county, that’s usually the answer. When it will cost a lot to
acquire extra land, it becomes more cost-effective to bury the pipe
in the right of way to retain the water.
