Mike Conrad of the Walnut Grover Homeowners Association Board of Directors spoke to the Wood County Commission earlier this week about problems they have been having in their subdivision. The county agreed to provide $18,000 for a $58,000 project to install 400 feet of two-foot diameter high density polyethylene piping to replace deteriorating metal drainage pipes. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

PARKERSBURG — The Wood County Commission has approved funding to help a housing subdivision replace some drainage pipes that have deteriorated and are causing other problems throughout the neighborhood.

The commission approved giving the Walnut Grove Homeowners Association $18,000 to have Tim Graham Excavating install 400 feet of two-foot diameter high density polyethylene piping to replace deteriorating metal drainage pipes in the Bluebird Lane area of Walnut Grove.

Mike Conrad of the Walnut Grover Homeowners Association Board of Directors spoke to the commission earlier this week about issues they have been experiencing with the deteriorating drainage pipes, resulting in sinkholes and more in the 61-home housing subdivision which is located off DuPont Road near Butcher Family Farm and Greenhouse.

The subdivision was built in four phases from 1976 through 1994, Conrad said. The drainage pipes, which have been in the ground for more than 30 years, were made of corrugated metal piping which have since deteriorated significantly with the increase in rainfall the area has experienced, Conrad said, adding they have had 42 inches of rain since April.

“We have sinkholes opening up in people’s backyard,” he said. “The sinkholes are so deep that they have become a safety issue.

“We have a lot of children in our addition.”

The path of the pipe runs through the backyards of three lots. Tim Graham Excavating will have to dig up the old pipe in those yards to put the new plastic pipe in, he said, adding he has gotten the property owners’ permission to be able to have the work done.

Those pipes run at various depths and locations and the original pipes put in were not originally designed to be drainage pipes which is why they are seeing the deterioration they are seeing, Conrad said.

The job will cost $58,000 to complete. The homeowners association is putting in $10,000 from money collected from maintenance fees. A donor is contributing $20,000 to the project at an interest rate of 2% to be repaid over 10 years. The PMC Company is also putting in $10,000 towards the project. The $18,000 from the county is the last part of the funding needed for the project.

Officials hoped the project can be done within the next couple of months as the area has experienced more dryer weather. The agreement will have Graham excavate the old pipe out, put in the new plastic pipe and they will back fill that with sand, bring it up to grade level, level it and seed it, officials said.

Walnut Grove has two outfalls where water, such as a storm drain, discharges. They are the north pipe outfall and the south pipe outfall. The main project deals with the north pipe outfall.

The Lubeck Public Service District is offering to help on the south pipe location in the southside of the addition because of a sink hole that has developed there that has opened up near a street drain.

“We are not fully defined on what has happened there yet,” Conrad said. “When Tim Graham comes to work on the north pipe project, he is also excavating over on the south side of the addition down to the problem to see what is happening.”

Since the equipment will be there it will only cost an additional $3,000-$4,000 to excavate the south pipe outfall.

“Then we will work with the PSD and hopefully the homeowners will have enough funds to repair that sinkhole that has happened over on the south side of the addition.”

Rocky McConnell, manager at Lubeck PSD, said they have been able to secure some piping and catch basins that they will give to the homeowners association.

“We told them if they can get someone to address the south side, we would purchase 60 feet of the pipe,” McConnell said, adding the work would benefit the PSD as well.

The commission unanimously agreed to take the $18,000 for the project from the county’s Rainy Day Fund.

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com