LIVERMORE – Town officials are trying to find a way to keep water runoff from Butter Hill Road from private property.

A drainage system was installed to accommodate spring runoff from a road leading to a new subdivision at the top of the hill back in the 1990s, Administrative Assistant Kurt Schaub said.

The water empties into a town-owned drainage ditch, and people living below the subdivision have had drainage going across their property, he said.

If a town increases the flow of water over private property, Schaub said, it needs a drainage easement, and there isn’t one.

From what he could glean from old records, it appeared the property owners below the road to the subdivision were never notified of the situation, he said.

No houses have been built in the subdivision.

Schaub said he found a report from an engineer that indicated a large culvert should be installed but the critical piece of a drainage easement was missing. Two smaller culverts were installed back then but they are not able to handle the excess water.

If there were a drainage easement in place, there would be a plan and authorization from the property owner giving permission for the water to cross the property, he said.

“We have a situation that we have a responsibility to mitigate,” Schaub said.

The problem came to a head in 2007 but with budget constraints and other road problems, it wasn’t dealt with then. Town officials have a proposal from a Wayne company and plan to contact other contractors before a decision is made on who would do the work.

The property owner is willing to give the town an easement and he wants the water to drain from a specific location, Schaub said.

The project involves enlarging a ditch from the crossover to a place the property owner finds suitable, he said. It would involve enlarging the ditch by about 600 feet, and putting in a new culvert.

“So, we’re looking for someone to develop a reasonable plan at a reasonable price,” Schaub said. “We need somebody who has got experience developing a solution to drainage matters a little beyond the run of the mill.”

There was no money in the budget allotted for the Butter Hill work but there is $25,000 in capital road funds for projects other than the Norlands Road. The town does not know what the drainage project on that road will cost yet as bid packages are still being developed.