Inspection of Culverts:
Include in your maintenance plan a program for the annual inspection
of culverts showing the length and direction of the pipe
and any problems you know about. We lost a section of West Beach
Drive when a culvert broke under a heavy fill....and you saw the
photograph of the earth-slide we had at Yellowstone when a culvert
broke. Storms and rapid snow melt can cause runoff volumes which
exceed the design capacity of structures and culverts. Observe
the warning signs: bulges at the toes of slopes, debris left by
highwater over the tops of culverts, erosion on streambanks, and the
fans of sediments deposited below the outfalls of culverts. Spend
a day riding the roads with the crew boss...ask where changes are
occurring and what it was like five years ago.
