Set a Public Hearing for November 7, 2023, 6:00 p.m., to declare a section of former Drainage Improvement District (DID) #39 abandoned from manhole 11035 in the vicinity of 2605 Englewood Avenue extending northwesterly approximately 663 feet to manhole 11326 in the vicinity of 2708 Jerome Avenue.
All property rights to DIDs within city limits were ceded to the City of Yakima (City) by Yakima County when the City accepted transfer of this conveyance system. There is little legal specificity as to how to decommission DID lines after they are essentially abandoned. As a result, the City is treating them as a utility for purposes of abandonment and asking the City Council to hold a public hearing declaring the property surplus.
The engineer's design report states that the purpose of this drain line was to drain off irrigation water being used to irrigate the many orchards that had been planted in the area. Over the years, the orchards have been removed and the DID line sought to be abandoned is no longer necessary as there is no drainage flow through this portion of the pipe. No City services, such as stormwater, are connected to this portion of the DID. The City has no need for this portion of the DID system and the property owner is seeking to decommission the pipeline. |