Story County trustees to investigate suspected plugged tile after Kelley flooding
July 14, 2026 | Story County, Iowa
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Story County Drainage District Chair Linda Murken and trustee Latifah Faisal on July 14 asked the county engineer to investigate a suspected plugged drainage tile after city officials reported flooding in the City of Kelley.
Acting Kelley Mayor Alex Lundgren and Garrett Davies, a City of Kelley public works employee, told the trustees that a contractor, CIT, ran a camera into the Washington–Palestine #28 main tile on Feb. 13 and "the camera encountered an impassable blockage after 309 feet," Davies said. He added the blockage was submerged during the video and no clear roots were visible on the footage.
Story County Engineer Darren Moon said the county has limited knowledge of the tile’s exact path and that roughly 500 feet of tile between the blockage and the county’s prior work has not been inspected. Moon said the county jetted and repaired a faulty T-joint in late 2024 but stopped further work when ground conditions became too wet.
"The area has to dry out first," Moon said, adding that crews will likely start by jetting the tile to locate a blockage and then dig at the identified spot if conditions permit. He cautioned that if the blockage is not a short, isolated section the county may need outside contractors or a consultant program to complete more extensive repairs.
Davies told trustees that an existing 15-inch tile is flowing at capacity from the city shed at Polk and Van Fleet to the catch basin behind the church, and that downstream there are parallel 16-inch and 18-inch tiles that discharge to Walnut Creek. City and county officials said heavier, more frequent rain events have left standing water in Kelley and can overwhelm older drainage infrastructure.
Murken and Faisal said repairing the known blockage in the Washington–Palestine #28 tile is the immediate priority. If the repair shows the district’s capacity is insufficient, the trustees discussed referring the matter to Bolton & Menk—via county staff contact Conley—for a capacity study and potential larger-tile solutions, which would require additional funding and a separate, likely costlier project.
No immediate excavation or repair will begin while agricultural fields are planted or while the manhole and surrounding ground remain saturated; trustees instructed the engineer’s office to return with a plan once conditions allow. The trustees approved the meeting agenda at the start of the session and adjourned at 9:29 a.m.
Next steps: county engineers will coordinate with City of Kelley staff to confirm the blockage location and plan a jetting/inspection operation when the site is dry enough for digging; if repairs indicate a systemic capacity issue, trustees may seek Bolton & Menk for a formal district evaluation.
Acting Kelley Mayor Alex Lundgren and Garrett Davies, a City of Kelley public works employee, told the trustees that a contractor, CIT, ran a camera into the Washington–Palestine #28 main tile on Feb. 13 and "the camera encountered an impassable blockage after 309 feet," Davies said. He added the blockage was submerged during the video and no clear roots were visible on the footage.
Story County Engineer Darren Moon said the county has limited knowledge of the tile’s exact path and that roughly 500 feet of tile between the blockage and the county’s prior work has not been inspected. Moon said the county jetted and repaired a faulty T-joint in late 2024 but stopped further work when ground conditions became too wet.
"The area has to dry out first," Moon said, adding that crews will likely start by jetting the tile to locate a blockage and then dig at the identified spot if conditions permit. He cautioned that if the blockage is not a short, isolated section the county may need outside contractors or a consultant program to complete more extensive repairs.
Davies told trustees that an existing 15-inch tile is flowing at capacity from the city shed at Polk and Van Fleet to the catch basin behind the church, and that downstream there are parallel 16-inch and 18-inch tiles that discharge to Walnut Creek. City and county officials said heavier, more frequent rain events have left standing water in Kelley and can overwhelm older drainage infrastructure.
Murken and Faisal said repairing the known blockage in the Washington–Palestine #28 tile is the immediate priority. If the repair shows the district’s capacity is insufficient, the trustees discussed referring the matter to Bolton & Menk—via county staff contact Conley—for a capacity study and potential larger-tile solutions, which would require additional funding and a separate, likely costlier project.
No immediate excavation or repair will begin while agricultural fields are planted or while the manhole and surrounding ground remain saturated; trustees instructed the engineer’s office to return with a plan once conditions allow. The trustees approved the meeting agenda at the start of the session and adjourned at 9:29 a.m.
Next steps: county engineers will coordinate with City of Kelley staff to confirm the blockage location and plan a jetting/inspection operation when the site is dry enough for digging; if repairs indicate a systemic capacity issue, trustees may seek Bolton & Menk for a formal district evaluation.
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