Landowners are responsible for the maintenance of their driveway culverts. When fully functional, driveway culverts help provide proper stormwater runoff management, not only for yourself, but also for your neighbors. They also aid in draining stormwater from the internal swales to the main canal system.

Culverts should be regularly inspected by the landowner to ensure they are functioning properly and are not blocked with vegetation, debris, or sediment, has been crushed, or otherwise damaged. Here’s a checklist of things you should look for during your inspection:

• Signs of erosion around the culvert ends
• Excessive rust build-up on metal culverts
• Cracks or areas that may have settled, leaving a gap between your concrete or asphalt driveway and the culvert
• Sink holes or depressions in a dirt driveway at the top of the culvert
• Sediment buildup in the culvert, particularly after a heavy rainfall

If you notice any of these issues, call the District office at 561-747-0550 to schedule an inspection.

Please note that while performing road and swale maintenance or during routine inspection of the water control system, District personnel may find driveway culverts that are inoperable, damaged or undersized. In order to maintain proper drainage, the culverts must be replaced. Please see our Outreach Program for Notifications below. Under Florida Statutes 298.66 (see above), a person may not willfully, or otherwise, obstruct any public canal, drain, ditch or watercourse or damage or destroy any public drainage works constructed in or maintained by any district. Under the statute, the Board of Supervisors has the authority to assess double the actual cost for culvert installation for landowners who fail to pay for the culvert replacements under these situations.

Outreach Program for Notifications

South Indian River Water Control District has instituted a new Outreach Program to ensure that landowners receive notification when there are issues such as obstructed driveway culverts or vegetation on their property that require landowner action to do their part to keep our community ready for hurricane season. Landowners are legally responsible for their driveway culvert and an 18-inch diameter culvert must have 12 inches of vertical open flow to be considered operable.
 

District's Outreach ProgramDistrict's Notification Letter

Please call the District office if you have any questions regarding your driveway culvert.