Town of Garner Advances Comprehensive Municipal Stormwater Inventory and Condition Assessment

Throughout late summer and heading into fall 2026, the Town of Garner Engineering Department deployed specialized field assessment teams to conduct a town-wide Stormwater Infrastructure Inventory and Condition Assessment. The comprehensive engineering initiative systematically inspects, logs, and digitizes thousands of publicly maintained drainage structures across municipal rights-of-way, including culverts, catch basins, junction boxes, stormwater outfalls, and conveyance ditches throughout southern Wake County.

Utilizing high-accuracy GIS mapping and advanced closed-circuit television (CCTV) pipe inspection cameras, crews evaluate the structural integrity, sedimentation levels, and hydraulic capacity of underground drainage networks. This empirical assessment allows town engineers to identify cracked conduits, blocked inlets, and failing infrastructure before they lead to sinkholes, localized roadway flooding, or property erosion during severe seasonal rain events. The collected data is directly integrated into the town’s asset management software to create predictive lifecycle models for capital repair prioritization.

Municipal leadership highlighted that maintaining a resilient, fully audited stormwater drainage system is essential for protecting water quality in local reservoirs such as Lake Benson, Lake Wheeler, and the wider Neuse River basin. By establishing a data-driven Capital Improvement Program for drainage rehabilitation, the town ensures that tax dollars and stormwater utility fees are directed toward high-risk infrastructure corridors, safeguarding neighborhood stability and supporting responsible municipal growth across Garner.