WELLS — Road drainage on Webhannet Road has long been an issue for city management in Wells. Now, UNH students will try mitigating the problem. 

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the University of New Hampshire Engineering School have paired up on a project to help the Town of Wells with issues regarding flooding on Webhannet Road at the Eldridge Seawall.

“They have applied for a senior year capstone project where four to five senior engineer students from UNH and their professors will work with the USF&W and our town engineer to look at how we could reduce the amount of water that spills onto the road from the ocean and marsh that creates the flooding conditions,” Wells Town Manager Jon Carter said during last Tuesday’s Board of Selectmen’s meeting.

Carter added that students are looking at ways to restructure the Eldridge Seawall, investigate new drainage systems, address the corrosive effect of seawater on the roads, reduce pooling of water that does come into the streets, update the culvert system on Eldridge Road and come up with cost estimates for the proposed solutions.

On Monday, Town Engineer Mike Livingston said students will be working through the winter and into the spring.

“I met them out at the seawall recently with U.S. Fish and Wildlife,” Livingston said. “I believe they will be working all the way through ’til the spring, and hopefully give us something in the spring in terms of possible answers or their thinking on the issues.”

The Board of Selectman unanimously accepted the UNH and USF&W sponsored project.