Culverts are used to divert or drain water from land above it. They are enclosed watercourses and may be quite large. Responsibility to main a culvert is usually with the landowner for that part of it that is on the owner's land. This may be difficult if it is an old one and is buried beneath the ground and not visible.
Blocked culverts can cause the water to back up and prevent it from draining the ground above, as intended and may also collapse. They may also contain toxic gases and are dangerous to go into.
Knowing the identify of the land owners (or other land owners if you are one of them) over which a culvert runs will be of value to you in the event that the culvert becomes blocked and is or is likely to cause damage to your land, goods or local environment.