Above: Luis G. Aragon Porcayo touched his name on the survivor wall at the dedication program for the I-35W Bridge Remembrance Garden in Minneapolis, Minn. on August 1, 2011 (RENEE JONES SCHNEIDER)

Minneapolis may sue the firm behind the design of the 35W bridge collapse memorial, alleging that defects in a water feature are causing soil erosion beside the Mississippi River.

A city spokesman, Matt Lindstrom, said the city attorney will seek the City Council's authorization on Friday to file suit against Oslund and Associates, the designer of the memorial.

The structure, completed in 2011, features 13 steel beams -- one for each of the collapse victims. Behind them is a black granite wall featuring names of the survivors covered by flowing water.

The city's claim pertains primarily to drainage problems with the water element, which has caused soil erosion on a bluff behind the memorial.

"There's a lot of erosion because of water coming out of where it's supposed to be," said City Attorney Susan Segal.

Segal said the issue was discovered in 2012 and the water feature has largely remained off since then. A subcontractor designed that component of the memorial, but Segal said Oslund is the responsible party because they contracted with the city.

Lindstrom said the city still hopes to reach a settlement, but must file suit because of concerns over the statute of limitations.

Oslund and Associates did not immediately return a message seeking comment.