Snyder Farms president asks St. Joseph County to correct private ditch labeling amid data‑center concerns

The president of Arthur Snyder Farms Inc. told the St. Joseph County Drainage Board on Sept. 10, 2025, that a private drainage ditch running through his property is being mislabeled on county GIS maps as part of the Dixon Place Ditch and the Kankakee River, and asked the county to correct its records amid concerns about a proposed Microsoft data center nearby.

The issue matters, he said, because the ditch is private, created during construction of the ethanol plant in the early 1980s, and carried on an easement that leaves ownership with Snyder Farms. "It's important to Snyder Farms and our community that this be labeled correctly and recognized as a private waterway and not being labeled as a public waterway," he told the board, saying the incorrect labeling could affect how future dewatering or discharges are handled.

The speaker said he found screenshots on the county GIS site that identify the channel as the Dixon Place Ditch or the Kankakee, and that a quick online measurement showed an erroneously large length for the channel. He described a March 2024 incident when a sheen appeared on nearby waterways and said county and city reports had used an incorrect ditch name; he also referenced a neighboring landowner, Brent Burkett, who gathered photos and map screenshots. The speaker told the board he wants the feature labeled "Snyder Farms Easement Ditch" (he also referred to it as the Arthur Schneider/Snyder Farms easement ditch) and removed from maps that treat it as a public waterway.

Board members and staff explained the county's current position on private ditches: "A drainage board issue. We don't have jurisdiction over the private ditch," a drainage board member said during the meeting, adding that the board gains responsibility only if a private channel or tile is petitioned into the county drainage system. County staff reiterated the distinction between private drainage features and the public system and described the petition process for bringing a private ditch into county jurisdiction for maintenance and assessments.

Staff and board members also addressed the question of permits if a private drain connects to a public ditch. County staff said that once discharge reaches the public ditch, the discharge permits would be required. "Once you get it to the public ditch, they need that permit," a staff member said, citing the precedent of an Amazon project that required a permit when its discharge entered the county system.

The speaker told the board he was concerned about potential large‑scale dewatering if a data center is built on or near the land — he said he expected construction dewatering could involve "millions of gallons" and asked how that water would be handled. Board members and staff repeatedly described that development‑related discharges would be subject to permitting and to whatever approvals are required when private systems feed the public network.

The meeting record shows no formal motion or vote on renaming or reclassifying the Snyder Farms channel. Instead, board members and staff said they would follow up: staff agreed to work with the county GIS/surveyor's office to correct the labeling so the channel does not appear as the Dixon Place or the Kankakee on county maps, and to coordinate with John Law and "Bev" from county offices. The board described those steps as staff follow‑up rather than a formal board action.

Also during the session county staff reported a separate, small dewatering incident at a nearby subdivision pond where a developer had begun dewatering without an approved county discharge permit. Staff described the pump as small (roughly 20 gallons per minute) and said neighbors had emailed complaints about sediment. County staff said the developer was filing for the required permit immediately and that the county would follow up once John Law returned from vacation.

The public speaker requested copies of his materials and said he would work with county staff to review the maps and supporting documentation. The board did not adopt any new ordinance or take a vote to accept the ditch into county jurisdiction during the meeting; staff follow‑up was the only action recorded.

For property owners: the board advised that owners may petition the county to bring a private ditch or private drain tiles into county jurisdiction, after which the county would assume maintenance and assessments; until that occurs, the county does not maintain private ditches.