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Johnson County surveyor asks municipalities to join $500,000 Youngs Creek watershed study
Summary
Johnson County surveyor Greg Cantwell told the Drainage Board the Youngs Creek watershed and adjacent subwatersheds need a formal study, estimated at $500,000, and the board voted to ask municipalities to meet and consider funding options.
Greg Cantwell, Johnson County surveyor, told the Johnson County Drainage Board on Aug. 5 that engineers have identified a set of unregulated subwatersheds feeding downtown Franklin that should be studied before any large reconstruction work begins.
Cantwell said combining four drainage areas — two already regulated and two that are not — would produce a study area of about 5,357 acres covering roughly 750 parcels and estimated the study cost at $500,000. "If you divide that by the 750, you're looking at $667 per parcel," Cantwell said.
The nut graf: Board members agreed the scale and cross‑jurisdictional nature of the problem mean municipalities need to participate before the county proceeds. The surveyor and board discussed potential funding sources including town stormwater utility funds, tax increment financing (TIF), or other municipal contributions.
Cantwell said parts of the system have never been rebuilt and noted that a roughly 20,000‑foot loop of Youngs Creek has not been maintained in modern times. "Before we do anything, we need to meet and figure out how we're gonna start," he told the board.
Board members discussed logistics for convening municipal officials from Bargersville, Greenwood, Franklin and New Whiteland; Cantwell said the county could also ask its legal counsel about tools that could require developers or connecting properties to pay for needed reconstruction. He read a provision from county materials that, if the county surveyor determines a regulated drain cannot handle additional flow without reconstruction, "the county surveyor shall deny the request" to connect until reconstruction occurs.
A motion directing the surveyor to organize a meeting with municipal representatives and to return to the board with recommendations and possible board appointees passed by voice vote.
The board and surveyor agreed that a formal study would allow planners to size downstream release rates to match true ditch capacity and to plan reconstruction and maintenance work more precisely. Cantwell said study results could support narrower release rates where capacity permits and identify sections that require reconstruction.
The motion directs the surveyor to arrange a meeting of municipal representatives and provide the board with options for funding and participation; the board also requested counsel review possible statutory or ordinance approaches to require contributions where appropriate.
Next steps: the surveyor will attempt to convene municipal officials, work with counsel on legal options, and report back to the Drainage Board with a proposed study scope, cost allocation options and suggested board representatives for an initial intergovernmental meeting.
