Drainage ordinance posted online; surveyor flags possible future limits on some plastic tile and discharge outlet materials

Board staff reported that the drainage ordinance the commissioners adopted at the prior meeting has been recorded and uploaded to the county surveyor's website and that a public notice was posted on social media. Staff said most provisions are technical and will not apply to most landowners, but a few provisions could affect culvert and tile installations.

At a surveyors' conference, two suggested changes for future ordinance updates were raised. One suggestion was to require that the discharge end of plastic tile be metal or non-recycled, non-flammable material for at least the last 20 feet to reduce melting and failure from brush fires. The other suggestion urged language limiting use of recycled consumer-grade plastic for field tile, citing concerns that recycled consumer plastic can include residual adhesives and labels and may degrade faster when exposed to sunlight.

Board members discussed whether the drainage board has authority to regulate the entire length of field tile or only the outlet that connects to county-maintained ditches; several members said the county can most appropriately set requirements on tile that discharge to county-maintained drains. One staff member said firms that manufacture virgin tile might lobby against restrictions, and a board member cautioned against premature adoption without data.

The board did not adopt new ordinance language at this meeting; members said the topics could be considered again in the next ordinance revision cycle. The current ordinance remains posted for public review.