Wayne County commissioners advance plan to clean Foster Ditch; set final hearing for June 3

The Wayne County Board of Commissioners held the first public hearing on a petition to clean and reconstruct Foster Ditch in LaGrange Township, Ohio, on April 1. Commissioners voted to proceed with the project, adopted an amendment moving the downstream terminus farther downstream, and set the final hearing and acceptance of the engineer’s final report for June 3, 2025.

The project would clean and reshape about 1.75 miles of Foster Ditch, remove log jams, sediment and deteriorated private crossings, clear trees along access routes, and establish a 50-foot permanent easement for county maintenance. Engineers estimate the work would restore drainage for roughly 1,396–1,420 acres of farmland and rural residences and reduce local flooding.

Peter Zwick, representing the county engineer’s office, told commissioners his office “fully supports this ditch project” and that the county engineer “expects that the benefits will outweigh the costs.” Zwick said the office helped advise the consulting engineer and concurred with the preliminary recommendations, including adjustments to the project termini in response to public comments at the viewing.

Alex Holt of K. McCartney & Associates, the stormwater…