Board adopts viewers’ reports for four ditch redeterminations; schedules follow-up for two contested parcels and approves repair work bids

Blue Earth County commissioners acting as the drainage authority on June 24 adopted viewers’ reports and updated benefit-and-damage listings for four county ditches and took several additional drainage actions, including ordering further engineering work and awarding a repair contract.

After staff presented jurisdictional documents and appointed viewers summarized methodology and findings, the board approved draft findings and orders adopting viewers’ reports for County Ditch 53, County Ditch 74 (with an exception), County Ditch 88 and County Ditch 93.

Mark Behrens, a member of the viewers association, described the viewers’ process and the five items used to calculate benefits—acres within the watershed, soil type, location rate, distance from the county open ditch or tile, and whether county tile is on the property. For Ditch 53, Behrens said the system dates to 1917, contains about 909 watershed acres and 24,000 feet of county tile, and that the viewers estimated $1,541,000 in benefits over a 25-year period. For Ditch 74, Behrens reported roughly 1,351 watershed acres, 36,880 feet of county tile and $2,280,000 in 25-year benefits. For Ditch 88, surveyed acreage was about 5,500 and the viewers estimated $6,300,000 in benefits; the report also identified 15.8 acres of former cropland subject to a one-rod grass-strip easement paid at $8,000 per acre. For Ditch 93, Behrens reported about 3,260 watershed acres and total grass-strip easement damages of roughly $123,000.

Public comment varied by ditch. For Ditch 74, landowner Mark Gronewald and Doug Bergerman raised questions about whether individual parcels tiled out of the county system should have their benefits reduced or removed; Craig Austin and Mark Behrens explained that redetermination is a snapshot of current conditions and that removal of benefits for tiled-out parcels requires a separate petition and hearing. The board agreed to exclude two specific parcels (identified in the meeting as the Zarn and Cromwell parcels) from final acceptance and to schedule a targeted public hearing on those parcels at 9 a.m. on July 8 so viewers could gather and present additional information.

For Ditch 93, Douglas Putman urged protection of a wooded, grassed habitat area in the portion known as Winterskip Creek; board and staff clarified that the current proceedings addressed benefits only, and any repair or maintenance that would involve physical work would be discussed publicly at a later repair or improvement hearing.

Separately, staff presented a petition for repair on County Ditch 51 under Minnesota Statute 103E.715 seeking repair and replacement of subsurface tile and proposed reroutes where tile runs under County Road 32. County counsel and staff recommended appointing an engineer to prepare a repair report; the board approved a findings-and-order appointing an engineer and funding the engineer’s report. The engineer’s report will determine scope and later set a final hearing date.

Finally, the drainage authority considered quotes for repairs on County Ditch 56 Branch 13. Staff reported three quotes with the lowest from Stevens Bobcat and Backhoe Service LLC at $39,051 and recommended awarding the contract to that bidder based on prior successful work. The board awarded the repair contract by voice vote.

All drainage-related approvals of viewers’ reports were recorded as motions carried by voice; the transcript records “aye” votes but does not contain a roll-call tally. The board recorded plans to proceed with a July 8 hearing solely for the two tiled-out parcels on Ditch 74 and assigned staff to coordinate the engineer and viewers as needed.