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Wright County drainage trustees review multiple work orders, raise concerns about DD 36 Lateral C and pipeline removal
Summary
Trustees reviewed and approved three drainage work orders, discussed damage claims tied to removal of an A-line pipeline, and fielded public concerns about silting and bank erosion on DD 36 Lateral C that trustees recommended riprap to address.
Wright County drainage trustees on April 14 reviewed and approved three work orders, discussed potential liability tied to removal of an “A-line” pipeline, and heard repeated public concerns about silting and bank erosion on DD 36 Lateral C that trustees recommended be addressed with targeted cleanout and riprap.
The trustees — Rick Rasmussen, Dean (as listed in the minutes), Ashley Bosch and Betty Ellis — and drainage administrator Courtney Morris reviewed three work orders: a separated 8-inch tile near a 10-inch connection (reported by Roger Hopp) near Drainage District (DD) 130 in Lincoln Township; siltation and bank work on DD 36 Lateral 1 in Section 34, Blake Township; and a broken 16-inch tile on the main in DD 109 in Section 1, Norway Township. Morris told the board she will require contractors to provide GPS coordinates so repairs can be assigned to the correct district on the county mapping system.
Why it matters: the work orders affect maintenance responsibility, potential district costs and landowner access. The board approved the work orders during the drainage-trustees portion of the meeting and agreed to get contractor GPS coordinates before scheduling repairs.
Trustees also discussed a reported equipment damage claim from a landowner north of Clarion, who said a farm tire was damaged after a hole opened where an A-line pipeline had been removed. Morris said she has consulted the drainage attorney and was advised to request a letter of substantial completion or submittal from DKM Enterprises and to confirm in writing that DKM will accept responsibility for problems that arise from the pipeline removal.
During public input, a resident and other speakers described substantial silt buildup and bank sloughing on DD 36 Lateral C where it joins Lateral 1. Witnesses and a county reviewer said riprap that had been on the west bank appears to have washed to the east bank, and that vegetation removal and a berm have pushed flow against the east bank, increasing erosion. The public commenters urged the trustees to require that contractor work preserve vegetation where possible and to place riprap at the confluence to protect the bank; trustees indicated support for riprap and for using a contractor (Myers/Meyer as preferred by several commenters) with a longer reach to perform the work.
Trustees also approved beaver-trapping invoices presented for payment and signed the work order for DD 36 Lateral 1 cleanup, with the board noting a need to leave as much bank vegetation in place as possible and to monitor for sloughing at low slope sections.
Board follow-up: Morris will (1) draft and send a letter to DKM Enterprises asking for substantial-completion documentation and warranty/assumption-of-responsibility language regarding pipeline removal, (2) obtain contractor GPS coordinates for the work orders to assign costs to the correct district and (3) contact Dan Henninger (contractor referenced in the meeting) for an update and timeline on the DD 36 Lateral C project.
The drainage-trustees meeting adjourned before the Board of Supervisors convened.
