Wright County trustees tell landowners DD 36 Lateral C repairs will be assessed after contractor overrun

Supervisors acting as drainage trustees told landowners on Jan. 13 that repair work on Drainage District 36 Lateral C has exceeded initial estimates and that all costs will be assessed to landowners in the district, including a portion attributed to the City of Clarion.

The meeting focused on repair work by Henninger Construction. Trustees were told the original repair estimate was $48,700—just under the statutory threshold requiring an engineer’s report—but work completed through Dec. 30, 2024, totaled $83,912.50 and the final cost is now estimated at $96,187.50, plus about $23,400 for hydroseeding of ditch banks, Trustee meeting minutes show.

“The repair work turned out to be more extensive than originally estimated,” the trustees’ written timeline said. County staff also said Henninger Construction has drone footage of the repaired lateral.

Bruce (staff member) told the group that per Iowa law an engineer’s report is required when a repair reaches $50,000 or more; because the original estimate was below that threshold, a report was not obtained before work began. Bruce estimated an engineer’s report would add roughly $30,000 to the project cost and said “an engineer’s report would serve no purpose at this time” for work already complete.

Trustees said the remaining work will be completed in spring 2025. Dean Klusz, serving in his trustee capacity, said he did not question the workmanship and had not received complaints about the work; several landowners said much of the ditch problem is caused by silting rather than bank sloughing.

Landowners asked whether the City of Clarion would share costs; Drainage Administrator Courtney Morris said Clarion holds about 188 acres in the district and that the district’s total acreage is roughly 1,681 acres. Klusz said the district includes 95 tracts and about 30 landowners.

One landowner raised concerns about farm productivity after spoil was placed next to the ditch and asked about compensation for lost yields and fertilizer covered by spoils; trustees and staff said there is an established damage-claim procedure, subject to time limits and documentation requirements, and that damage payments are a cost to the drainage district. Staff noted easements typically extend 50 feet from the ditch edge and that damages outside the easement would generally not be paid.

Trustees said they will tighten communication requirements with contractors to prevent similar overruns. When asked whether landowners wanted an engineer’s report now that the total exceeds $50,000, two landowners said no; staff reiterated that if landowners request a report they would be assessed for that additional cost.

The trustees moved and carried approval of drainage claims related to the project. Staff said they will send a letter to landowners with the final project total once the work is completed.