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Board approves drainage plan; county to investigate old relief line in Deer Creek watershed
Summary
Supervisors unanimously approved a drainage plan and county staff described an investigation into aged relief and field tile lines in the Deer Creek watershed that may be clogged or collapsed after heavy rain events.
The Worth County Board of Supervisors voted Thursday to approve a drainage plan after a short discussion; supervisors then heard a detailed staff report on long-standing drainage infrastructure in the Deer Creek watershed that county staff will investigate further.
Motion and vote: A motion to approve the drainage plan was made and seconded; the chair called for the question and recorded unanimous support. The motion carried.
In a follow-up agenda item, county staff described field conditions in the Deer Creek watershed. Staff said relief work done in 1977 added a 14-inch relief line in parallel to an older 8-inch line and that recent heavy rain may have overloaded the 14-inch line where the older intakes appear plugged or collapsed. Staff said they found silted ditches and intakes that could be blocked, and that some older field intakes are hard to locate on county maps. The county plans to excavate at two locations around crossings on Partridge and a crossing on 500 Street to inspect whether the older lines or crossings are collapsed or plugged.
Staff emphasized the difficulty of interpreting decades-old maps and said the Natural Resources Conservation Service maps used by a consultant in 1977 may better show historic additions. The county said it will begin ditch cleaning and direct excavation at the identified crossing points; if the county crossings are sound, staff said the drainage district or landowners may need to pursue fixes on their side.
Why it matters: Staff said persistent siltation and potentially collapsed or plugged tile could explain prolonged wet conditions and field ponding in the area, and that resolving whether crossings or tile must be replaced will determine whether the county or private landowners must act.
Next steps: County crews will excavate around the two planned crossings to determine the condition of the old tile and will clean roadside ditches as needed; the county will report findings back to the board.
