Delaware County commissioners approve survey and design for Warren No. 129 drainage project

The Delaware County Board of Commissioners voted to proceed with survey and engineering design for drainage improvements in the Warren No. 129 watershed, approving Resolution No. 25-919 after a Nov. 3, 2025, preliminary hearing.

Brett Bacon, Deputy Administrator of the Delaware Soil and Water Conservation District, read the first‑hearing report into the record and told the commissioners the Warren No. 129 watershed, as defined for the hearing, measures approximately 813 acres with about 500 acres in agricultural production. Bacon said the existing drainage system shows multiple structural failures, including subsurface pipe blowouts, and ‘‘does not appear to meet the specifications of a good and sufficient outlet for either agricultural or rural residential drainage.’’

The petition was filed April 16, 2025, by Richard R. Lehner and Earl E. Lehner and was later amended (accepted by the commissioners) to include improvements in the Mooney No. 132 and Hills No. 195 lateral/sub‑watershed. Bacon told the board that if the petition is approved to proceed, the county engineer will prepare plans, reports and individual schedules of assessments in accordance with the Ohio Revised Code. Those assessments would be charged to benefiting…