Kossuth County sets Feb. 4 public hearing on large drainage repair after Ducks Unlimited plan presented

The Kossuth County Board of Supervisors on Thursday set a public hearing for Feb. 4, 2025, to consider a plan to replace two failing drainage tiles in drainage district DD4 sub 9 with a single 36-inch tile. The board voted unanimously to set the date after a detailed technical briefing and funding overview.

Tyler, a staff presenter, told the board that camera inspections (a televising report) showed collapsed segments, heavy sedimentation and debris in the existing system and concluded, “it’s very bad condition through that ground. It’s shot.” The briefing identified two existing lines through a parcel owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and outlined a Ducks Unlimited plan to replace them with one deeper, straighter tile routed to avoid subsided and pothole-prone areas.

Engineered capacity comparisons presented to the board showed the existing relevant section carrying about 7.9 cubic feet per second (cfs) as constructed, while the proposed 36-inch tile at the grades shown would provide a theoretical capacity of roughly 16.4 cfs. Presenters emphasized that, because of downstream limits, the functional gain would be to restore and modestly improve the system’s effective capacity rather than create unconstrained higher flows.

Funding and cost-sharing for the proposal were discussed at length. Ducks Unlimited and the Union Soil and Water entity provided a plan that, if accepted, would supply materials through awarded grant funds while the drainage district would pay for installation. Presenters described the Ducks Unlimited contribution as significant compared with what the district would otherwise pay; the draft project estimate included a district share of roughly $143,000 (estimate presented to the board) with Ducks Unlimited and other grant sources covering material costs in part.

The board discussed timing and notifications and accepted staff recommendations to coordinate with the Union Soil and Water unit and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A motion to set a public hearing for Feb. 4, 2025 at 9 a.m. in the boardroom carried unanimously; the motion was seconded during the meeting and the board instructed staff to publish notices and begin the statutory notification process.

Board members asked for continued coordination on grading, connection points to existing tiles and an accounting of exact grant amounts before construction. Staff said notices must be mailed and that the formal hearing requires at least 20 days’ public notice and is to occur not fewer than 40 days from filing of the engineer’s reports.

The board did not make a final contract award at the meeting; the hearing will be the formal opportunity for landowners and interested parties to comment before the board considers confirming the report and ordering construction.