Board tables after-the-fact dewatering permit and agrees to rebid Rogers Ditch work for summer

The St. Joseph County Drainage Board on Oct. 6 tabled an after-the-fact dewatering permit for a Lehi-area project after staff reported the contractor had begun dewatering without a permit.

A project representative said the work was nearly done but that the contractor began dewatering before the permit was issued. Board members discussed enforcement options including fines or injunctions but concluded there was no straightforward internal mechanism to impose penalties at this time. The board voted to table the application and asked the applicant and contractor to appear at the next meeting so staff could verify compliance and paperwork.

Separately, the board discussed the Rogers Ditch / Mud River pipe work beneath a bridge and agreed to rebid the work as a summer project to avoid crop disruption and frozen conditions. Staff said county highway funds would be used to pay for the Rogers Ditch work and that the county's bid and publication rules apply because it is a county project. Board members asked staff to revise the bid specifications to make the timing clear and to publish the solicitation so bids would open in a future meeting with contractors aware the work is scheduled for summer.

The board also discussed leaving spoils on-site to reduce costs and instructed staff to coordinate with landowners and farmers to minimize crop damage. No fines or enforcement actions were adopted at this meeting; the dewatering permit application was tabled pending the applicant's appearance and documentation.