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Property owner challenges Ditch No. 7 assessment; board offers viewers review and statutory petition route
Summary
A landowner asked the Ditch Authority to remove his property from Ditch Number 7 assessments, saying changes by neighbors and private tiling forced him to spend more than $30,000; staff offered to have the H2O viewers explain their redetermination and advised the owner about the statutory petition process.
During the Benton County Ditch Authority open forum, resident Mike Depa objected to assessments on Ditch Number 7 and asked to be removed from the ditch roll. Depa said his property required more than $30,000 in tile work after neighbors altered water flow and that he has been assessed repeatedly for the ditch.
Depa asked who authored the viewer report and noted he had paperwork from a 2022 redetermination; he said a neighbor’s actions diverted water onto his land and that he had paid for mitigation and permits. Staff and commissioners explained two options: arrange a conversation between Depa and the H2O viewers (to review how benefits were calculated) or pursue a statutory petition to remove the parcel from the ditch assessment roll. The board noted it cannot unilaterally remove a property without following the statutory process because changes could affect other property owners on the system.
Commissioners offered to facilitate contact with the viewers and to perform an on‑site review at an appropriate time (recommended when snow cover is gone). Depa left contact information and the board asked staff to reach out to the viewers and report back on next steps; no immediate change to the assessment was made at the meeting.
