Benton County Ditch Authority approves full repair at one site on CD 14, vegetation work at three others

The Benton County Ditch Authority voted Oct. 1 to do a full-depth repair at a location south of 90th Street on County Ditch 14 and to perform vegetation management at three upstream locations, with the vegetation work capped at $4,000 per site.

County engineer Chris (identified in the record as "Chris") told the authority that contractor unit pricing and site conditions made vegetation management feasible without wetland impacts in several spots and that an excavator rate of $250 per hour had been proposed. He said the prior engineering estimate for similar work was about $4,000 per site but cautioned that a full repair that intrudes into wetland areas would require wetland mitigation credits and TEP (technical review) approval. "If the board chooses to go for the full repair, then, yes, our next step is to complete an application to the TEP," Chris said, describing the permitting path and the additional cost of mitigation.

Landowner Julie (identified in the transcript as a member of the public) urged the authority to authorize the full cleanout rather than a temporary fix: "I'd prefer the full clean out because then you have it. It's a one-time deal," she said, describing recurring beaver dams and impacts to her property and crops.

Staff estimated that a full repair at the south-of-90th-Street location would require about 0.24 acres of wetland mitigation. Chris explained the approximate wetland-credit cost at current market assumptions: "We're estimating, you know, about a $100,000 per acre," which drove the larger mitigation cost figures discussed by the board. Commissioners balanced that mitigation cost against the repeated maintenance needs of a partial approach.

After discussion, Commissioner Speaker 1 moved to perform the full repair at the 84–86 location at an estimated $56,800 and to approve vegetation management for the other three CD14 sites with a not-to-exceed amount of $4,000 per site; Speaker 2 seconded. The motion carried by voice vote.

Next steps recorded in the meeting: (1) staff will prepare a formal TEP no-loss/repair application if the full repair path is pursued for any site; (2) staff will work on onsite supervision plans so County staff can be present while vegetation work occurs; and (3) contractors will be asked for firm quotes and mobilization timing before work begins.

The authority also discussed wider ditch-system implications, noting that any mitigation or repair costs will be apportioned across the ditch benefit area and that similar requests may follow for other ditches if the authority chooses full repairs over vegetation-only fixes. The Ditch Authority adjourned its portion of the meeting at 10:27 a.m.