LaPorte County drainage board tables major Shur's Ditch fixes after hours of testimony

Louis Spear, a local landowner, told the LaPorte County Drainage Board on Feb. 10 that decades of development have exceeded the capacity of the Shur's Ditch drainage system and that sections of the county's historic tile have been ripped out, leaving open ditches that no longer convey stormwater reliably. "We started losing land in 1985, and we've lost up to 60 acres of the wetlands," Spear said during a lengthy presentation of aerial maps and historical records. "If they were to run the 60 inch down to Shur's Ditch, we wouldn't even be having it to talk about right now."

Board members and city staff engaged residents and contractors in technical discussion about where tile remains functional and where it has failed. Contractors noted stretches of 18-inch vitrified clay tile that still operate below the frost line, and other reaches where tile has been removed and the channel is now an open, flooded wetland. The board heard that the drainage fund for the affected assessment area is approximately $35,000 — far short of engineer estimates that have in prior years ranged from hundreds of thousands to potentially over a half-million dollars to fully repair or reconstruct conveyance.

Staff and several board members advised that an engineering evaluation is needed to determine hydraulic capacity, legal assessment boundaries and potential funding mechanisms before committing to large-scale work. The board agreed to retrieve prior files from county engineer Tony (the board's earlier consultant), coordinate a site visit with city engineers and staff, and solicit updated engineering information. "We know that there's an issue here, and we're going to look at it," the Board President said, urging a focused, evidence-based next step rather than immediate emergency excavation.

Louis Spear and other residents asked the board to consider whether recent development permitted stormwater discharges into the drainage without proportionate funding for maintenance and upgrades. City wastewater staff and other board members said some portions of the watershed lie within city limits and that any major fix will require coordination with the city, possible engineering redesigns, and careful consideration of wetlands and legal assessment processes.

The board tabled immediate action on reconstruction and directed staff to: (1) retrieve the earlier engineering report referenced by Tony, (2) schedule a site visit for board members and city staff to inspect the tile and open ditches when conditions permit, and (3) return with a clear scope, cost estimate and proposed funding options at the next meeting. The board set the item for further review rather than authorizing construction work at this meeting.