Worth County board approves work order to investigate drainage after resident reports basement flooding

At a Worth County Board of Supervisors meeting, the board approved a work order to investigate a drainage tile and laterals after a resident said water from a neighbor’s tile caused repeated flooding in the resident’s basement. The motion to issue the work order passed by voice vote.

The complaint came from Speaker 4, who said stormwater moved into a ditch and “into my basement,” and that they “pumped water for 3 weeks” after last summer’s heavy rain. Board members and staff discussed that much of the area is in CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) ground, which can constrain on-site changes, and that county staff should locate county mains and laterals with GPS, perform exploratory digging at several points and run a camera down the line to check for blockages.

Speaker 2 and others recommended that staff contact Mike Peterson to perform an initial investigation and to coordinate access with the landowner, identified in the meeting as Cheryl Johno, before digging. Staff agreed to reach out to Johno and to arrange the exploratory work so the county can determine whether the issue involves private tile, county laterals, or a junction box at the road crossing.

The board emphasized minimizing conflict with the landowner by notifying her in advance and filing the appropriate petition paperwork for records. The approved work order directs staff to begin locating and inspecting the laterals and tile, and to report back to the board with findings and any recommended repairs or costs.

The board recorded the vote on the work order by voice and moved on to other business; staff will follow up with the resident, the landowner and Mike Peterson to schedule the inspection.