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Landowners press drainage board for ditch cleaning, tile replacement and brush treatment
Summary
Multiple landowners asked the drainage board for maintenance: cleaning and spraying of ditches, assessment options and tile replacement. Board agreed to inspect problem areas, coordinate with neighboring counties when needed and follow up with contractors or surveyor recommendations.
Several landowners used the meeting to press the St. Joseph County Drainage Board for maintenance work and funding options on a variety of ditches and tile lines.
A petitioner asked the board to move an August Ditch/field-lateral project forward after bids were opened and the four-county drainage board tabled it; the surveyor agreed to contact the neighboring county’s surveyor and seek a path forward. Another speaker requested the board contract to spray the Mud River and East Bunch Ditch to control brush and prevent wood chips from creating low-water dams; board members said they would contact contractors and noted landowners can treat brush on private ditches as well.
Board members discussed deteriorating concrete tile spanning large acreage, the recurring maintenance burden and the limited assessment revenue available for repeated repairs. The surveyor and staff agreed to assess the specific tile failures and present options, including raising assessments, pursuing borrowing or scheduling a public hearing for replacement work.
The board thanked volunteers who had recently cleaned and noted that some maintenance had visibly improved ditch function; it agreed to pursue contractor contacts and to provide follow-up at a future meeting.
