Grant County board approves spring spraying contract, excludes Lomax/Lowmax pending wetlands review

The Grant County Drainage Board voted March 31 to approve Rightway Management's spring ditch-bank spraying quotes and to use $59,592.30 remaining from ARPA funds to pay the contractor, while explicitly excluding the Lomax/Lowmax reach pending further review of wetlands boundaries and easement questions. The board adopted the corrected motion after members raised a conflict/quorum concern tied to one parcel.

Board members and the contractor spent the public portion of the meeting reviewing the scope of work, application methods and regulatory limits. Chad Baker of Rightway Management described the contractor's procedures and paperwork, saying the products used are EPA-approved for ditch banks and that crews mark and avoid known beehives. "We just kind of scoot around," Baker said, explaining the use of buffer zones and company protocols to minimize impacts on pollinators.

The decision to exclude Lomax/Lowmax came after discussion about Army Corps and Department of Environmental Management mapping that flagged wetlands on segments planned for treatment. Several speakers urged a field visit before spraying in areas where delineations are unclear. The board agreed it would rather have site-walk clarification than risk a wetland violation.

The motion approved use of $59,592.30 in ARPA money to fund the remainder of the spraying program. The board recorded the vote as carried after withdrawing an earlier motion and making a new motion that specifically removed Lowmax from the work to be funded. Board members also discussed scheduling with the contractor, who estimated mid-May as the earliest feasible spray window subject to leaf-out and weather.

The board left open the Lowmax decision until staff provides clearer maps and the contractor and board members walk the site. The board instructed staff to circulate Army Corps/IDM maps and other documentation to inform the next decision.