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Benton County ditch authority drops DrainageDB subscription and debates inspection schedule, tree/brush work
Summary
County staff said the DrainageDB subscription duplicates county GIS and costs $4,000 annually; the board reached consensus to discontinue renewal while discussing inspection frequency, mowing contracts, environmental timing for tree removal, Mayhew Creek outlet work and follow-up on spoil piles from recent repairs.
Benton County ditch staff told the authority they have access to the county's internal GIS and can post ditch inspections and documents without the third-party DrainageDB service, which costs $4,000 a year. After discussion the board reached consensus not to renew the subscription and asked staff to contact Houston Engineering about termination details or partial credit for the current billing period.
Why it matters: DrainageDB is a paid tool that makes ditch maps and repair records available online; discontinuing it reduces an annual recurring expense but transfers responsibility for public access and maintenance of inspection records to county staff.
Adam said the county previously used DrainageDB under the former county engineer but that he now has county GIS access and a YouTube channel where he posts drone inspection videos. "I have a YouTube channel for Benton County ditches," Adam said, noting he can already publish inspection results publicly without the annual subscription. Commissioners agreed staff should attempt to recover partial credit if the county already paid through August.
The board also debated long-term inspection frequency. Adam estimated inspections take roughly 15 hours for each ditch (drone flight plus editing). Commissioners proposed a transitional schedule of annual inspections for newly repaired ditches for the first 2' years to ensure buffers establish, then moving to a staggered or multi-year cadence (every 2' to 5 years) based on individual ditch performance. Several commissioners emphasized the statutory minimum of a five-year inspection cycle but supported closer monitoring during the early years after repair.
On maintenance contracting, Adam said Car's Tree Service will perform buffer mowing for CD 9 and CD 14 in 2026. He also announced an RFQ for tree and brush removal on CD 3 with a May 29 deadline; any tree removals that might affect northern long-eared bats will be scheduled within winter months to comply with restrictions.
Separately, commissioners and staff discussed Mayhew Creek, which backs up outlets for CD 6 and CD 7. Because Mayhew Creek is a public water, sediment removal would require state DNR permitting; however, limited maintenance (tree or brush removal inside the channel) could proceed with property-owner consent, and costs would be allocated only to benefiting ditch systems when appropriate.
Finally, a landowner's request to cut a swale in spoil piles left from a CD 9 repair on CD 10 was raised. Adam said he will meet with the landowner and the county maintenance superintendent to assess whether the county can do a limited cut, how costs would be apportioned, and whether a contractor or county crews will perform the work.
Next steps: Staff will contact Houston Engineering about DrainageDB billing and report back; Adam will continue inspections, evaluate per-ditch inspection schedules, review RFQ responses, and meet with landowners about spoil-pile swales.
