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Davison County board grants drainage permit to Bormann after finding unpermitted ditch work
Summary
The Davison County Drainage Board on May 19 granted a permit to landowner Adam Bormann for drainage work on the SW 1/4 of Section 5 after Deputy Administrator Wegleitner found a violation; the permit is conditioned on ditch restoration, fence removal/replacement and silt cleanup and passed by roll call with two abstentions.
The Davison County Drainage Board granted a drainage permit to landowner Adam Bormann on May 19, 2026, after a deputy administrator determined that recent work on his property constituted an unapproved alteration to existing drainage. The permit covers the SW 1/4 of Section 5, Township 102 North, Range 62 West.
Deputy Administrator Wegleitner reported she had received complaints and conducted a site inspection concluding that the project went beyond a simple cleanout. She informed Bormann and the contractor that work must stop until proper approval was obtained.
Bormann told the board that "the work performed involved cleaning out an existing vested ditch and trenching a new ditch along the east fence line to help alleviate water issues affecting both properties." He said the new trench was intended to redirect water northeast onto pasture ground rather than into nearby cultivated crop ground.
Affected neighbor Willard Schoenfelder told the board the new route would "cause water to back up into his crop ground," describing ongoing water problems in the area and concern that the additional flow would again prevent farming of the southwest corner of his property. Contractor David VanderPol explained the new trench did not run north to the existing blue-line ditch because "due to the topography of the land, the water would not naturally flow north" and that natural drainage flows east.
Board members reviewed the checklist required under the Davison County Drainage Ordinance and SDCL 46A-10A, and considered notice and application dates: application received May 4, 2026; neighbors notified May 5, 2026; published May 9, 2026. On a motion by Chris Nebelsick, seconded by Chet Edinger, the board granted the requested permit subject to conditions: the north/south ditch shall be restored; the south one-half of the fence shall be removed; accumulated silt shall be cleaned out; and the south one-half of the fence shall then be replaced.
A roll-call vote was recorded as follows: Buchholz — abstain; Bult — aye; Edinger — aye; Larson — aye; Blaalid — abstain; Nebelsick — aye; Klumb — aye. The motion carried. The minutes note that Michael Blaalid arrived at 7:24 p.m. during the Bormann matter.
The board’s action formalizes a remedy for the work already performed and imposes restoration and fencing requirements as conditions of the permit. The next Drainage Board meeting is scheduled for June 16, 2026; the May 19 meeting adjourned at 8:35 p.m.
