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Council hears update on Eldon Ditch project after Army Corps finds portions are 'surface water'
Summary
City staff told council that a U.S. Army Corps jurisdictional determination found reaches of Eldon Ditch are jurisdictional, triggering compensatory mitigation costs for an upper 700-foot reach (roughly $200,000) while a lower reach can be reshaped without mitigation and may qualify for cost recovery via a Lucas County ditch petition.
Mr. Shaw presented a contract modification request for Fishbeck, the city's design consultant, related to Phase 2 of the Eldon Ditch Watershed Improvements. He said the U.S. Army Corps determined sections of the ditch are "surface water of the state," which changes permitting and mitigation requirements and requires the consultant to revise plans and apply for a Corps Nationwide 18 permit.
Shaw said the upper reach—about 700 feet near the church—would likely require compensatory mitigation that could add about $200,000 to the project as credits are purchased to offset impacts. The lower reach near Monroe and Parkwood, he said, can be reshaped without compensatory mitigation and could be eligible for cost recovery under Lucas County ditch petition 10-53. "So, for example, anything that we do in this lower reach on reshaping the banks, we can harvest that and then resubmit that back to Lucas County to help pay for that," he said. Council approved related ordinance work and the consultant modification was advanced for the next steps.
