OLIVIA - Last June’s rains inflicted over $2 million in damages to Renville County’s drainage systems, and that was just part of the conversation as the county board of commissioners took up challenges the systems are experiencing at their meeting Tuesday.
“We can’t handle these extremes,’’ said Larry Zupke, county ditch inspector. “Wettest June in history.’’
The county is seeking over $660,000 in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds for damages to drainage systems last year.
Yet the expenses for most repairs to drainage systems are assessed to the properties listed as benefited by the ditch systems. Like neighboring counties, Renville County is seeking to re-determine benefits in its ditch systems to allow for improvements and to more accurately assess costs for their upkeep. Many landowners have added sub-surface drainage lines to county ditch systems but the lands are not listed as benefited, and consequently they do not share in the upkeep costs.
The county is finding it difficult to recruit viewers to undertake the task of re-determining benefits for systems. In response, the county helped underwrite tuition costs for some students attending a special program offered at Ridgewater Community College in Willmar to provide training in ditch viewing. Zupke told the commissioners that the classes went well, but as of yet its graduates are not taking on viewer’s jobs as was hoped.
All the while, the county is running into challenges as landowners in systems needing work contest the costs. The commissioners noted that disputes within two systems, county ditch 59 in particular, could be headed to litigation.
Zupke said the ditch is one of a number of systems carrying debts for repair work. He noted that even with assessments placed on the benefited properties at a relatively high rate, it could take four to five years to bring the system out of the red.
The ditch inspector is also asking the county to adopt or enforce existing ordinances to address other issues faced by the drainage system.
Despite a county ordinance forbidding it, Zupke said there continues to be a number of cases where tile lines are being discharged into road right-of-way. In many cases, private contractors are responsible for the violations, he said.
The county is also seeing instances where landowners are adding pumps to their private systems, to the detriment of downstream landowners. He cited instances where the added water brought by pumps have over-topped ditch banks and flooded downstream fields.
Currently, said Zupke, it’s “the guy with the biggest pump wins policy.’’
The commissioners said they will consider a policy change that would require a permit to add a pump to drainage systems. Commissioner LaMont Jacobson proposed that the permit require engineering to determine whether the pump would adversely affect downstream properties.
The commissioners also want to revise the policy that allows the costs for repairing tile outlets into ditch systems to be assessed to the entire system. The current system makes it possible for damaged outlets to be repaired and prevent sloughing and other problems for the system.
The county is finding it difficult to recruit viewers to undertake the task of re-determining benefits for systems. In response, the county helped underwrite tuition costs for some students attending a special program offered at Ridgewater Community College in Willmar to provide training in ditch viewing. Zupke told the commissioners that the classes went well, but as of yet its graduates are not taking on viewer’s jobs as was hoped.
All the while, the county is running into challenges as landowners in systems needing work contest the costs. The commissioners noted that disputes within two systems, county ditch 59 in particular, could be headed to litigation.
Zupke said the ditch is one of a number of systems carrying debts for repair work. He noted that even with assessments placed on the benefited properties at a relatively high rate, it could take four to five years to bring the system out of the red.
The ditch inspector is also asking the county to adopt or enforce existing ordinances to address other issues faced by the drainage system.
Despite a county ordinance forbidding it, Zupke said there continues to be a number of cases where tile lines are being discharged into road right-of-way. In many cases, private contractors are responsible for the violations, he said.
The county is also seeing instances where landowners are adding pumps to their private systems, to the detriment of downstream landowners. He cited instances where the added water brought by pumps have over-topped ditch banks and flooded downstream fields.
Currently, said Zupke, it’s “the guy with the biggest pump wins policy.’’
The commissioners said they will consider a policy change that would require a permit to add a pump to drainage systems. Commissioner LaMont Jacobson proposed that the permit require engineering to determine whether the pump would adversely affect downstream properties.
The commissioners also want to revise the policy that allows the costs for repairing tile outlets into ditch systems to be assessed to the entire system. The current system makes it possible for damaged outlets to be repaired and prevent sloughing and other problems for the system.
