Blue Earth County Ditch No. 25
Blue Earth County, MN | Water
Overview
For an open ditch cleaning project, ISG designed the replacement of culverts and the implementation of a wetland bank for watershed storage and water quality treatment.
Opportunity
An open ditch requiring repairs and culvert replacement provided the opportunity to establish a wetland bank.
Solution
This project, near St. Clair, Minnesota, had large portions of open ditch that were in need of cleaning, slough repair, and tile inlet repair. In addition, it was discovered that two county road crossings were constructed 2.5 feet higher than the legal ditch profile when they were reconstructed 30 years ago. Blue Earth County Public Works offered to pay for the culvert replacement. In the end, the land owners saved $62,000 which enabled them to afford the cleaning of an additional 2,700 feet of ditch beyond the scope of the original project. Along with the cleaning of the ditch, a wetland bank was constructed on the upper end of the system, which provided storage and water quality treatment in the watershed.