Chippewa + Swift Joint County Ditch No. 9
Montevideo, MN | Water
Overview
Chippewa and Swift Joint County Ditch 9 (JCD 9) completed repairs to seven miles of public open ditch, while protecting existing wetlands.
Opportunity
Chippewa and Swift JCD 9 is a 17,000-acre watershed that drains through a seven-mile stretch of public open ditch. The ditch runs through a larger series of wetland complexes that had little maintenance over 100 years and required repairs. Due to the sensitive nature of the site, several environmental permitting steps had to be completed before construction could begin.
Solution
With incomplete original records, a reestablishment of records report was required to fully determine the extent of repairs to JCD 9. Following the reestablishment of records, a repair alternative was prepared to avoid impacts to wetlands and public waters. ISG’s water resources and environmental team completed extensive permitting on the project, ensuring that local, state, and federal permit requirements were met. After an approved repair report, the project was designed and constructed in 2022 using specialty equipment that minimized site impacts. Due to permitting requirements, construction of the project mandated that swamp mats be used for access and spoil removal to protect the existing wetlands.