Brown County Drainage Inventory and Inspection Database 2014
Currently, over 235 miles of open ditch are under the jurisdiction of the Brown County Ditch Authority. A majority of Brown County public ditches drain into large, impaired rivers including the Minnesota River (Turbidity), Cottonwood River (Turbidity/Fecal Coliform), Little Cottonwood River (Turbidity/Fecal Coliform) and Watonwan River (Turbidity/Fecal Coliform). Thus far the Brown County Drainage Authority has been inventorying ditches as requested for repair by residents in the ditch system. Brown County would like to become proactive in inventorying and inspecting ditches to pinpoint problem areas along the open ditches that could result in a major impact in reducing soil erosion and nutrient loads. As part of the current re-determination process Brown County is participating in, we will be incorporating the one-rod buffer, which will significantly reduce overland runoff and protect the slope of the ditch banks. Brown County wants to upgrade the current manual operations to a one-stop web based drainage portal. This Houston Engineering software will allow the county to manage work flows, processes and proceedings. The software will integrate with our current GIS software and the new inspections and inventorying being done. With a combination of efforts inventorying and identifying ditch concerns and making that information readily available we will make strides in reducing soil erosion and nutrient load concerns to our waters. This grant would provide the bridge between the County inspection program and our water resources.
Nicole Clapp
Soil Erosion and Drainage Law Compliance 2015
This project will result in an estimated phosphorus load reduction of 78 lbs/yr into Keller Lake.
District acquired Drainage DB database, allowing Drainage Authorities to store information on their ditches, track maintenance and conduct inspections. Four highest priority sites identified and feasibility completed.
LOCAL LEVERAGED FUNDS