Ditch inventory and Inspection Database

The Sauk River Watershed District (SRWD) is the drainage authority for Stearns and Pope Counties. The SRWD manages 12 public drainage systems totaling over 90 miles. The majority of the public systems provide drainage for agricultural land uses and were constructed in the early 1900s.

The SRWD is currently developing a systemic approach to address all of the public drainage ditches on a schedule, creating better maintenance and repair schedules. As part of this systematic approach, the SRWD has a need for a standardized information management system for drainage activities. A database will allow for organization of information with standard document naming, efficient and timely updates to the information, public access to records and up-to-date tracking of drainage system proceedings including inspection status. Using the database, the SRWD will be able to schedule required drainage buffer inspections, track violations and determine follow-up procedures in a timely manner. The database will also be used to track and target areas which violate drainage law and update staff on current proceedings regarding those violations. As drainage systems are inspected, the database will track areas for potential best management practices for water quality, further enhancing the District's ability to both manage the public systems to provide drainage and enhance water quality of its resources.