Property owners told North Cut drainage ditch work could force removal of fences

The board of directors of the Scott County Consolidated Drainage District No. 2 is putting residents on notice that work on the North Cut drainage ditch is about to begin -- work that could require some landowners along the ditch to take out fences on their property.

Work is set to begin next month along the North Cut between Benton and Sikeston. Between February and April contractors will clear the ditch and its banks of debris and excess vegetation to improve the ditch's drainage capacity. Work will be performed on the north and west side of the ditch from its intersection with the Blue Ditch in the county's southern reaches. The work will go east and north along the ditch for 13 to 14 miles.

Landowners along the area are being warned to remove any fences parallel to the ditch within 35 feet of the ditch banks or the banks of its laterals. Chris Lambert, an engineer with the drainage district's engineering firm, Lambert Engineering of Sikeston, said that in the past, few landowners have had fences that required removal. Contractors will only ask for fence removal if it's absolutely necessary for them to conduct their work, Lambert said.

Catching up

District board secretary and treasurer Mark Stallings said he anticipates there will be a few landowners with fences that will require removal. The ditches in the district went several decades without proper maintenance, and during that time some landowners moved their fences as close to the ditch banks as possible.

The drainage district was formed in 2003 and started work on clearing the county's three main drainage ditches -- the North Cut, Blue and St. John's ditches -- last year.

Those ditches were made in the 1920s and 1930s to clear the swamp from eastern Scott County, but since that time have been largely left alone. Over the years, vegetation and debris have begun to hinder their drainage capacity.

The district and its work are funded by a benefit tax assessed on landowners in the district. Landowners on the lowest elevation ground pay more, and those on the higher elevation ground pay less. The maximum amount is $3.60 per acre, while the average is about $2.20 per acre. A five-member board of directors governs the district's operations.

Stallings estimated the tax raises $210,000 to $215,000 per year; that money is spent almost entirely on clearing the ditches.

The coming work will be the first of a two-phase operation. After completion of the first phase, the district board of directors will select areas for the second phase of clearing work. The district board has plans to clear all ditch banks within the district in the coming years.

Last year 35 miles of ditches were cleared, and the district hopes for the same amount this year.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182