HURON COUNTY DITCH MAINTENANCE PROGRAM

Don Ruffing, Ditch Maintenance Supervisor

419-668-4113 ext. 111

The Ditch Maintenance Program was started in 1969 when a working agreement was signed by the Huron County Commissioners, the Huron County Engineer and the Huron Soil and Water Conservation District.  The first group to be placed on county maintenance was Roth Group #95, which is located in Norwich Township, on June 25, 1970. The second group under maintenance was Gates Group  #105 in  November of 1971.  The first assessments were collected in 1971. The first maintenance work was performed in 1973.  The first subdivisions were placed under county maintenance on May 24, 2001.

The Huron SWCD, in accordance with the three way working agreement with the commissioners and engineer, is responsible for the daily activities of the program.

The types of maintenance work performed by the District include the following:

$        annual ditch inspections

$        installation and repair of erosion control structures

$        vegetation control

$        bottom clean outs and silt bar removal

$        maintenance base reviews, parcel splits

$        bookkeeping and other administrative activities

District employees on the Drainage Team:

$        Cary Brickner, District Manager

$        Paul Demuth, Jr., Technician

$        Russ Hetrick, Part-time Technician

$        Don Ruffing, Ditch Maintenance Supervisor

The District owns several pieces of equipment that are used for ditch maintenance work:

$        tractor loader backhoe

$        four wheel drive truck with dump box

$        tandem axle flat bed trailer

$        four wheel drive ATV with sprayer

$        chain saws

$        power pruner

$        grass seeders

$        portable torch set

$        hand tools

The ditch maintenance program includes eighty-eight projects.  The total length of these improvements is 111.67 miles.

Click here for the 2009 DITCH MAINTENANCE YEAR END REPORT