PAGE: LOCAL NEWS
Wetland restoration to proceed
By Ryan Brinks (June 10, 2009)
A change to one of the county’s tile systems was approved Tuesday by the Jackson County Board of Commissioners in order for a drained wetland north of Lakefield and east of South Heron Lake to be restored.
The top end of Judicial Ditch 53, in Section 16 of Heron Lake Township, will be rerouted around two soon-to-be-restored wetland basins as part of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program project on land owned by Cynthia Kolander.
The project had originally sought a culvert across the township road on the east of the property, connecting the flow of water with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service land, but township officials opposed it. The reroute was plan B.
Drainage questions and tax base concerns were voiced during the public hearing, but commissioners voted unanimously to allow the project to happen. The restoration is designed to add nearly four acre-feet of water storage to the location’s current capacity, according to the project engineer.
Kolander will continue to pay a ditch assessment for the new non-perforated tile line that will be installed.
County Assessor Farley Grunig confirmed that the change in market value on the property would compare to the difference between a homesteaded residence and a non-homesteaded residence.
The county engineer and ditch inspector will review the project’s final plans before construction and neighboring landowners will have an opportunity to review the performance of the repair, if necessary, in the future.
For more headlines from the commissioners' meeting, see the county briefs in this week's paper.
The top end of Judicial Ditch 53, in Section 16 of Heron Lake Township, will be rerouted around two soon-to-be-restored wetland basins as part of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program project on land owned by Cynthia Kolander.
The project had originally sought a culvert across the township road on the east of the property, connecting the flow of water with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service land, but township officials opposed it. The reroute was plan B.
Drainage questions and tax base concerns were voiced during the public hearing, but commissioners voted unanimously to allow the project to happen. The restoration is designed to add nearly four acre-feet of water storage to the location’s current capacity, according to the project engineer.
Kolander will continue to pay a ditch assessment for the new non-perforated tile line that will be installed.
County Assessor Farley Grunig confirmed that the change in market value on the property would compare to the difference between a homesteaded residence and a non-homesteaded residence.
The county engineer and ditch inspector will review the project’s final plans before construction and neighboring landowners will have an opportunity to review the performance of the repair, if necessary, in the future.
For more headlines from the commissioners' meeting, see the county briefs in this week's paper.