Ditches

A county ditch is a drainage system established, constructed, and managed by a Drainage Authority, or board having jurisdiction over the drainage system. (Minnesota Drainage statutes 103E - https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/103E)

The county does not own the ditch, the landowners who benefit from the ditch own the drainage system.  A county ditch can be an open ditch system, a tile system, or a combination of both.

How is a County Ditch paid for:

At the time of drainage system establishment, a team of Ditch Viewers visited the land encompassing the ditch system.  These Viewers determined what properties used and benefitted from the ditch system.  It is those property owners who pay all costs incurred by the Drainage System.  The Viewers also determined how much a property benefitted, which is how each individual properties share of expenses are calculated

Redetermination of benefits:

Many drainage systems are old, the property utilizing the ditch is often out of date compared to the current conditions.  Redetermination is a legal proceeding to analyze properties that utilize the ditch based on use today rather than 100 plus years ago.  Often, a determination results in more properties becoming part of the drainage system because over time, more people use the ditch to move water.  Examples could be tiling a farm field or modern storm sewer systems that direct water to a ditch. 

Road ditches are not county ditches. Road ditches are the responsibility of the road authority.

Ditch Meetings