Stearns County Ditch 25 (CD25) Status Updates
CD25 Status Update 9/4/2019
As part of the maintenance of CD25, Stearns County will be spraying noxious weeds and other brush along the ditch for the purpose of maintaining the excavation that was recently done in the ditch. The excavation has made the ditch capacity much greater and with less water, weeds have begun to grow. The spraying is expected to occur in the middle of September weather permitting. Please contact Stearns County with any questions or concerns by phone at 320-656-3694 or by e-mail at County.Drainage@co.stearns.mn.us.
CD25 Status Update 11/21/2018
At the July 11, 2017 Board of Commissioners meeting, motion was passed authorizing staff to repair CD25 with a budget of $35,000. The work was completed during the summer of 2018. As part of the board action, letters have been mailed to every property owner within the ditch benefit with a special assessment to pay for the project.
The amount assessed to property owner taxes will begin in 2019 and amortized over 5 years ending in 2023.
CD25 Status Update 6/11/2018
The excavation portion of the CD25 repair was completed on 6/5/2018. The excavating vendor is no longer actively working on the ditch, but will return to seed the spoils once they have dried. If there are any questions, please contact Stearns County by e-mail at County.Drainage@co.stearns.mn.us.
Please check back for project updates.
CD25 Status Update 4/16/2018
The Stearns County CD25 repair will continue to move forward as planned, once weather conditions improve.
Please check back for project updates.
CD25 Status Update 3/6/2018
On March 5, 2018, the DNR issued a public waters work permit. This is the official notice that will allow Stearns County and its vendor partner to repair the begin point of CD25 at Kepper Lake to the engineered as constructed elevation of 1,119.6 feet.
Although the weather has been warming, Stearns County will be keeping a close eye on the snow and temperatures so that the repair can continue as soon as conditions allow it. Ideally the frost will be shallow enough to support machinery, but allow for excavation.
Please check back for project updates.
CD25 Status Update 1/16/2018
Since the previous ditch update the excavating vendor has continued to work on the CD25 clean-out. Per the Stearns County CD25 Repair Plan, the vendor has completed all of Area E, about one-fourth of Area D, and removed trees in Area C and Area B. On 1/10/2018, the vendor was no longer able to work on the project due to the 24 to 30 inches of frost in the ground and not being able to spread spoils. The project will resume as soon as conditions allow in the spring of 2018. We will update the website as we receive additional information.
Also, we are reviewing options to clean out the culverts under Norway Rd, Meadowview Rd, and the Wobegon Trail. These culverts will be cleaned out in the spring of 2018.
Below are before and after pictures from the tree removal in Area B and C:
Area B Before: 
Area B After: 
Area C Before: 
Area C After:
Below are before and after pictures from the clean-out of Area E:
Area E Before: 
Area E After: 
If there are any questions please contact us at County.Drainage@co.stearns.mn.us, or call Jason Blommel at 320-656-3694.
Please check back for project updates.
CD25 Status Update 12/21/2017
The clean-out of CD25 continues to advance; however due to the current winter conditions, the spoils will be initially spread or piled near the ditch. This coming spring, after a period of thawing and drying, the spoils will be levelled and seeded.
The repair will continue until the vendor decides the ground is too frozen. The remainder of the repair will continue as weather permits.
The pictures below show a portion of the ditch that has been cleaned out with the spoils piled beside the ditch.
In the following two pictures you can see the difference in the channel between the cleaned out portion of the ditch in the background and the yet to be cleaned out area in the foreground.
Please check back for project updates.
CD25 Status Update 12/14/2017
The clean-out of CD25 is set to begin the week of 12/18/2017.
Please check back for project updates.
CD25 Status Update 11/17/2017
The planned repair for CD25 remains on track. On 11/14/2017, an assessment letter for CD25 was mailed and should have arrived at your residence. If you have not received a letter and believe you should have, please contact Jason Blommel at 320-656-3694. On 11/16/2017, a pre-construction meeting was held with the excavating vendor to work out of the details of completing the clean out. The vendor may reach out to property owners in order to facilitate construction repair needs. At this point we are waiting for the proper weather conditions and then the clean-out will begin.
Please check back for project updates.
CD25 Status Update 10/31/2017
The DNR is in the final stages of reviewing the permit and the project remains on track to be completed in winter of 2017. The County Board has approved assessment of a portion of this project to cover inspection and field data collection costs already incurred on this project, in the amount of $7,571.40.
Please check back for project updates.
CD25 Status Update 10/3/2017
A project update postcard has been mailed to the landowners benefited by CD25. The DNR continues to review the public waters permit needed for the full repair project to move forward. As of 10/3/2017, it has been 63 days since the permit was submitted. The project remains on track to be completed late fall or early winter of 2017.
Please check back for project updates.
CD25 Status Update 9/13/2017
The DNR continues to review the public waters permit needed for the full repair project to move forward. The DNR has 150 days to complete its review. As of 9/13/2017, it has been 43 days since the permit was submitted. The project remains on track to be completed late fall or early winter of 2017.
Please check back for project updates.
CD25 Status Update 8/16/2017
The DNR permit is currently being reviewed by the Army Corps of Engineers. After review, the permit will go back to the DNR. Stearns County has had discussion with the excavating vendor about a time-line. Depending on weather and acquiring the proper permits, the time-line as of today will be late fall or early winter. The vendor will continue to evaluate access points and how wet the project area is.
Please check back for project updates.
CD25 Status Update 8/3/2017
Stearns County has submitted a permit, to the DNR, for approval of the repair project. This week we received confirmation that all requirements have been met to move forward with the permit. We are optimistic that the work already completed by the DNR will cause the approval process to be completed quickly.
Stearns County staff continues to stay in contact with the excavating vendor to coordinate schedules and requirements for the repair. Once the DNR has issued a permit, Stearns County staff will work with the vendor to establish a time-line for the repair project.
Please check back for project updates.
CD25 Status Update 7/11/2017
At the July 11, 2017 Board of Commissioners meeting, the Board acting as the Drainage Authority accepted Findings and Order for both the Engineers Report re-establishing ditch records and the repair of CD 25.
The repair is now approved and Stearns County staff will continue to work towards securing permitting from the DNR before beginning work. On July 3, Stearns County staff worked in cooperation with DNR staff to submit the necessary information for permitting. At the present time, the outlook for obtaining permitting for the CD25 repair plan are positive.
The next step after obtaining permitting, will be to work with the vendor to detail a time-line for project completion as well as coordinate with property owners along the ditch.
Please check back for project updates.
CD25 Status Update 6/26/2017
At the June 20, 2017 Stearns County Board of Commissioners Meeting, the Board acting as the Drainage Authority for County Ditch 25 approved a repair to the ditch. The approved project will move forward with the entire ditch being cleaned.
The repair is still pending approval from the DNR.
The next Project milestone will be July 11, 2017 when the Drainage Authority approves Findings and Order from the June 20, 2017 public hearing regarding the repair.
Please check back for project updates.