Ditch Maintenance Program
What is the ditch maintenance program?
Ditches are constructed to drain water from the land, especially during or immediately after times of heavy rain or melting snow. This is not only to benefit farmers and crops, but also to protect homeowners and the value of your properties from flooding damages.
The Seneca County ditch maintenance program manages the spraying, tree/brush removal, and dip out of 250 miles of ditch and 61 miles of subsurface drainage (tile) annually.
Service Inclusion
Per Ohio Revised Codes 6131 & 6137, this service includes:
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- Inspections: Observing the area that may need maintenance work
- Erosion Control
- Ditch Dip Out
- Tile Repair
- Vegetative Control (Spraying)
We also maintain financial information for each group to include the balance, expenses, and assessments.
Note: not all ditches in Seneca County are enrolled in the ditch maintenance program - click here for more information about general drainage.
Putting a Ditch on Maintenance:
To get a ditch or tile put on maintenance landowners must submit a cooperative group application and a deposit of $500 (+ and additional $1 per parcel for groups with more than 100 parcels).
A group meeting is then held to discuss how the project will proceed. If the group agrees to move forward the application will be approved or denied by the SCD board of supervisors.
Landowners then have 18 months to sign a group agreement and deposit the construction cost for the project into an account managed by the group elected president and treasurer.
Special Tax Assessments
Ditches and subsurface tiles that are in the maintenance program receive an annual inspection. These inspections generate work orders with an estimated cost.
The estimated cost is then divided amongst the landowners based on how much they contribute to the watershed. The cost for the individual landowner is then reflected on their property tax statement as a special tax assessment.
Each individual ditch or tile has its own account, where the collected special assessments remain until it is time to pay for the completed contracted work.
These tax assessments stay with property in perpetuity.