The project will realign county ditch 64 through ridgeway waterfront production area (WPA) in orwell township ofotter tail county

This $250,000 Cooperative Agreement awarded by the Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service under the National Wildlife Refuge System Enhancements program (CFDA 15.654) will support a multi-year project to realign County Ditch 64 in Otter Tail County, Minnesota. The project, managed by the County of Otter Tail-Auditor, involves constructing a rock weir to protect a state-owned wetland, removing failing drain tile, creating new surface water channels, and replacing road culverts as needed. This work will address flooding issues and restore wetlands on federally-owned lands managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Otter Tail County Soil and Water Conservation District will design the project, with the county managing the bidding and fiscal oversight. The grant's performance period runs from June 2024 through May 2028.

A rock weir will be installed to outlet a state protected water wetland on the federally ownedwpa. The project also removes drain tile currently failing on the WPA and create necessary surface waterchannels to move that water downstream, possibly a partial replacement of CD 64 with non-perforated tile on anfish and wildlife service easement, replacement of road culverts as needed to equalize water bodies or outletwetlands, repair 135TH avenue and 190TH street where needed to keep roads dry. United states fish and wildlifeservice (USFWS) has acquired wetland easements where the county ditch used to flow to protect wetlands on those properties. The otter tail county soil and water district and county drainage (swcd) inspector, orwell township, and the buffalo-red river watershed district have a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to work together to resolve flooding issues and restore wetlands as part of this project. The swcd engineer will design the project, and the county staff will manage the bidding and fiscal oversite of the contracts necessary to get the work done. The USFWS and the county will work together on the designs and construction management. The USFWS will get all of the permits for the project since IT is located on service land. USFWS will petition the county for the changes to county ditch 64, per state statute 103E requirements. The county will manage the required actions for the reconstruction of a public drainage system to maintain compliance with minnesota statute 103E.