The project is a result of a petition received by the Sand Hill River Watershed District from landowners, requesting the Improvement, Laterals, and Outlet Extension of Polk County Ditch No. 77, and requesting the Improvement and Laterals to Polk County Ditch No. 166. The drainage system had insufficient capacity to control erosion and to provide a better outlet. The existing Polk County Ditch No. 77 lies within Hubbard Township of Polk County, and it functioned as two separate portions – a Westerly portion which discharged into a natural tributary to the Red River of the North, and an Easterly portion which discharged into the Sand Hill River.

An investigation of historic problems being experienced with Polk County Ditch No.’s 77 and 166 indicated that the majority of the problems were due to inadequate channel grades, inadequate channel cross-sectional area, inadequate water opening areas of centerline culverts, blockages by vegetation and siltation deposits, inadequate outlet capacities, unstable outlet channel grades, and limited access for maintenance operations. Channel cross section improvements were also required to improve the operation and maintenance of the ditch system. Outlet structures required structural modifications to reduce maintenance, stabilization of the surrounding channel, and an increase hydraulic capacity. Outlet Extensions of the Main County Ditch No. 77 and Branch 2 were required to allow for increased outlet efficiencies and accessibility for future maintenance. The improvement allowed for configuration of the grass buffer strip, ecommended typical channel cross sections, ditch grades, requirements for centerline culverts, outlet structures, and requirements for field inlet culverts.

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