(Spirit Lake)– A public hearing on a possible drainage project in the Terril area was held as part of Tuesday’s Dickinson County Board of Supervisors meeting. About 1,400 acres of land is encompassed in the area of proposed improvements, including the north half of the city of Terril. About 180 landowners would be included.
Four different options were reviewed, each carrying a significant price tag and assessments to landowners and some property owners in Terril. The project would replace and greatly increase the size of the existing tile that’s up to 100 years old. It’s intended, in part, to help alleviate low land flooding in Terril and the surrounding area. Complicating matters is a high pressure natural gas pipeline that runs through the area. The project has a cost estimate ranging from about $1.2 million up to slightly more than two million dollars, depending upon the option, with assessments that would exceed $100,000 for 80 acres. The Terril City Council voted against the proposal at their meeting Monday evening. At least one landowner called for a less expensive option involving an open ditch, which would not benefit the city of Terril, and would require the company that owns the natural gas pipeline to relocate it, likely resulting in litigation, adding further cost that would be borne by the drainage district.
A majority of residents who spoke at the supervisors meeting Tuesday were opposed, including a business owner in Terril…
After more than two hours of discussion, the supervisors, acting as trustees for the drainage district, voted 5-0 to continue the hearing, directing the engineer to get cost estimates on a less expensive option of an open ditch. The supervisors set 9:00 am Monday, September 15th, as the time and date for the continuation of the hearing.
