Work on a 75,000-acre drainage improvement project affecting four counties is expected to begin in the next two weeks.
The project addresses the Indian Creek watershed and about 35 miles of open drain located in Indian Creek and Vanburen townships in southeastern Pulaski County, Cass Township in northeastern White County, Wayne Township in southwestern Fulton County and Bethlehem, Boone and Harrison townships in northern Cass County.
Drainage improvements slated throughout the project include removing sediment, vegetation and log jams from banks and channels, excavating channels and lowering pipes.
The Indian Creek Joint Drainage Board oversees the project and is made up of representatives from the affected counties. Cass County Commissioner Ralph Anderson is the board's president.
Plainfield-based Banning Engineering was hired for the project.
The project is split into five areas, three of which are split into two areas of their own, according to a map made by Banning Engineering and marked by Anderson. The first part of the first area is on Indian Creek from Ind. 119 in Pulaski County east to Little Indian Creek, which makes up the second portion of the first part and ends just east of Cass County's border with White County.
The second part of the project is on Indian Creek and spans east from its confluence with Little Indian Creek to its confluence with Grassy Creek. Star City-based Weaver-Fox Bros. Excavating's bid of $244,000 was awarded for that part of the project, according to a document Banning Engineering Vice President Jeff Healy provided at an Indian Creek Joint Drainage Board meeting on Oct. 17.
The two parts of the third portion of the project split the remainder of Indian Creek from its confluence with Grassy Creek and ends just east of Ind. 17 in Cass County. Joint drainage board members unanimously approved on Oct. 17 a $155,000 offer from Walton-based B&S Excavating for the first part of the third portion. They also opened four bids for the second part of the third portion and voted to accept the lowest pending confirmation it meets all specifications. Rochester-based Gudas Excavating submitted the lowest bid at $38,900.
The fourth part of the project addresses Grassy Creek from its confluence with Indian Creek east to about 1000 West in Fulton County. Winamac-based Ingram Excavating is taking that on for $140,937.
Cass County Surveyor Josh LeDonne said after the Oct. 17 meeting that work is expected to begin on the third and fourth parts of the project within the next two weeks.
The two parts of the fifth portion of the project split the rest of Grassy Creek east of 1000 West in Fulton County and ends east of 100 East in Cass County.
The joint drainage board is accepting bids for the first and fifth portions of the project and intends to open them on Nov. 14.
Board members also approved on Oct. 17 a $2 million loan to fund the project with a 3.25 percent interest rate from First Farmers Bank & Trust. Logansport Savings Bank also submitted a proposal for a $2 million loan to the board with a 4.31 percent interest rate.
The loan will be paid off by landowners in the watershed.
Joint drainage board members also voted on Oct. 17 to reimburse the four county governments' contributions to past attempts at the project dating back to 2006. All past attempts have been blocked by legal action.
LeDonne said after the Oct. 17 meeting that he hopes for the project to be complete by December 2018.