Wiscoggin Intercounty Drain
The Wiscoggin Intercounty Drain is a public corporation formed under the Drain Code or Public Act 40 of 1956 that is charged with maintaining the drainage infrastructure of nearly 22 miles. The Drain District encompasses over 67 square miles and includes five townships, two villages, and the City of Caro. Huron County contributes agricultural drainage flows into the system of the Wiscoggin through the Armbruster, USA, and Yanke Drains. The tributary area is small in comparison to that of Tuscola County. Huron County contributes approximately 1,600 acres of land area to the district. The drainage infrastructure, at large of the County of Tuscola, empties into Saginaw Bay. The northwest geographical area contains several large outlet channels that connect agricultural drainage with the bay. There are enormous cost consequences of that infrastructure, not the least of which is the necessity of gaining access to properties segmented by the very large drainage channels in the several districts. Over the years, the effort required to maintain or improve those channels and to repair bridges and drainage culverts has led the county into costly projects to solve the very large problems associated with maintaining those drains.
Enter the Wiscoggin project. Still feeling the impacts from the cost of previous projects, landowners, municipalities, and the county had not been enthusiastic about the possibility of another costly approach to repairing the Wiscoggin Intercounty Drain. However, advancing damage, continuation of maintenance projects on drains tributary to the main channel, and encroachments to the drain led the Tuscola County Drain Commissioner to the conclusion that inaction on the drain would, in fact, force excessively expensive projects in the future. The Drainage Board met in the late summer of 2011 to deliberate on the prospects of maintenance and projected costs for those measures.
BMJ Engineers & Surveyors, Inc. proposed a three phase approach to the project which would provide a timely response to existing problems. The lower reaches were to be surveyed and analyzed for capacity related to the full design function of the drain through a range of historic lake levels and weather conditions. This approach was made to increase confidence that the proposed work of the drain would not overwhelm those areas evaluated to be adequate and not in need of repair. This initial study found that the outlet system comprised of relief channels and outlets is presently capable of conveying flows from a restored drainage system.
Starting at the Armbruster Drain confluence, the Wiscoggin Drain was surveyed for damages, aggradations, evaluation of capacity, and condition. The maintenance survey portion of the project sought to establish the needs of a maintenance project that could return the channel to the existing 1959 design capacity. The survey terminated at the south line of Section 1, of South Akron Township, just south of the Village of Unionville. This location was chosen as the ending point of the first maintenance section of the Wiscoggin Intercounty Drain Maintenance Project based on several factors:The Bach Drain, a major tributary just four hundred feet upstream is still adjusting to a recent re-construction project. The effect of that adjustment will be better evaluated when it has more fully recovered.
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The ending location represents a project length including survey of approximately 1/3 of the total length of the Wiscoggin.
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The character of this section is unique in its proximity and interaction with Saginaw Bay.
Initial Intercounty Board discussions found the expression of a desire to keep project costs down to the level of 1 year assessments under the $5,000 per mile limit for maintenance projects not requiring special communications to Townships effected by more than 20% of the assessment. That calculation forced a project limit of $110,000 per year. This limit proved unachievable given the recommendations made from the survey results of the proposed project area and the size of the drain; 20 feet of bottom width with 20 to 25 feet of depth in the upper reaches of the project area.
Analysis of the existing channel revealed that the drain had cut down in the past and was from one to 3 feet deeper than the designed facility. Given one of the goals of the project; that of keeping vegetated slopes where they were stable, gaining capacity for the drain was not at issue. Stabilizing the steep (1.5H:1V) slopes and bottom grade was the most urgent problem at hand. Since the bottom had cut down, re-establishing the original designed bottom width at the apparent bottom of the drain meant much steeper slopes would result, undermining the stability of the drain. BMJ recommended re-establishing the original bottom elevation of the drain only through those sediment bars that encroached into the original design cross-section. In this way a “benched” condition would remain in the channel. It is calculated that stresses that would build up during flood stage will be relieved in measure once the encroaching sediment is removed. Outside bends with interior shoals would be relieved by removal of those sediment accumulations down to the original design bottom elevation.
Repairs of slopes have been undertaken with seed mixes that contain deep rooted native grasses and alfalfa common in the area. Finally, significant investment in rock armor at key damaged areas will stabilize slopes and provide a foundation to repaired banks while they grow stabilizing vegetation. Splash pads were constructed at chronically eroding drainage inlets. A number of damaged tile ends were repaired and new stable drainage inlets were installed in key areas where bank erosion was chronic.
In the winter of 2012-2013, Bilacic Trucking, Inc. of Au Gres, Michigan, completed the first section of the Wiscoggin Intercounty Maintenance Project. It will be evaluated through the spring and summer growing season for effectiveness of the repair approach. Additional survey and construction will wait for the payoff of this section, so that any new issues that arise can be inventoried and addressed in Section 2 of the effort. In this way, it is predicted by the Intercounty Drain Board that costly re-construction of the channel and other expensive components of a large scale petitioned project can be avoided.
It is the goal of the Wiscoggin Intercounty Drain Board to continue the process to complete this maintenance program within a five to nine year effort. BMJ has prepared a maintenance manual and recommended inspection and maintenance program for this district that can guide the Board’s schedule and provide tools for the evaluation of the facility as well as developmental activities in the vicinity of the facility.
The 2012-2013 Wiscoggin Drain Maintenance Project, Section 1:
Drainage District:
43,080 Acres = 67.3 Square Miles
Section 1 Project:
Length = 5.0 Miles
Rock Armor = 2,040 Sq. Yards
Project Construction Cost = $151,283.00
Total Project Cost = $297,000.00