· Regulated
Drain: an open drain, tiled drain, or a combination of
the two that is maintained by the county.
· Open Drain: a natural or artificial
channel that carries surplus water and was established
under or made subject to any drainage statute.
* The Surveyor promotes and recommends the USDA/NRCS "Filter Strip Program" along all
located ditches.
· Tiled
Drain: a tiled channel
that carries surplus water and was established under
or made subject to any drainage statute.
No permanent structures are to be built within 75 feet from either side of any county regulated open or
tile drain (totaling 150 feet) without a variance given by the Drainage Board. IC 36-9-27-33
· Maintenance: A
regulated drain is in need of periodic maintenance
when; with or without the use of mechanical equipment
it can be made to perform the function for which it
was designed and constructed and to properly drain
all affected land under current condition, by periodically
cleaning it; spraying it; removing obstruction from
it; making minor repairs to it.
· Reconstruction: A
regulated drain is in need of reconstruction when it
will not perform the function for which it was designed
and constructed; it no longer conforms to the maps, profiles,
and plans prepared at the time when the legal drain was
established; or topographical or other changes have made
the drain inadequate to properly drain the lands affected
without extensive repairs or changes including:
· Converting all or part
of an open drain to a tiled drain or a tiled drain to
an open drain;
· Adding an open drain to a tiled
drain or a tiled drain to an open drain;
· Increasing the size of the
tile;
· Deepening or widening an
open drain;
· Extending the length of a drain;
· Changing the course of the
drain;
· Constructing drainage detention
basins and drainage control dams;
· Providing for erosion control
and for grade stabilization structures;
· Making any major change to
a drainage system that would be of public utility.
· Watershed: an
area of land from which all runoff water drains to a
given point or that is affected by a small lake. A watershed
area can contain several regulated open and tile drains.
