MANSFIELD — Far more trees than expected, and a few more logjams, will need to be removed if a joint ditch petition goes forward on the Black Fork River.
A walking survey of the 18-mile stretch from Mickey Road in Shelby to Ohio 13 found 7,000 trees and 244 jams must be cleared, according to Richland County Engineer Adam Gove.
A drone video of the area in 2021 had estimated 1,000 trees and 200 logjams would need to be dealt with, Gove told commissioners from Richland and Crawford counties on Tuesday morning.
The walking survey, done by the Richland Soil and Water Conservation District, began in January and was completed in mid March, according to Gove, who was given extra time to complete his final cost/benefit analysis of the project.
Gove now has until Sept. 1 to complete his report, which commissioners from both counties would need to vote upon.
The proposed project began in February 2021 when the City of Shelby and rural community members filed a a joint ditch petition, seeking to have the waterway cleared to reduce flooding.
The petition asks commissioners from the two counties “to study and examine the economic benefits to the City of Shelby and the approximately 70,000 acres of the agricultural community that lie within the petitioned watershed area.”
Petitioners asked that the river be cleaned and maintained annually by removing felled trees, leaning trees, log jams and debris piles.
Gove, who said 135 jams were found in the river with another 99 piles of logs along the banks from a previous private cleanup, said the walking survey found more work than anticipated from the drone view.
“By drone, it’s really hard to distinguish which (trees) are leaning, which ones are right along the edge of the bank, which ones may be undercut by the stream, as well as those that may be dead.
“I believe the drone footage was in the winter, so a lot of trees look fair. So you’re really trying to distinguish between which ones are dead and which ones are just dormant,” Gove said.
The additional work, and the rising costs of fuel and other supplies due to inflation, means the project will cost more than anticipated, Gove said.
During a public hearing in August 2021, Gove estimated the clean-up project itself would cost $664,300, a one-time charge, while delivering an annual economic benefit of $423,700, mostly through improved crop production in fields affected by flooding.
There would also be an annual maintenance fee as needed, which would also be assessed to owners of 10,567 parcels covering about 70,000 acres.
The engineer had been working to meet a deadline for his work by the end of May.
“We have made great progress with the plan development, but are not yet ready to file all items with the board,” Gove said.
He said items still in progress include coordination with the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources, the Ohio Dept. of Transportation, the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Gove said he anticipates sending those departments his analysis in the next several days and then must allow 30 days for them to respond.
He would then still have to calculate estimated final costs for the project, including calculations for both project construction and maintenance.
According to Gove’s preliminary estimate in 2021, for the construction costs, parcel owners within the defined flood plain would be assessed a one-time fee of $11.25 per acre with a minimum charge of $15. Parcel owners outside the flood plain would be assessed a one-time fee of $7.50 per acre with a minimum charge of $10.
The maintenance fund cannot exceed 20 percent of the initial project costs and would only be assessed if the maintenance work was needed after an annual inspection.
Under his prior estimates, the maintenance assessments, if needed, would cost the parcel owner in the flood plain about $3.50 per acre per year and would be about $2 per acre per year for owners outside the flood plain.
“Obviously, the more work that needs to be done out there, the more it’s going to cost,” Gove said. “And you’re talking about having equipment, some hauling and an increase in fuel expenses for whatever contractor would be doing the work.”
It’s likely the tree removal would not begin until October 2022 due to the fact the area provides habitat for the Indiana brown bat, a federally endangered species.
Gove said the work will need to be done between the end of September and the end of March, based upon federal regulations aimed at protecting the bat.
