K-L

Kaufman Drain Number 22

Kaufman Drain Number 22 was built in 1917. It is located in the west borrow pit of County Road 4 running north from the Goose River for 4 miles.

Length: 4.5 miles

History: The drain has a very flat grade and is very deep, apparently intercepting groundwater in some locations. Cattails have been a problem for many years. Spraying with Rodeo has helped this problem. The ditch was cleaned with a track hoe the last time to remove only the dirt washed in by field drains. A rock rip rap chute was built at the outlet end in 1988. It was damaged by the power company crossing it with their cable-laying equipment.

  • The drain was cleaned in 2001.
  • Reassessed in 2002.
  • The bridge 1 mile south of County Road 13 was replaced in 2009.
  • A bridge was replaced in 2010 but needs to be extended.
  • Snagging and clearing work done on the outlet in 2011.
  • A culvert was replaced in the south end in 2014.
  • Trees and debris were removed in 2016.

Leirness-Steenerson Drain Number 34-20

Leirness Drain Number 34 was constructed in 1955.

Steenerson Drain Number 20 was constructed in 1916-17.

Length: 16.5 miles

The Steenerson Drain Number 20 outlet formerly was called Nasvold Drain Number 3. This drain has been cleaned out several times. In the spring of 1997, the lower end received water from the Red River flood. The flood deposited some silt into the drain. The drain was extended half a mile on the outlet end in 1988. This channel was silted up and not able to carry the water.

This drain was combined with Leirness Drain Number 34 in 1985. A change in North Dakota law permitted more than one outlet for a drain. These two drains had overlapping assessment areas which caused some rather irregular assessments for various legal descriptions. This has proved to be quite satisfactory thus far. The drains were cleaned in 2002.

Leirness Drain Number 34 had been a rather controversial situation. Much of the spoil that was left in Section 23 of Herberg Township, on the south side of the ditch, was hauled away in the spring of 1997 after the flood to replace soil on the damaged roads. Some of this spoil was hauled to the Red River bridge on Highway 200.

The drain had some problems in Sections 19 and 20 of Herberg Township. This was taken care of in a minor reconstruction in 1991.

The spring flood damaged the lower end somewhat because silt was washed off the fields and deposited on the side slope.

Nearly all the water west of I-29 from Kingman Road at Hillsboro to the Elm River flows through this drain. The drain handles it quite well except in the years when the flows are well above the design flow. Cleaned in 2002. Reconstruction started in 2008 and was completed in 2009 except for the railroad and DOT culverts. Culverts were installed by the DOT and the railroad in 2001. Section 16 was cleaned in 2015.