Old drains exist all over the state. Some have returned to a more or less natural condition after many years. They are enjoyed by landowners until someone petitions for a "little" cleanout. Maintenance escalates to "improvement" and an engineering version of a good waterway is created. See below. |
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The drain comissioner alone decides how big a project will be. To
the right you can see how "maintenance" turned into "improvement" so that
the channel could hold a 50 year flood without overflowing its banks.
Natural channels are frequently surrounded by floodplains--land that absorbs
the brunt of a flood event and is able to return to normal in a few days.
Channelized streams send water downstream too quickly, scouring the banks.