Progress Update: Pool 2 Road

• Photos

Resloped Area

I mentioned last month that the Duck Creek renovation has been reminding me of renovating a house. House improvement projects, at least in my experience, don’t always go as quickly or as smoothly as planned. Progress occurs, but the completion of the work doesn’t always happen when you had originally intended.

Ditch work requirements: Vegetation Removal, Ditch Dredging, Finish Work

One of the first things we did during the fall of 2009 was remove the vegetation that had grown up along the ditch banks and abandoned spoil piles along the boundaries of pools 2 and 3. This was necessary to allow Little River Drainage District (LRDD) access to the ditches. These ditches bring water to Duck Creek and also allow us to drain the area. It had been quite some time since they had been cleaned out. In the past year, LRDD finished up their ditch work on the area.

Needless to say, with this kind of work occurring over the last two years, the areas between the ditches and the perimeter roads have been a mess. Over the past month, we started moving dirt to do the finishing work on the west and south side of Pool 2. The banks are being dressed up, holes are being filed in and rock is being put down on the road.

Flattening and resloping the banks will allow the ditches to be maintained easier in the future. Additionally, water will be able to drain away from the road and not be trapped. This, too, will minimize maintenance problems since it will eliminate refuge for burrowing muskrats.

I’m guessing it is my German blood, but I’m starting to feel better as this part of the area starts to look a little cleaner. Also, it helps move one step closer to being ready for waterfowl season.

Teal in the air

Speaking of waterfowl, some of you might be looking for teal over the next week. Their small size and the amount of summer plant growth makes it difficult to know how many are on the area. That being said, a few have been seen on Duck Creek, and Mingo has reported to have about 1,000 birds buzzing around. Good luck this weekend.