Water Quality Improvement for Clay County Ditches

The Red River is impaired for turbidity. The level of turbidity is a significant factor in the cost of treatment of drinking water by the City of Moorhead. This water quality improvement project involves the retrofit of Clay County Ditches 9, 32, and 33 just south of the city. The project involves the installation of an estimated 87 side inlet sediment controls and 35 acres of buffer strips. All three of these ditch systems with over 16 miles of County Ditch will be treated for sediment and erosion control with the installation of conservation practices.
Adjacent landowners want to see work completed on the ditch system and are supportive of getting buffers and side inlet controls installed along the system. The Red River of the North will benefit by the proposed project installations along these ditch systems. Together all practices are expected to reduce sediment loading by nearly 2,000 tons/year and Phosphorus loading by 2,700 pounds/year.