Bauer Ditch Drain Installation Project

Updated July 22, 2021

Time to check for vegetation! The project has been complete for a few months, which has allowed the grass seed to take hold and grow. 

This photo was taken facing south toward the Flared End Section (FES) outfall area seen in the Bauer Ditch Drain Tile Reconstruction Project Part 2 video. Here is a photo of the finalized outfall area, complete with riprap and some grass growth along the top! 

Updated April 15, 2021

The Bauer Ditch drain tile installation project ran from the north side of Highway 6 to Bauer Ditch, located 0.64 miles to the south. This drain tile is located in the Crooked-Creek-Headwaters Watershed and is a part of Porter County’s system of valuable regulated drainage infrastructure. 

Before the drain installation,  the area north of the project was commonly flooded and took several weeks to recede. This project was designed to mitigate the flooding and improve overall drainage for the surrounding area. Several subwatersheds bring over 1,000 acres of storm water runoff to Bauer Ditch. To handle this storm water runoff, approximately 6,250 feet of pipe was installed. The majority of the pipe installation was conducted using an open trench. To see this process, check out the video below. 

Two parallel storm sewer mains were installed for this project, which outfall into the open ditch on the south end of the project area. Two flared end section (FES) structures were installed , along with a riprap-reinforced outfall area, to keep this section strong and protected from erosion. Watch the Bauer Ditch Drain Tile Reconstruction Part 2 video to watch this install!

The project has wrapped up as of spring 2021. Now we wait for a large rain to test this new infrastructure!

The work associated with the drain tile reconstruction project was completed within the regulated drainage easements associated with Bauer Ditch. This work included the installation of new mains, a new perforated tile parallel to the new mains, and new storm sewer structures at points where the new drain tile changes direction or where access to the system will be needed for future inspections, cleaning and/or televising.