H

Hatton Drain Number 45

Hatton Drain Number 45 was built in 1968.

Length: 2.7 miles

History: This drain gets a good share of its water from the streets of Hatton. This of itself may not be an undue burden but snow melts much sooner in urban areas. This starts the flow to the river many years long before the snow has melted from the legal drain. The water then flows east until it drops over a low ridge where it leaves the channel and flows across the fields to the northeast and never returns to the drain. This has caused increasing problems for the landowners to the east. Another problem is that the soils are very light, almost sandy, causing them to be very unstable and easily eroded. The slopes on the field had become quite steep. Snow removal during the spring runoff has been tried many times. Sometimes it works very well and other times, it only makes matters worse.

An attempt was made in 1996 to slightly revise the shape of the drain. A dike was built on the field side, where dirt was sufficient. This seemed to help.

There are several grade stabilization structures in this drain to help reduce the water's velocity and to reduce erosion.

  • Cleaned in 2005.
  • Reassessed in 2010. Re-assessed again in 2015 to add the City of Hatton.

Hillsboro Drain Number 46

This drain is located in Hillsboro Township 1 mile east of the city of Hillsboro. It was built in 1919.

Length: 3.25 miles

History: This drain has been cleaned from time to time over the years. One of the problems has been the use of reinforced concrete pipes. The soil is unstable and the trucks hauling on the roads have become heavier and faster. This causes the sections to separate and eventually the holes in the roadbed above the culverts open up. This is dangerous to travelers. Several of these culverts have been replaced with corrugated metal culverts.

In 1981 the outlet of the drain was repaired as an RC&D project with the help of funds from the federal government. A large washout had developed where the drain entered into the Goose River. A lot of debris was hauled to the site. It was still eroding and dangerous. The debris was removed and two large culverts were placed in an embankment to stabilize the outlet. This has worked quite well. There has been some settlement of the embankment and some work was necessary to correct this.

  • Cleaned in 2003.
  • A meeting was held in 2009 to see if reconstruction was warranted. Patrons declined this idea.
  • For the most part, this drain works well.
  • Trees and debris were removed in 2016.

Holman Drain Number 43

Holman Drain Number 43 was built in 1968. It has a lateral to the north.

Length: 6.5 miles

History: This drain is similar to the Hatton Drain in that the soils at the lower end are light and on the sandy side. It also drops rather abruptly into the river, requiring some grade stabilization structures.

In 1996 a cleanout was done on both the main channel and the lateral. It should work quite well now.

Cleaned again in 2006 with a dike installed where the lateral turns south.

There are some problems on the outlet end with a field crossing washing out and water leaving the channel.

  • The south half of Section 28 was cleaned in 2015.
  • It was cleaned in 2006 with a dike installed where the lateral turns south.