Minnesota Buffer Law

Learn more about the Minnesota Buffer Law, how it is enforced and the help available for property owners through Blue Earth County by following this link: Blue Earth County and the Minnesota Buffer Law.

About the County's Drainage Ditches

County ditches were constructed to drain land and to collect water quickly and efficiently to provide better soil conditions and increase land available for the production of crops. Blue Earth County has over 100 ditches, with over 160 miles of open ditches and over 500 miles of tile systems. 

Approximately 50% of all the land in Blue Earth County drains to a county ditch. The remaining land drains to natural drainage systems such as rivers or streams.

Ditch documents and drainage system information can be found on the DrainageDB web-based portal that provides 24/7 online access to historical and present documents for the public to view. For further details visit the DrainageDB Information page.

Drainage Authority

Blue Earth County’s Drainage Authority is the County Board of Commissioners. Others involved with ditch proceedings include:

• County Ditch Manager
• County Attorney
• Ditch owners’ attorneys
• Engineers
• Interested landowners
• State and federal agencies

The County Board’s Drainage Committee includes two county commissioners, the County Administrator and the county-employed ditch manager.

Ditch Manager

As noted above, Blue Earth County employs a full-time ditch manager who is responsible for much of the day-to-day tasks associated with managing the County’s ditch system. The ditch manager is part of the Taxpayer Services Department as he works closely with many of the other offices in the department to complete his work.

Annual activities related to the county’s ditches include:

• Inspections of ditch systems
• Repair and improvement projects
• Erosion control

If you have questions about Blue Earth County’s ditches, please contact the Taxpayer Services Department at (507) 304-4251 or send an email.