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Indiana drainage task force holds first meeting, will reconvene in December

A committee tasked with developing recommendations regarding Indiana’s drainage industry and its regulations met for the first time on Nov. 21.

The Drainage Task Force was authorized by the 2022 Indiana General Assembly.

The committee consists of five state senators, five representatives and seven additional people not in the state legislature. It is co-chaired by senator Jean Leising and representative Beau Baird.

The first meeting served primarily as an introduction to the task force and its mandate. Jeff Cummins, associate director of public engagement with the Indiana Farm Bureau, provided background on the state of drainage in Indiana, and outlined some of the bureau’s goals and initiatives such as soil and water health quality initiatives, use of cover crops, proper removal and distribution of soil and other activities which Cummins says support better farm drainage. He added that there are “regulatory hurdles” to drainage, adding, “Not because any one agency stands in the way or prohibits us from doing work, but because even just to start, you sort of have to figure out ‘who’s on first.'”

The meeting lasted nearly four hours and is available for streaming online. The group will hold its second meeting on Dec. 21.

A final report on the committee’s recommendations is expected to be made available in late 2023.