WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
A formerly unnamed drain starting in Three Rivers now has an identity thanks to Michigan Department of Transportation and a local county official.
St. Joseph County Drain Commissioner Jeff Wenzel said considering the location of the drain, which flows southeast out of Three Rivers and empties into the St. Joseph River, there was no debate about choosing the name “Wildcat Drain.”
The drain is an existing water course that will start receiving runoff south of Michigan Avenue and east of U.S. 131. Wenzel said MDOT officials are designing the refurbished highway so water ends up in the Wildcat Drain.
MDOT offered to pay for all costs related to upgrading the waterway. The estimated expense was $181,000.
The drain currently features an excessive amount of deadfall, but with MDOT’s financial support, Wenzel will be able to hire a contractor to do some work on the Wildcat Drain.
He expects the work will take place after crops have been harvested, Wenzel said, noting the bulk of the drain flows through farmlands before dispersing into the St. Joseph River in an area west of Constantine Road.
