Illinois Association of Drainage Districts to host annual conference      

[JAN. 3, 2006]  URBANA -- The Illinois Association of Drainage Districts will host its 2006 conference, "Digging Into Drainage," Jan. 19-20 at the Urbana Holiday Inn.

The annual conference is the only statewide event designed to furnish men and women serving as drainage commissioners or drainage professionals with the tools of the trade needed to face tomorrow’s drainage challenges with confidence and commitment.

The conference will begin in the afternoon on Jan. 19 with a variety of speakers highlighting such topics as "Best Management Practices for Drainage Districts" and "Drainage Assessments." Jan. 20 promises to be a busy day, including the annual business meeting and speakers focusing on some of the legal and technical aspects involved in maintaining drainage districts. A special session will detail new laws affecting drainage districts.

Sponsors for the event are InterTrade Service Corp. of Forsyth; Bliss McKnight of Illinois Inc. of Bloomington; McLaughlin Custom Shredding of Mason City; Franzen Construction Inc. of Urbana; Agri Drain Corp. of Adair, Iowa; ADI/F&R Tiling of Piper City; Berns, Clancy and Associates of Urbana; Dietz Drainage Inc. of Walnut; and Hancor Inc. of Pana.

The cost of registration is $40 for Illinois Association of Drainage Districts members and $50 for nonmembers. The registration fee includes materials and meals scheduled during the conference. A special reduced rate of $25 is available for spouses who would like to join for meals only. Please make checks payable to IADD and return with completed registration form to the state office: P.O. Box 44, Cerro Gordo, IL 61818. Pre-conference registration will close on Jan. 13. Anyone planning to register at the door is asked to RSVP by calling [phone], by fax to [phone] or by e-mail to [e-mail].

Visit www.iadd.info for conference information.

The Illinois Association of Drainage Districts was formed in 1995 after the Illinois General Assembly attempted to remove some drainage-related decisions from local districts. While the measure failed in the veto session, the action proved to be a wake-up call for drainage district members. Original organizers of the association saw the need to provide support for and to maintain the integrity of Illinois drainage districts. Presently the association represents 1,736 drainage districts in Illinois for a total of 1.18 million acres of farmland in the state.

[Illinois Association of Drainage Districts news release]

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