FINDLAY - The Hancock County commissioners, by a 2-1 vote, put an end to controversial plans to clean the Dalzell Ditch, which drains a large area from I-75 and Bigelow Avenue south to the Blanchard River.

Commissioner Emily Walton made a motion to move ahead with the ditch cleaning, which was proposed more than a decade ago. Commissioners Ed Ingold and Phil Riegle voted against the measure.

Property owners whose land is in the Dalzell watershed, including Findlay High School, would have been assessed for the project, which was estimated at $600,000.

About 150 people turned out Tuesday night for the hearing on the matter at the Cube recreation center.

First Published July 24, 2008, 8:02 a.m.