Long arm of the county

Staff Photo by Benjamin Sharp

Long arm of the county Precinct 1 heavy equipment operator Jerry Laitkep expertly maneuvers the metal scoop of a Caterpillar 3300 DL within inches of a stake marking off the spot where the Santa Fe Drainage Ditch connects with a concrete culvert. County and city crews have combined efforts on the massive ditch, which begins at FM 1299 and stretches all the way to Alabama Road. They were in the process Monday of connecting the channel to culverts installed below a gas pipeline located just south of Texas 60. The ditch is designed to drain the east side of Wharton.