When the work was not completed by the appointed time, or was in default, the engineer could tender the work and collect the cost through the collector's roll as taxes. Drains Maintenance was to be by the respective owners in such proportion as provided in the original or subsequent agreement or award. If an owner who was to maintain a certain portion of the drain failed to do so, he was notified in writing by another owner to put it in repair within 30 days. If he failed to do so, the affected owner then notified the engineer to make an inspection of that portion of the ditch. The engineer could then tender the work and place the cost against the defaulting property.
Award drains had greater status and formality than an agreement.
These awards of the engineer were also filed with the township clerk but are usually indexed and may be located, sometimes with difficulty. The difficulty in locating the award is in not knowing the proper name of it. The Ditches and Watercourses Act was repealed June 1, 1963. The construction sections were incorporated as Sections 2 and 4 of The Drainage Act, 1962-63, and are Sections 2 and 3 of The Drainage Act, 1975. The legislation review committee was of the opinion that award drains should all come under The Drainage Act as soon as possible and maintenance provisions for old awards were omitted from The Drainage Act after 1963.