Archive for the ‘IN affects Great Lakes’ Category

MAP: Specific differentiation between Mississippi Basin & Great Lakes Basin

Thursday, October 10th, 2013

From the document:
Wabash – Maumee Connection

Site Visit Field Report

July 27, 2010 

Prepared For:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office 

http://www.asiancarp.us/documents/Wabash-Maumee-Field-Report_Final_small.pdf

“Of primary concern are the Silver and Bighead carp which have been expanding their habitats within the Mississippi River basin for at least the past twenty years where they have decimated native fish populations by as much as 97 percent in some areas. These fish are currently threatening to enter the Great Lakes, a valuable fresh water resource.”   THIS is the specific location they are able to cross from the Mississippi via the Wabash to the Great Lakes via the St. Marys/Maumee.

“Asian carp have been known to exist within the Wabash River for nearly 20 years. However, in May 2010 Indiana DNR observed Asian Carp eggs and spawning behavior much further upstream on the Wabash than was previously anticipated. The Wabash River was a “dead‐ end” for these fish as the Roush Dam prevents Asian carp from reaching the headwaters of the Wabash River. However, the Little River connects to the Wabash below the dam and its headwaters ebb into marshland on the southwestern edge of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Due to its proximity to the Maumee River system and recent flood events that have occurred within the floodplains between these two systems, there may be an opportunity for Asian carp to swim across the drainage divide at this location between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River Basins. This is a critical concern because the Maumee River flows into Lake Erie, thus providing Asian carp with a potential for direct access to the Great Lakes.”

EXACT Lake Erie/Wabash Watershed Boundaries in Allen Countyhttp://www.asiancarp.us/documents/Wabash-Maumee-Field-Report_Final_small.pdf

 

Proposed Interim Measures:
   Inspect and increase/reinforce existing berm as necessary.
  Fencing from Graham McCulloch Ditch berm to railroad embankment
  Place mesh grates at the ends of underground conduits or cover the openings on both ends with large rock to allow water to flow through but impede fish passage.
Potential Long‐Term Measures:
  Potential for a physical separation measure with a water level control structure located within or to the west of Eagle Marsh.
  Potential fortification of Huntington Dam.

 

Save Maumee remains concerned about the lack of any plan, IF the Asian Carp DO make it into the Great Lakes.  We are unaware of any reports, hypotheses or theories; what is the educated guess, as to the plan, if the Asian Carp are IN Lake Erie?

Purdue Publication RE: Allen County/Indiana Watersheds

Friday, September 13th, 2013

 

8 pages of solid information CLICK HERE:
Great Lakes Watershed / Allen County, Indiana

6 Watersheds in Allen Countymaumee map1

 

Put-In Bay – an all inclusive day on the Lake!

Friday, September 13th, 2013

Put-In-Bay

A Day on the Lake
September 20, 2013

2013 Bus trip Brochure

This is a very fun and educational bus trip to Put-in-Bay, where we will be treated to a tour of the newly-remodeled Ohio State University Water Quality Lab. After the tour we will then board the research vessels for an informative, hands-on cruise of Lake Erie. You will also have the opportunity to explore and enjoy lunch on the island.
This is an opportunity for Ag Retailers, Producers and concerned Citizens to learn about the ongoing research at OSU’s Stone Lab. These
programs & projects are helping to identify the causes of the harmful algal blooms and invasive species in Lake Erie. Phosphorus fertilizer is the limiting factor in the proliferation of the algae

$20 / person
Please send check to :
Allen SWCD
3718 New Vision Drive
Fort Wayne, IN 46845
Contact us:
260-484-5848 ext. 3
Or
Email us at Krista.Voors@IN.nacdnet.net

6:15 AM Board Bus at Meijer
10301 SR 37, Ft. Wayne,IN 46835
* Juice and rolls served *
6:30 AM Bus departs from Meijer
9:30 AM Depart Catawba Island via Miller Ferry to Put-In-Bay
5174 E. Water St., Port Clinton, OH 43452
10:00 AM Island Transport to Aquatic Visitor’s Center
* Snack served *
11:15 PM Science Cruise / Island Tour
12:30 PM Lunch
1:45 PM Science Cruise / IslandTour
3:30 PM Miller Ferry to Catawba
4:15 PM Bus departs from Catawba
6:30 PM Return to Meijer
(IN SR37 & I-469)
Lunch and morning
snack provided.
*Agenda is subject to change*

 

IPFW Environmental Conservation Class-Field work with Save Maumee

Sunday, April 14th, 2013

Dr. Jordan Marshall – IPFW Environmental Conservation Class
Monday October 15, 2012 1:30– 2:30pm
Location: St. Joseph and St. Marys converge into the headwaters of the Maumee River – .7 miles downstream easterly
Hosey Dam (at N. Anthony Bridge) North bank of the Maumee River; (floodway/spillway- direct middle) sand, loam, clay, river sediment
NUMBER OF VOLUNTEER PARTICIPANTS – 24

Save Maumee Programing
Project with IPFW Environmental Conservation Class
In-kind student volunteers completed restoration project
CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES
In the floodway we planted 4 Pin Oak, 2 Mulberry, 2 River Birch, and one Hornbeam and 30 Oak Acorns into the stretch of river where Save Maumee conducts the majority of conservation projects.  As a group today, we also planted native DNR approved seeds; Big Blue Stem, Indian Grass, Switchgrass, New England Aster, Grass Leaved Goldenrod, Prairie Dock, Virginia Mountain Mint, Ironweed, Purple Coneflower, Monarda, and Black Eyed Susan and a few unidentified sedges.  We installed the seed blend under 19 feet of coconut mesh, called erosion-control-mats or GeoJute.  GeoJute is made from coconut fiber that will completely disintegrate in approximately 5 years. The coconut mesh is to hold down new life as the water raises and flows over the floodway.

Dr. Marshall brought it to my attention that several of the species I had mentioned may not do well under the tree canopy and prefer upland areas.  SO TRUE!  Different plants prefer different conditions.  The top of that seed bag, I had harvested myself, had a blend of seed.  With the experiment I have started in this area, I have found that not-ideal conditions still yield life! It just seems to stunt their growth, slowing their full potential for abundance.   For example, the Prairie Dock should be “full sun”, but they still were prolific this year!  These Prairie Dock were located on the high water mark, yet tree canopy covered.  Black Eyed Susan has been suggested by our consultant, Eric Ummel, from Earth Source/Heartland Restoration.  Black Eyed Susan has been extremely successful as shade tolerant in our efforts.

According to William Grant, retired Lagrange County Health Department Administrator, whom I personally interviewed in 2007. 

Wet Mesic Prairie Plants” are the suggested foliage for this area. “Wet Mesic Prairie Plants are a blend of plants that reduce nutrients and nitrates…ya know…these plants drink the stuff from leaking septic tanks, or dirty ditches.

Dr. Marshall and I could split hairs, because many of these (above listed) plants are lowland grasses that like it moist and prefer soils primarily loam or silt.  But I am still agreeing with Dr. Marshall, and appreciate his critique!  YES, some are not “suitable” for this area.

Remember: Not all the plants will grow specifically where we dropped them.  When the river rises, many will become dislodged and find different conditions downstream to germinate.  Planting seed does not happen in a vacuum, it is static.

Lesson Learned for Myself: When I asked Dr. Marshall about his thoughts on listening to me speak on two different occasions recently: 1) IPFW Anthropology Dept. Lunch-In   2) Environmental Conservation Class. He gave me some great feedback that I needed to hear.  We spoke of my reference to removing NATIVE wild grape vines.  The good Dr. said, “this is only a snapshot of the biology of this area…it is part of the process that nature is creating. You should think seriously about the promotion of removing natives…where did you hear that?”  So I wanted to clarify my thoughts on wild grape vine.

My erosion control projects started in 2005 and my research on our local rivers began in 2001.  I think I misspoke, or was not clear, about Vitis riparia.  This particular grape vine is prolific on my specific experimental floodway area on the north shore.  I have selectively chosen ones that are choking-out other trees and working to achieve and promote diversity of other species through selective removal of V. riparia.

Other State and County Park representatives discuss how they have invasive like Callery flowering Pear tree, Garlic Mustard, or Polk (Phytolacca Americana is native to southeastern U.S.)   Our riverbank does not have an over abundance of these because we remove them by hand, on sight.  We do not promote removing riverbank plants or using chemicals, of any kind, 300ft from the open water source.

Save Maumee is suggesting that every Japanese Honeysuckle (non-natives are hollow in the middle) you see should be removed.  The Japanese Honeysuckle has been shown to give local bird populations’ problems. Non-native berries do not provide the nutrients and minerals needed.  Birds will therefore spend more time foraging for more food because they are lacking nutrition.  This means they are not spending their precious time seeking a mate, nesting, nor tending to young.

These days many of the protected lands are managed.  They have a conservation target that is created through a management plan.  Many times the managed lands remove natives, like Cattails, because they smother other natives and discourage diversity around wet, stagnant water.  This too is important to note! Thank you Dr. Marshall! This brings up the point that my management plan has been in my head and I need to create one for my Lake Erie Waterkeeper, Save Maumee Steering Committee.

My conservation target from my head:
GOAL: SWIMMABLE, FISHABLE, DRINKABLE WATER
*raise awareness
*plant diverse native species:  slow erosion by slowing flood water as it violently runs over the floodway
to water takes a longer amount of time to naturally filtrate into the ground
*create this biodiversity through removing threats to the conservation target (i.e. removing invasives or overgrowth.

I will quote SaveMaumee.Org Website:

      Siltation/erosion/sedimentation is the #1 pollutant in our watershed.  The grasses will help to settle out suspended sediment in the water to help hold down the soil that could be washed away because there is nothing to hold down the barren soil when the water comes rushing down during a rain event.

      Grasses filtrate sediment by holding water for a longer period of time so the sediment settles to the bottom instead of traveling downstream.

      Removal of nutrients from the water before it passes downstream.

      Plants produce enzymes which will absorb and “eat” bacteria

      Natural removal of chemical pollutants like fertilizers and waste materials removes nitrogen, phosphorous and toxins from surface water.

      Creating more shade will help to create Dissolved Oxygen that is needed in the water for fish and other wildlife to “breathe.”

      Floods problems can be alleviated – grassy knolls and trees can capture, store and slowly release water over a longer period of time

      Protect shorelines through reduction of destructive energy from fast moving/ rising water

      Alleviate pools of standing, stagnant water so West Nile will not have the opportunity to be passed on in the mosquito or human population

Water quality, stormwater drainage and sewage issues recognize no political boundaries and need regional coordination.” (Plan-It-Allen, 2007)
The Upper – Maumee River Crosses 2 State Boundaries 4 County Boundaries Numerous Municipalities

Most people who live in cities downstream of Fort Wayne, use The Maumee River as their drinking water source.  Other drinking water sources would include wells.

Dear Dr. Marshall, I respect and took into consideration all of your suggestions, thank you.  Bringing students back into the field, instead of behind pencils, 3 miles away, is invaluable!  THANK YOU TOO STUDENTS! ALL our work to this point has been through the kindness of volunteers.  Please continue to keep an eye on us. We would love to have you at one of our meetings.  We would look forward to many of your perspectives!  Save Maumee Meetings are OPEN TO THE PUBLIC every 1st Monday of every month at Hall’s Gas House from 7-8:30pm.  Please feel free to comment on anything, because I truly value your opinion and your students’ opinions!

Today, October 28, 2012 – We are working to find out more about the removal of our plantings via City of Fort Wayne, Board of Public Works (BPW)from orders passed down to the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE).

On Wednesday, October 24 we witnessed all foliage cut and any tree under three-inches in diameter being removed, in our conservation target area.  We are now seeking the correspondence between the ACE and BPW regarding this sensitive situation.  I will keep you informed.  Makes me think now the grape vines were more important than I thought!

Steering Committee Chair Discusses Levee Maintenance

Thursday, January 17th, 2013

Save Maumee wants to talk openly with city officials, and with the taxpayers, about our waterways and the cause & effect of current practices relating to land use and water quality. The water we speak of is the same water we drink, bathe our children in, water our gardens with, and live alongside. It is our greatest natural resource.

Recently, the city hired a tree service to remove vegetation along the Niagara Levee (the same area Save Maumee has been repairing since 2005) for a levee inspection in December 2012. Conversations with Flood Control Supervisor Cathy Burleson revealed that the Army Corps of Engineers required much of this removal in their levee regulations that came as a result of Hurricane Katrina. She stated that she did not want to cut the trees down, ACE regulations required her to do so. Burleson also mentioned that there are 10.5 miles of levees that the City of Fort Wayne, Board of Public Works, are responsible for maintaining. Walk the River Greenway along Edgewater Avenue or Spy Run and you can see that definition of maintenance ~ removal of all trees and vegetation with the installation of rip rap. One small portion of Edgewater was developed using what was referred to as “green” technique (using vegetation surrounded by non-degradable, plastic mesh called Scour Stop at a large additional cost).

We understand the issue of levee safety in those areas are a priority, and are in complete agreement that the safety of the home and business owners, and their property are of utmost importance.  The last thing that we want is for anyone’s lives or homes to be in danger as a result of any compromising of the structure of the levees.

The problem that we seem to be having in Fort Wayne is the primary solution to control flooding is being addressed through removal of native plants and trees for “integrety of levee structures”.  It has been well documented in a vast amount of literature and studies (even those reported by the Corps, the EPA, and FEMA) that issues such as increased impervious surfaces, the use of rip rap, removal of vegetation, and removal of wetlands not only increase the likelihood that flooding will occur during peak seasons, but also that water quality will (and does) continue to decrease due to the removal of such areas.  Not to mention the effects on habitats and wildlife, both serving critical links in the food chain for humans and other wildlife.
Edgewater DURING removal of vegetation 2011

We have been observing the Board of Works cutting down “weeds” and “trees” along the levees because of the regulations that require them to do so, handed down by the Corps, in an effort to protect homeowners from flood waters.  We don’t see the Board of Works planting Willow shrubs in the allowable portions of the riparian areas or planting native grasses to assist in keeping the soil on the banks from eroding (as recommended by the Corps).  We only see them taking away from riverbank areas~and replacing trees, grasses, and shrubs with more impervious surfaces in floodways.  We don’t see the Fort Wayne Parks Department or City Planning making any concerted effort to decrease the likelihood of flooding by preserving natural areas with appropriate vegetation plantings to contain flood water (as a wetland would do).  Instead we see variances for housing additions, gas stations, strip malls, and pavement ~ all contributing to both flooding and decreasing water quality.

Edgewater levee AFTER vegetation removal & installation of Scour-Stop

The practices that are being used by our local government are antiquated procedures that are increasing the likelihood that our waterways will spill over during peak seasons.  We are urging the Corps and our city government to make more responsible choices when it comes to the overall picture, for Fort Wayne and for those downstream.  The Upper Maumee Watershed Partnership and the Army Corps of Engineers recognized in a 2009 report that the city of Fort Wayne’s Flood Control “projects are localized and do not address overall problems.”  It was recommended in this same report that riparian areas be expanded, and that the increase use of USDA/NRCS practices of restoring wetlands would help to decrease peak discharges into the waterways.  The city has made little effort to do either, instead relying on non-profit groups to do the work for them.

The riparian area that Save Maumee has worked on since 2005 is the only area of the Fort Wayne rivers where a riparian area is actively being re-established, thanks to over 300 volunteers who come out each Earth Day to repair that one small portion of the Maumee River ~ the Maumee is the largest watershed that flows into the Great Lakes.  Up to 80% of a stream’s water quality is inherited at its headwaters (Hoosier Riverwatch 2009); for the Maumee River, that is in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  Both the St. Marys and the St. Joseph Rivers (which come together to form the Maumee River)  are on the  2010 303(d) List of Impaired Waterways due to E. coli.  Other impairments that plague the rivers and watershed are Mercury, Nutrients, Free Cyanide, PCB’s, Siltation, and Ammonia ~ pollutants that impair the Maumee River from Fort Wayne to Lake Erie.

The installation of rip rap and removal of vegetation has been common practice along eroding areas of our rivers, increasing the speed of the water through the rivers after running off of impervious surfaces, thereby increasing the likelihood of soil erosion downstream from these areas and also the likelihood of flooding downstream as well. The city and county continuously allows the clearing of natural areas for development, areas that could be utilized to slow down water and hold it for storage until it has a chance to percolate through the soil via the root systems of native plants and recharge the groundwater supplies ~ which would also filter the water while decreasing soil erosion on the banks downstream.   The practices that are being utilized are actually increasing the problems and increasing the burden on taxpayers and homeowners.  We want to see our city and the Corps work to decrease the chances of flooding, while simultaneously decreasing that financial burden.

We understand that the position of the Corps is to maintain safe and secure levees, not to be involved in the local government issues.  The problem is that all of these water issues are connected and it does not appear as if there has been much effort from any of the decision makers to promote less invasive and more efficient and practical methods of dealing with flooding or water quality.  We are asking that the all involved decision makers begin to work toward more fiscally and ecologically responsible solutions on these issues.

Marissa Jones

Lake Erie Waterkeeper,
Save Maumee Steering Committee Chair
Marissa@SaveMaumee.Org

Cited Work:
Effects of Rip Rap on Riverine and Riparian Ecosystems.” Army Corps of Engineers Report, April 2003.

“Functions and Values of Wetlands.” Environmental Protection Agency, September 1, 2001. http://water.epa.gov/type/wetlands/outreach/upload/fun_val_pr.pdf

Engineering With Nature; Alternative Techniques to Riprap Bank Stabilization.” FEMA Report, modified January 2011.

“Landscape Planting: Objectives and Engineering Requirements.” Chapter 2. Army Corps of Engineers ETL 1110-2-571, 10 April 2009.

“Western Lake Erie Basin Study, Upper Maumee Watershed Assessment.” Western Lake Erie Basin Partnership, 3 August 2009.

Stewards of the Three Rivers of Fort Wayne

Friday, March 2nd, 2012

Abstract

Stewards of the Three Rivers of Fort Wayne:
By Rhonda Ladig Moxter

The Interaction of Government, Quasigovernment, and Nonprofit Organizations

In the pageant The Glorious Gateway of the West (Rice, 1916) celebrating the centennial of the state of Indiana, the prologue of the first scene discusses the magic that the three rivers of present day Fort Wayne meant to the native people.  In the prologue the pageant opens with a native musing, “Sacred this place.  For untold ages, long lost in the nameless years, my people came with ancient rites where these three rivers run under the shining sky” (p. 19).   Since the time before Fort Wayne was a city, with native peoples and settlers, the three rivers have been fought over as a source of food, water, transportation, business, and agriculture.  The battle over these rivers continues today, and the topics have changed surprisingly little.  But, though the circumstances have changed and the fight is just as passionate. 

Many groups and organizations have an interest in the health and well-being of Fort Wayne’s three famous waterways.  Local government plays a huge role in the decisions over how the waters of our river can be used by businesses and individuals, deciding what can and cannot be done to these waters.  Quasigovernment groups help support and facilitate the missions and directives of various groups of the government to promote, protect, and educate on various aspects of the waters and rivers of Fort Wayne and the surrounding area.  Finally, nonprofit and grassroots organizations, some 50 years old and some created in the last several years, charge themselves with shielding the lands and bodies of water that effect Fort Wayne’s three rivers.  Being stewards of these three rivers is no straightforward, easy feat.  It involves the consideration of factors that far outreach those of the rivers themselves.  And, each of these umbrellas, the government, quasigovernment groups, and nonprofit and grassroots organizations work with one another, whether they meant to or want to, to fulfill their interrelated missions.

City Government

The City of Fort Wayne has a problematic sewer system because of the combined sewer system and its subsequent overflow problem.  A combined sewer system has two pipes that direct general rain water to the river and household sewage to the water treatment plant.  However, after a heavy rain, the system gets overloaded and sewage is dumped into the river, thus creating a combined sewer overflow, abbreviated CSO (CSO, 2011).  Fort Wayne has this type of system and suffers from this situation though it is not unique to Fort Wayne, with as many as 770 other cities in the United States suffering from the same situation (Brugger 2011, slide 4).  In compliance with the Clean Water Act , municipalities address these overflows into local waters (Brugger, 2011).  The Clean Water Act was created in 1972, but the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did not begin enforcement of the combined sewer system provisions until 1994 (Brugger, 2011).  To meet these standards, which the city was in violation of, the EPA developed and sent a plan stating what the City of Fort Wayne needed to do to become compliant (Brugger, 2011).

In response to this plan, which was vast and very expensive, in 2001 the city developed a preliminary action plan for the EPA laying out how Fort Wayne could become more compliant with the provision (Brugger 2011, slide 4).  The first step was to begin analyzing the costs and benefits of reducing the overflow number from the current average of 71 overflows per year down to a more manageable number (Brugger, 2011).  According to the city’s Senior Project Manager, Justin Brugger (2011), in an ideal situation it would be possible to stop all overflows; however there are far too many factors to consider that complicate this situation and make negotiating with the EPA for a reduction of overflows the most effective solution.  After careful study, it was determined that decreasing the number of overflows per year to 4 had the greatest cost-benefit to the city, thus reducing the overflow volume from an average of 1 billion gallons of sewage dumped into Fort Wayne’s waterways, to 100 million (Brugger, 2011).  The cost of the entire CSO plan that the city purposed to the EPA, which includes additional storage, upgrades, and improvements, in 2005 dollars, was $239 million (Brugger, 2011, slide 10).

After determining the best approach for the city and going into negotiations with the EPA, a consent decree was signed with the City of Fort Wayne in December 2007 (Brugger, 2011).  The consent decree, essentially, is a voluntary agreement between the EPA and the city that allows for a solution to the situation without legal action (Brugger, 2011).  The decree satisfies many of the EPA’s demands, but protects the city from spending money on projects to fix the combined sewer overflow and then being told that they had not done enough, thus having to spend more money (Brugger, 2011).  Politically at this time, Fort Wayne had a lame duck mayor, with elections approaching the following year (Brugger, 2011).  The EPA knew that it would be harder for a new mayor to get the backing to spend the money needed on the CSO problem, so they were more agreeable to the final plan than they may have been had the city not been in this political situation (Brugger, 2011).  Additionally helpful in obtaining the agreement with the EPA was that, at the time of the consent decree, the city had already completed several projects to fix the CSO, for example creating storm sewers, completing water treatment and sewer plant improvements, and establishing a public notification system for when overflows occurred (Brugger, 2011). 

The overall cost of this project equals 383% over an 18 period (Brugger, 2011, slide 14).  How will the city balance the protection of the rivers, while still protecting citizens and businesses from taking on the whole of the costs?  One idea from Justin Brugger (2011) would be to raise property tax to offset the costs, but with Indiana’s property taxes being capped by the state at 1%, this option will not work.  Another option would be to pursue grant money from outside sources to help counterbalance costs, but grants are not an attractive option for local government projects because they are often complicated and more work than they are worth to get and maintain (Beier, 2011).  Another idea proposed by Brugger (2011) would be to raise the sales tax by 1/2 percent.  This idea is appealing because it would allow those who are using the city’s utilities to pay for them (Brugger, 2011).  In theory, if someone from an outlying community comes to the city to shop or eat at a restaurant they will using the city’s utilities during that time and, thus, they money they were spending in the city would be paying for them in an additional percentage of tax on their purchase.  The problem with this solution is that it will likely be unpopular to raise this tax from 7% to 7.5% and it would not be completely fair to have the tax rate in the city pay for the CSO fix, when communities outside of the city also use the utility, for example Leo-Cedarville and Huntertown (Brugger, 2011).  So, a final option, and the one the city will likely pursue, is to raise the cost of utilities (Brugger, 2011).  According to Brugger this would make the average utility bill for a Fort Wayne resident around $100 per month by the year 2023 (Brugger, 2011).

Could this have an effect on urban sprawl, causing city residents to move out of the city to avoid the high cost of utilities (Brugger, 2011, slides 22-3)?  If that were to happen, what would the impact be on property values in the city’s neighborhoods?  And, if property values are affected, what would then be the impact on the school system, which is funded by property tax (Brugger, 2011, slides 24)?  Also, could the residents of the city, who are dealing with a severe level of underemployment, afford such an increase (Brugger, 2011, slides 25-6)?   All of these factors must be carefully considered and balanced against the mandate to reduce these sewage overflows into Fort Wayne’s rivers.  Other groups have feelings on what happens to our rivers as well.

Quasi-governmental Organizations

            Merriam-Webster (2011) dictionary defines the term quasi-governmental as “supported by the government, but managed privately.”  Quasi-governmental groups are a complicated web of groups that are interconnected with local, state, and federal groups to uphold and fulfill their missions.  One of these groups working to improve the region’s water quality is the Allen County Partnership for Water Quality (ACPWQ).  To understand how complicated these quasi-governmental groups can be, see the explanation of the layout of this organization from its Water Resource Education Specialist, Matt Jones (2011):

The ACPWQ is a county organization.  I work under the supervision of the Allen County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD).  Most SWCDs in the state are involved in some way with the NPDES program.  That being said, they have a professional organization at the state and national levels … these organizations have little to do with my day-to-day activities and only offer professional training opportunities and information to SWCDs.

 The SWCD and ACPWQ are housed … in a federally administered building that houses the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Farm Service Agency branches (NRCS and FS, accordingly) of the USDA [United States Department of Agriculture].

The ACPWQ works in this complicated mix of governing bodies through the Clean Water Act’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program (Jones, 2011). 

These NPDES permits, issued by the EPA’s Office of Water Management, help to regulate the sources of surface water pollution such as pipes or ditches that run into rivers (OWM, 2011).  In this region, permit holders include Allen County, Leo/Cedarville, Huntertown, the City of Fort Wayne, the City of New Haven, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, St. Francis University, Ivy Tech Community College, and Indian Tech (Jones, 2011).  The monies from the permits are used to fund the ACPWQ through its partner groups including the Allen County Soil and Water Conservation District, the Fort Wayne-Allen County Board of Health, the St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative, and the Maumee River Basin Commission (Jones, 2011).   These funding partners communicate regularly with the ACPWQ to fulfill the role of educating local groups, from students to lawn care professionals, on water quality issues that they may effect, or that may affect them (Jones, 2011).

            Another regular audience of the outreach and education programs provided by the ACPWQ are local farmers.  The requirements under the Clean Water Act that regulate urban and suburban areas do not extend to farms (Jones, 2011).  Because of this, the ACPWQ uses its resources to reach out and educate farmers on best practices for water quality (Jones, 2011).  The farmers have the choice of whether or not to comply, and because the majority of Allen County is farmland, it is in the best interest of the region’s water quality for as much dialogue and education to happen between the ACPWQ and local farmers (Jones, 2011).

            Though the ACPWQ does not work directly with the nonprofit groups, Jones (2011) states that because of its broad scope, his organization frequently has knowledge of the many existing nonprofit and grassroots groups in the region and can often be a resource to encourage collaboration or connect several groups when their missions or events overlap.

Nonprofit and Grassroots Organizations

            Many nonprofit and grassroots organizations play a role in Fort Wayne’s three rivers.  The group Save Maumee Grassroots Organization (or, Save Maumee, for short) was formally established in 2005, but the focus on the Maumee River all began in 2001 when Abby Frost King (then, Abby Frost) moved to her home near the river.  In an interview with Frost King in 2011 she states that she had dreams that her children would play on the banks of the river, swimming and fishing in the waters.  When friends and neighbors heard of this, they were appalled and explained to Abby that the reason why was the poor state of the Maumee (Frost King, 2011).  When Abby discovered the state of the river and its surrounding ecology, she began crusading to clean up the river and prevent future damage, as well (Frost King, 2011).  According to the group’s most recent available newsletter, 80% of a stream’s water quality is inherited at its headwater and the Maumee is fed by the St. Mary’s and St. Joseph rivers, therefore the group is also has some interest in the city’s other two rivers (“Understanding”, 2011). 

            The foci are multi-faceted for the group.  Save Maumee focuses on the health of the rivers in direct effect of the economy, aesthetic, recreation, and health of the Great Lake Basin (“Understanding”, 2011).  The group relies on volunteers to remove garbage that makes its way in the rivers through direction pollution and also from trash flowing into storm drains that flow into the rivers during a rain (“Understanding”, 2011).  (According to Justin Brugger (2011), this will be the biggest impact the citizens will see once the combined sewer overflow issue is resolved; there will be much less trash flowing into the rivers.)  Volunteers for the Save Maumee also cultivate seed and then plant them along the river to aid in erosion control of river banks (“Understanding”, 2011).  They also plant trees, wild flowers, and other plants annually to increase diversity and help reverse pollution (“Understanding”, 2011).   

            Besides the physical work of saving the rivers, much of what Frost King and Save Maumee do is simply trying to get enforcement on laws and regulations that are already in existence.  For example, one focus of Save Maumee is greater enforcement and oversight of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and combined sewer overflow controls already in place by the EPA (“Understanding”, 2011).  Save Maumee also pushes the Clean Water Act’s mandate that surface water meet defined standards (“Understanding”, 2011).  As per the act, the standard was to have been met by 1983, though in 2011 the city’s rivers are far from meeting this standard, evidenced by being on the EPA’s 303(d) list in 2011 (“Understanding”, 2011).  Under section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act, states are required to list impaired waters (“Impaired”, 2011).  Additionally under this section, states must rank the severity of the impairment of the bodies of water by clearly stating their total maximum daily load, which is a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that the body of water can receive and still meet water quality standards (“Impaired”, 2011).

            A specific area that Save Maumee is looking for enforcement of existing provisions is in the Maplecrest Extension Rd. project.  The road extension is being built over the Maumee River.  According to Frost King (2010), the construction company that is completing the project had not used erosion control techniques, which are required with construction permits on a floodplain, and had subsequently filled in the entire river bed.  Frost King then filed a complaint with the Allen County Soil and Water Conservation District, a quasi-governmental group dedicated to the “wise use of our soil, water and related natural resources” (ACSWCD, 2011).  This group had no power to stop construction, but just did cite the violations and communicate them to the County Council (Frost King, 2011).  Frost King then contacted the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and had to wait several weeks for the department to show up for an inspection (Frost King, 2010).  Per Frost King (2011), the issue was never resolved during construction of the road though all avenues for enforcement were tread.

            Besides fighting to enforcing oversight and getting their hands dirty, Save Maumee Grassroots Organization also pushes for policy changes.  One such push is to rezone Indiana’s wetlands as protected areas, because of their benefits to the waters and watershed of Northeast Indiana (“Understanding”, 2011).  Currently, in the region, wetlands are zoned as “other” instead of as a protected body of land (“Understanding”, 2011).  Save Maumee is not alone in this particular fight.

Another Northeast Indiana nonprofit group working to protect wetlands is the Little River Wetlands Project (LRWP).  This group is also a relatively young nonprofit, beginning in 1990, with a mission “to restore and protect wetlands in the Little River watershed and to provide educational opportunities that encourage individuals to be good stewards of wetlands and other natural ecosystems” (Nolan, 2011).  Wetlands are vital to a healthy ecosystem in Northeast Indiana because they have an important impact on improving water quality, storing floodwaters, and holding surface water during periods of drought (“Functions”, 2001).  These vital lands in Northeast Indiana have diminished by 85% and the LRWP works to restore and protect the wetlands as well as educate about the importance of their mission and works (Nolan, 2011).  In this effort, LRWP has teamed up with ACRES Land Trust, another local nonprofit group that has been working in the area since 1960 to preserve land in its natural state in the face of growing urban areas and land development (ACRES, 2011).  With many nonprofits spending much time and energy on securing reliable funding, LRWP and ACRES have helped bridge that gap by teaming up to accomplish both of their respective missions in LRWP’s first shared-purchase property between the two groups (Nolan, 2011).

Conclusion

            What can we conclude from the above narrative of the groups that work for water quality in Northeast Indiana?  We see that these different types of groups, governmental, quasi-governmental, and nonprofit, have varying directives and missions and challenges, but their efforts often cross-over with the same goal in mind:  improving the quality of the water of the three rivers.

            For the city government, the challenge is balance.  They must consider all stakeholders and factors in every decision made to clean and protect the waters.  The federal government has mandates that the city must meet, and they are often expensive.  Finding the perfect balance of doing what is best for the rivers, local businesses, city finances, school systems, wildlife, and family budgets is a multi-faceted and demanding tight wire to walk.  For nonprofit and grassroots organizations, they’re missions and directives are often narrow and specific, but is a part of a vast, complex system with innumerable factors.  This is its own challenge as the successes are measured in small victories, but the aspects involved to get those victories are often large and convoluted.  For the quasi-governmental organizations, they often work in a scope of no actual regulatory power, with many “bosses” to answer to in the sense of the groups providing the funding that have their own individual needs they expect to be accomplished through the organization. 

            In many parts of the United States (and, truly, the world) discussions of water have to do with control, but in Northeast Indiana the question is not one of quantity but of quality: there is plenty of water, but that also means there is plenty to abuse.  The many groups and organization dedicated to minimizing and reversing that abuse face some common challenges.  First and foremost is a lack of cohesive enforcement of existing laws and regulations that were established to prevent abuse.   Next, as is the case in many situations that involve social issues, there are often “turf wars” as the multiple groups fight for the limited resources available as they look to fulfill their related but divergent missions.  Another common challenge is the idea of group think, in that a group moves in a self-defined direction and eventually becomes disconnected with the reality of the situation, people, events, and concepts with which they are working.  But perhaps one of the largest challenges on this issue is that of focused, forward thinking leadership.  Until all parties that make the rivers their missions can come together and discuss all of these challenges and opportunities, they will likely continue to push against one another and spin their wheels.  In his book The Power of Collaborative Solutions, Tom Wolff (2010) tells a story of a social worker that received a request for the mother of a child with whom the social worker dealt.  When the social worker arrived at the family’s home at the scheduled time, she found a room full of others waiting.  The mother came in and told the group, “You are all social workers working with our family.  I am going to leave the room.  It would be really helpful for our family if you would talk to each other” (p.1).  A room filled with the rivers’ “social workers” addressing the issues, needs, and future would be a natural first step to the long, but worthy discussion involving all of the people that are passionate about Fort Wayne’s waterways.  There will always be groups that want different things for our rivers, but with a common energy, the biggest impact can be made. 

And a big impact is what Fort Wayne’s rivers, in all their history and glory, deserve.  At the conclusion of The Glorious Gateway of the West (Rice, 1916), one of the settlers states, “Bless these people of Fort Wayne in all their comings and goings. … Bless this new State of Indiana and give it prosperity and true happiness.  Bless this meeting place of the three rivers and prosper it and all who shall come to it to make them a home, now and forever.  Amen” (p. 59).


References

ACRES purpose and history. (n.d.). ACRES Land Trust. Retrieved November 27, 2011, from http://www.acreslandtrust.org/628207

Allen County Soil and Water Conservation District. (n.d.). Retrieved November 27, 2011, from http://www.allenswcd.org/

Beier, B. J. (2011, February 23). Lecture presented at SPEA V504 – Public organizations in Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne.

Brugger, J. (2011, March). Sewers and public policy. Lecture presented at SPEA V264 – Urban structures and policy in Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne.

Brugger, J. (2011, November 22). [Personal interview].

Frost King, A. (2011, October 4). [Personal interview].

Frost King, A. (2010, October 14). Being cordial to an urgent issue – Maplecrest Extension brige [Web log post]. Retrieved November 27, 2011, from https://blog.savemaumee.org/2010/10/14/being-cordial-to-an-urgent-issue-maplecrest-extension-bridge/

Jones, M. (2011, November 17). [Personal interview].

Jones, M. (2011, November 28). Water rights questions. [Email to the author].

Quasi-governmental. (2011). Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved November 28, 2011 from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quasi-governmental

Nolan, S. (2011, November 8). Phone/email interview [E-mail to the author].

Rice, W., & Goodman, K. S. (1916). Scene I, prologue. In The glorious gateway of the west: An historic pageant of the story of Fort Wayne, commemorating the one hundredth anniversary of Indiana’s admission to the sisterhood of states (ps. 19, 59). Fort Wayne, IN: Centennial Association.

Understanding the depth of Northeast Indiana water related issues. (2011, February). Save Maumee Grassroots Organization.

United States of America, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Waters. (n.d.). Impaired waters and total maximum daily loads. Retrieved November 23, 2011, from http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/lawsguidance/cwa/tmdl/

United States of America, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Waters. (2001). Functions and values of wetlands (EPA 843-F-01-002c). Retrieved November 25, 2011, from http://water.epa.gov/type/wetlands/outreach/upload/fun_val.pdf

United States of America, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Waters Management. (n.d.). Retrieved November 24, 2011, from <http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/index.cfm>.

United States of America, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Waters Management. (n.d.). Combined sewers overflow. Retrieved November 23, 2011, from http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=5

Wolff, T. (2010). Why Collaborative Solutions? How our Helping Systems are Failing Us. In The Power of Collaborative Solutions: Six Principles and Effective Tools for Building Healthy Communities. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Written By Rhonda Ladig Moxter
Contact Rhonda by email     rrlpdmt@hotmail.com

Rivers Causing Illness to Recreationists

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

Hello All,

I spoke to Julie Horney today and she gave me a different perspective about our efforts.  Julie became ill with Hepatitis, Thrombocytopenia,  hepatomegaly (eventually causing Anemia) – probably due to E. coli – within 24 hours of her contact with our rivers.  There needs to be a face that represents the problems we face with our river conditions…enough to cause illness! Her contact with the water is causing her weakness and sickness months later, and still to this day ~ no medication to help, only living through the illness she contracted due to contact with our local waterways!  So who is is the responsible party for her illnesses? City? County? DNR? Julie wants postings at all entry points to waterways; as to the hazards of using the waterways for recreation.  I wanted to share her story with you.  ALL of us need to be aware of the dangers of our local waterways!  If you think that our rivers in Indiana are disgusting, your natural resources are being robbed from you.  Thank you for reading her story!   ~ Abby

 

Baby don’t fear the . . . cyanobacteria!

 Julie Horney on her voyage the day she became sick

 If the “wind, the summer, the rain” were present that fateful Tuesday evening like it is in the famous rock-n-roll song from the 70s, well then I might not be sick right now! Let me explain:

 October 11th was a beautiful Fall evening for the Fort Wayne kayaking group to enjoy the Cedarville Reservoir.  The Reservoir is in Leo, Indiana and north of the dam that divides the St. Joe River as it flows south to Fort Wayne.  My last paddle in the Reservoir was over a year ago in the middle of the summer.  About 2 miles north of the dam is the Leo boat launch from which my husband often completes his race practices.  The group launched at the same place that night, headed southwest instead of north, in water that looked as murky as it always did.  We noted nothing unusual, that is, no scum or smell, except maybe it was a little greener.

 Greener, indeed!  We ended the evening with our usual homemade cookies from one of our older regulars, chatted a bit, loaded up, and headed home.  By morning, I was feeling ill!  Within a day I was doubled over in pain, sick with diarrhea, fighting a headache and concerned I might have caught the flu.  Fortunately I was able to see my doctor on Thursday. who suspected otherwise.  The nausea medication gave some relief but the pain persisted and my breathing had become shallow periodically over the next 12 hours.  My doctor saw me immediately after I called his office on Friday, ordered some tests and my husband Steve and I were off to the emergency room for more tests and treatment.  I had become dehydrated and no one knew for sure what was going on.

I was crying out to the Lord for relief.  IV pain medications and nausea medications began to manage the symptoms.  The nurse practitioner suspected viral hepatitis and I was discharged home.  Thrombocytopenia and hepatomegaly were later added to the medical record.  I learned later that for the hepatotoxicity which caused the hepatitis, “supportive therapy” is all that is recommended:  defined as emergency life support in its various forms if needed.  Gratefully, I did not need that!  But a few days went by and I couldn’t eat much, nausea and new symptoms settled in, and I just wasn’t convinced I was getting any better.  Steve suggested I try to find a special diet or something that could help me.  He was right.

Thank God for the internet!  Google and Google Scholar became my constant companions.  I propped myself up in front of the computer in between naps and began searching for answers.  By this point I had become suspicious of the water in the Reservoir and looked for whatever data I could find on the Fort Wayne Rivers, Indiana water quality reports, etc.  Then I found it.  In the middle of a 2005 report on Indiana Lakes and Reservoirs was a chart of Cyanobacteria toxins, organisms, acute effects mechanisms of action, and signs and symptoms of intoxication.  I found a list of the exact symptoms I had experienced.  In the “Therapy” column was a note, “Not well investigated.”

There must be more information somewhere.  Cyanobacteria is also known as blue-green algae.  According to the Centers for Disease Control, it “grows in any type of water and are photosynthetic (use sunlight to create food and support life).  Cyanobacteria live in terrestrial, fresh, brackish, or marine water.  They are usually too small to be seen, but sometimes can form visible colonies, called an algal bloom” (p. 1, from www.cdc.gov/hab/cyanobacteria/facts.htm).  The blooms can be bright green, brown, red, or may not affect the appearance of the water at all.  “As the algae in a cyanobacterail bloom die, the water may smell bad” (p. 1).  The organisms are commonly present in the water in the early Spring and early Fall.  Given the mild Fall we were having, the slow current of the St. Joe, and absence of a recent rainfall, I wonder if we were still in the “early Fall” conditions right for cyanobacteria.  We were paddling in partly shallow waters, perhaps warmed by the sun.

 

 Briefly for paddlers, we can be exposed to the chemical substances that cause a toxic effect by:

  • Drinking water from a lake or reservoir with CyanoHB (the type that threatens people and animals), including accidentally swallowing the water
  • Drinking untreated water
  • Engaging in recreational activities in waters with CyanoHB
  • Inhaling aerosols from water-related activities (jet-skiing or boating)
  • Inhaling aerosols when using the water around the home
  • Entering through a person’s skin who has a cut or open sore

 

Symptoms of infection vary with the specific parasite ingested and can take hours or days to show up in people or animals.  Although I had an acute condition, I wondered where I could find information on any research-based alternative medicine or dietary approaches to hepatitis.  The American Liver Foundation had the best, most balanced information so I changed my diet immediately.  I started getting another measure better.  Since I am not an expert, I won’t go into the details of some other measures that are helping.  Gratefully, a local pharmacist at a compounding pharmacy was willing to do some research and instructed me on which supplements to stop that I had been taking (to reduce the load on my liver).  He and his colleague also made a few recommendations of two supplements to add based upon the limited research available.

At the time of this writing, I continue to improve daily.  My doctor discontinued the body fluid precautions when my lab work showed improvement, easing things around the home.  My endurance and respiratory capacity are reduced yet improving.  Since I work in health care, we will be cautious before releasing me to return to work.  It is now too cold for this recreational paddler to consider getting back into the water anyways.   I will have lots to think about this winter before returning to kayaking next year.

 

For example, I am not sure the exact mode that led to my exposure to cyanobacter and specifically cylindrospermopsin.  A winged paddle increases splashing and a paddler gets wet as water flies through the air.  Four of us kayaked with winged/racing paddles that evening and none of them, nor anyone else in the group, got sick.  I had just purchased a beginner surf ski and was sitting in water for most of the paddle, soaking my skin with the possibly infected waters.  Also, my water bottle did not have a tight seal around the mouthpiece and I tried to carefully extract a snack from its packaging with my (albeit wet) paddling gloves.  Evidently, too many possibilities for exposure and I got sick.

 dead-cow.jpg

 The reason I am writing this article is to share with you the following precautions direct from the CDC (p. 2):

  • Don’t swim, water ski, or boat in areas where the water is discolored or where you see foam, scum, or mats of algae on the water.
  • If you do swim in water that might have a CyanoHAB, rinse off with fresh water as soon as possible.  (This includes an accidental spill!)
  • Don’t let pets or livestock swim in or drink from areas where the water is discolored or where you see foam, scum, or mats of algae on the water.
  • If pets (especially dogs) swim in scummy water, rinse them off immediately – do not let them lick the algae (and toxins) off their fur.
  • Don’t irrigate lawns (or gardens) . . . with pond water that looks scummy or smells bad.
  • Report any “musty” smell or taste in your drinking water to your local water utility.
  • Respect any water-body closures announced by local public health authorities (as I had witnessed many times along the Chicago shoreline when I lived in Illinois).

 Mary Jane Slaton of the Fort Wayne City Utilities adds that, after exposure to potentially infested waters, a person should use hand sanitizer before eating.

(Personal communication 10/25/2011). 

 Most importantly, remove yourself from the exposure and get medical attention right away if you think that you or your pet has been poisoned by cyanobacterial toxins.  In the words of Ms. Slayton, “rivers (in particular) are natural water bodies.  They sometimes have things (in them) that affect people’s health” (ibid).

While I agree, I also feel a responsibility to educate others more specifically on what to look for, what to do, and what not to do.  It’s like the universal precautions we use in healthcare settings.  Good hand washing prevents the spread of disease.  I guess that now extends to our paddling equipment as well.

~Julie Horney

 

Killing waterways won’t revive the economy

Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Toledo Blade Sunday, January 15, 2012

COMMENTARY

BY KRISTY MEYER

Some of our members of Congress evidently need a refresher course in clean water.

From the mid-1800s to the late 1960s, many rivers in the United States — including Ohio’s Cuyahoga River — caught fire because of uncontrolled dumping of pollution.

In the 1930s, algae blooms became a nuisance in the Great Lakes. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources concluded in 1953 that “long periods of pollution barriers to fish existed in the form of toxic material or deficient oxygen.” In the 1960s and 1970s, scientists declared Lake Erie biologically dead.

As a result, the U.S. and Canadian governments passed two historic pieces of legislation: the federal Clean Water Act and the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Our lakes and rivers rebounded.

People flocked to Lake Erie and other waterways to fish, swim, and boat. Small businesses that depended on the lake’s fishery and water-based recreation flourished.

The number of coastal marine businesses along Lake Erie’s coast has more than doubled, from 207 in 1977 to 425 today. In 1975, there were 34 charter boat captains. Today, there are about 800 of these small-business owners.

The take-home message: Clean water yields good jobs and recreation. Yet many lawmakers now want to gut the Clean Water Act.

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They want to stop any federal agency from protecting our waterways from increased pollution. These politicians claim they are acting in the name of jobs and the economy. They apparently think that clean water strangles employment and recreation.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, nearly 90 percent of Ohioans get their drinking water from small or seasonal streams. Yet Congress is threatening to strip these streams of protections in place for 40 years under the Clean Water Act. If lawmakers abandon these streams, they become vulnerable to being filled and polluted.

Some of our leaders think that Americans must chose between the health of their families and the health of our economy. As a scientist, I know that life depends on clean air and water.

As a co-breadwinner, I know that my husband and children depend on a thriving economy. And as a mother, I am not willing to sacrifice the environment or my children’s health.

The Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act have helped Americans live healthier and longer lives. Yet Congress is placing our drinking water, our health, and our economy in its cross hairs.

Toxic Algae Bloom

Lake Erie and Grand Lake St. Marys are enduring toxic algae blooms that rival those of the 1970s. This is no time for Congress to roll back protections for waterways that provide drinking water, food, and jobs to millions of Ohioans.

President Obama should swiftly restore Clean Water Act protections to our streams, rivers, and lakes. His administration has started to define which waterways are legally considered waters of the United States, and thus afforded these protections. But big-money polluters and their friends in Congress are trying to stand in the way.

Now is the time for Ohioans to raise our voices to protect our waters. Don’t wait until you can no longer fish or swim in your favorite fishing hole.

Tell Ohio’s U.S. senators and representatives to vote no on any attempts to attack the Clean Water Act. Do it now — before it’s too late.

Kristy Meyer is director of agricultural and clean water programs for the Ohio Environmental Council in Columbus.

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 CLICK HERE TO FIND YOUR LEGISLATOR:

Save Maumee Grassroots Org. wins “Organization of the Year Award”

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

Awards Ceremony at The 4th Annual Greening the Statehouse Policy Forum will be held on Saturday, December 10th at Butler University’s Reilly Room at Atherton Union in downtown Indy from 8:30am-3pm.  So join us for education from Indianapolis policy experts and environmental groups. For reservations call Jesse Karbanda at 317.685.8800 ext. 103

The Hoosier Environmental Council, Indiana’s largest environmental policy organization, has claimed “Save Maumee won Organization of the Year!”  Abigail King, Ryan Bailey and Jain Young will be accepting the award for the group. Supporters of the day include Sierra Club, Blue Green Alliance, Carmel Green Initiative, Indiana Green Business Network, Indiana Recycling Coalition, Indiana Wildlife Federation, Save the Dunes, City of Indianapolis-Office of Sustainability.

Save Maumee has been chosen as a result of the positive impact on the community, the group’s great volunteer spirit, passion for the health of the rivers in the Great Lakes region, and ability to organize a number of very successful volunteer driven river clean-up and restoration events.

Northeast Indiana Rivers Represented in Washington D.C.

Save Maumee has been chosen by Healing Our Waters to represent Northeast Indiana for Clean Water Week during Great Lakes Days in Washington, D.C. The event will be held Feb. 28-29.

Every year, more than 125 citizens from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin travel to our nation’s capital to educate public officials about the importance of the Great Lakes to the region’s economy and quality of life.

Needed Action for Congressmen discussion;

* Enforce current laws

* Support legislation that protects natural areas.

* Proper review of permits for corporations and stronger oversight and enforcement of permits. If fines are levied when a company discharges beyond allowed permit effluent, the monies can be utilized to truly improve water quality for human health.

*  Indiana HB 1112 was passed and July 1st 2012 manufacturing waste (considered hazardous and illegal to discharge into the air or water), will now be added to soil and consider the soil to be “amended,” a.k.a. better than it was before.

 *  Tiles, straight pipes and National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) outlets should be properly counted and available to the public on Indiana & Allen County GIS maps.

* Establish Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL’s) for the Maumee in Indiana, and complete the Upper Maumee Watershed Management Plan so the community knows the priorities of our waterways.

* Rules being developed by the Indiana State Chemist will regulate livestock waste as a fertilizer material, but do not take into account the pathogens in manure. It is important in disclosing information on when, where, and how much manure is land applied to Indiana fields, and note it will have allowances to spread manure on frozen fields.  All this will allow more runoff into our waterways.

Save Maumee wants to see ALL people come together to improve the quality of Fort Wayne’s Three Rivers and thirty-four million that depend on the Maumee River, downstream. All these issues have workable solutions.

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Save Maumee Grassroots Organization is dedicated to raising awareness about the conditions of the 3 Rivers in Fort Wayne, Indiana, while facilitating ecosystem restoration projects to improve water quality. Revitalizing the St. Joe/Maumee Watershed will protect and restore the environment, while improving the economic, aesthetic and recreational value. Research into historical importance of our navigable waterways and current pollution conditions began in 2001 and Save Maumee began bank-stabilization projects in 2005. To date Save Maumee has planted over 1,500 trees, 800lbs of native riparian seed and removed 22,000 lbs of trash on volunteer hours and in-kind donations alone.

 

IDEM Public Comment Letter for Steel Dynamics Inc. new copper plant

Tuesday, September 20th, 2011

September 19, 2011

This letter is to be included for the public comment period on SDI LaFarga, LLC’s air permit #003-30250-00384


We believe there is a compliance violation with Steel Dynamics’ operation at Superior Aluminum located on 14214 Edgerton rd. (326 IAC 6-4 Rule on Fugitive Dust).  We can provide video evidence to both the EPA and IDEM to prove the need for an investigation. 


IDEM referred us to information about current and expected air pollution levels at http://www.in.gov/apps/idem/smog/ and directed us towards a map of the air quality monitors around the area. After digging for a time, I was unable to locate a map that showed anything but the monitors around nation. It is difficult to tell if the ones in our area are located in Allen County, IN.  Our area of concern is around Edgerton, Ryan, Dawkins, Bruick, Harper, Roussey, Bremer, Berthauld, Webster, Parent, Slusher Roads, and US 24.

 

In the 326 IAC 2-1.1-5 it reads. The commissioner shall not issue a registration, permit, modification approval, or operating permit revision:


(1)   would allow a source to cause or contribute to a violation of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards;

(2)   would allow a violation of a PSD maximum allowable increase;

(3)   do not assure compliance with all applicable air pollution control rules, except as provided by an enforceable compliance schedule; or

(4)   are not protective of the public

(b) The commissioner may require any source to perform an air quality analysis to demonstrate compliance with the NAAQS (Air Pollution Control Board; 326 IAC 2-1.1-5; filed Nov 25, 1998, 12:13pm:22 IR 990)


We are formally requesting that the commissioner require that an air quality analysis be completed to demonstrate compliance. The current levels of emissions in this area are unknown by the EPA, IDEM, and the general public. This information should encourage the need for an air quality analysis so that EPA and IDEM will have a benchmark number to show current levels before the operation begins with LaFarga.  These numbers can be used in the future to show an upward or downward trend of pollutants and confirm they are complying with NAAQS. We feel as though a new operation downwind from an existing polluter (Superior Aluminum Inc.) will contribute greatly to the current emission levels in the area of concern; this would not be protective of public health.


FESOP (Federally Enforceable State Operating Permit) reads under Source Definition; We are concerned this company only lists the following plants:


(a)    SDI LaFarga, LLC is located at 1640 South Ryan Rd, New Haven, Indiana 46774, Plant ID: 003-00384; and

(b)   Superior Aluminum is located at 14214 Edgerton Road, New Haven, Indiana, 46774, Plant ID: 003-00286


Steel Dynamics also has ownership of Omni Source, which is not listed as being part of the company. I would assume that if it was required for them to include Superior Aluminum as part of the company based on ownership, then Omni Source would also need to be included as being part of the company, listed under Source Definition.

 

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SDI is paying out of pocket to move the Bandelier (#3) Ditch.  The NEW ditch will begin on Dawkins Rd., run north on Ryan Rd. and moves east on Edgerton Rd.   SDI chose to build LaFarga on and around a floodplain. Their watershed will be draining into the extended portion of the new ditch. This non-point source discharge into the ditch will then flow directly into the Maumee. This water is not being monitored.  The Maumee River remains on the 303 (d) list for impaired waterways.

 

Save Maumee Grassroots Organization is concerned about the lack of NPDES permits and that Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI / LaFarga LLC.)


According to data from EPA’s Permit Compliance System (as of December 2006), there are approximately 1800 major dischargers and 5000 total dischargers that have NPDES permit limits or monitoring requirements for total recoverable copper. There are over 400 major dischargers that have NPDES permit limits or monitoring requirements for dissolved copper.


Steel Dynamics has continually stated they will not be applying for an NPDES or any other straight pipe discharge permits. However, the quality of the water in Bandelier ditch (#3) will be seriously compromised if it is moved along side LaFarga, Superior Aluminum, Casad Depot, Pace Setter Finishing, and Plastics Materials of Indiana Inc. There will still be non-point source pollution and run-off water from all their impervious surfaces which will undoubtedly add trace amounts of toxic chemicals into the ditch which then drains into the Maumee River.
Until these issues are addressed with a formal investigation of Steel Dynamics Inc., to demonstrate compliance with all federal and state regulations and criteria, the company SDI LaFarga, LLC should not be considered for an air permit.


We would like IDEM to take serious reconsideration of the area chosen for this new operation. The ambient wind direction, SDI paying to move Bandelier ditch (#3), the impact of pollutants on the quality of water/air/soil around rural farm land and private wells, the current complaints levied against another SDI company, and the impact on the health of those who live near by and downwind, should all be taken into consideration when your final decision is made. I am requesting that you deny SDI LaFarga, LLC from obtaining an air permit.


SIGNED BY 23 people ~