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http://www.michigancityin.com/articles/200.../news/news7.txt

Trail Creek Watershed update tonight

By Jason Miller, The News-Dispatch

The Michigan City Sanitary District will present the final update on its Trail Creek Watershed Management Plan tonight at 7 p.m. during a presentation at Michigan City City Hall.

Sanitary District General Manager Al Walus said the final update is key in that it will allow the city to begin in earnest efforts to clean E. coli contamination in portions of the creek.

“Now we're getting there,” he said. “We can start doing programs. We had to get the report finished to open the door to grants that will help us with this.”

Walus has invited the public to tonight's meeting to provide input on items listed in the report aimed at reducing E. coli levels, sedimentation and nutrient loading in Trail Creek.

He said specific options will be discussed, with short-term outcomes expected within one to two years, mid-term outcomes within three to five years and long-term outcomes within 10 years.

“With a diversity of land uses throughout the watershed ranging from urban to rural and agricultural, a wide variety of measures will need to be implemented over time in order to achieve measurable water quality improvements throughout the entire watershed,” Walus said. “Different pollutant reduction measures will be proposed for each of the different land use zones of the watershed.”

The plan came about after state and federal agencies required designations be made for the recommended uses of all state waterways. Trail Creek was designated as “fishable and swimmable.”

Each state was also mandated to develop a Total Maximum Daily Load calculating the maximum amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still meet state water quality standards, according to the report.

In 2003, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management - under the direction of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - issued a detailed report showing excessive E. coli levels in portions of Trail Creek. IDEM's 2003 report showed point sources of E. coli in Trail Creek - like the wastewater treatment plant - can control the amount of effluent going into the creek and, thus, doesn't need regulation.

With non-point sources, like runoff from private land, local monitoring will have to take place to guarantee the levels of pollutants meet state requirements.

“We have to improve water quality in Trail Creek and this is the way to do it,” Walus said.

Walus said the plan will involve public help as well as municipal help. Residents, he said, will be important in the restoration of the 59-square-mile watershed that encompasses portions of Michigan, Coolspring, Springfield and Center townships as far south as the Indiana Toll Road and as far east as Indiana 39.

“With local volunteers and help from IDEM and the Department of Natural Resources, we looked at implementing the project locally,” Walus said. “We're looking at bringing interested people forward.”

Contact reporter Jason Miller at jmiller@thenewsdispatch.com.

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http://www.michigancityin.com/articles/200.../news/news4.txt

IDEM approves watershed plan

By Laurie Wink, The News-Dispatch

The Trail Creek Watershed Management Plan has been approved by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Al Walus told an audience of 35 at the final update meeting on the plan held Thursday in the council chambers at City Hall.

IDEM approval is needed in order to pursue additional grant funding to carry out the plan.

Walus is general manager of the Michigan City Sanitary District, designated as the lead agency for implementing the plan detailed in the final report, “A Tale of Two Creeks: A Guide for Cleaner Water.”

The meeting drew comments from attendees about the next steps outlined to meet four specific water quality goals:

€ Reducing E. coli to meet state water quality standards.

€ Decrease sedimentation of the navigable channel.

€ Decrease nutrient loading in Trail Creek.

€ Maintain natural stream channel and flow.

A question was raised about what could be done about current septic systems, given that a major portion of the watershed consists of sand that isn't suitable for septic tanks. Walus said one of the plan's goals is to provide sanitary sewers to as much of the watershed as possible.

A farmer was concerned about having to construct riparian buffers on his farm when he already has steep banks that prevent run-off. A riparian buffer would be anything connected with or immediately adjacent to the banks of a stream or other body of water.

Bob Helmick, a coastal conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, said he is available to work with individual farmers within the watershed to identify opportunities to participate in cost-sharing programs as needed. The idea is to develop a conservation plan that works best for each land owner, he said.

Another person asked about whether something would be done to lessen storm water runoff problems created by additional development. Walus said Michigan City has a watershed ordinance requiring that engineering plans be submitted to address the issue. A consultant has been hired to ensure that developments larger than one acre meet a checklist of requirements, providing local control over storm water runoff.

Walus said the next immediate step in implementing the watershed plan is to seek supporting resolutions by local and county government entities. He said the Sanitary District is looking for 12 adult volunteers willing to learn how to do stream testing and teach it to members of local youth groups, who would actually conduct the testing at different points in the watershed.

“Moving forward will take the cooperation of a lot of people,” Walus said. “We need to come up with defendable arguments to advocate for change. The plan gives us those arguments. We need public involvement and support.”

Sue Clausen has been named as interim watershed coordinator to handle calls from the public. She can be reached at the Sanitary District of Michigan City, 874-7799.