[Southsider2k12]

http://www.southbendtribune.com/news/sbt-o...0,7046733.story

By STAN MADDUX South Bend Tribune Correspondent

8:05 a.m. EDT, April 29, 2013

MICHIGAN CITY -- More 200 ton of rock was being laid Sunday on the banks of Treek Creek to stop more garbage at an old city dump from finding its way into the stream.

Recent heavy rainfall and a log jam caused the water in the creek to rise and erode the banks on the edge of the old city dump known today as Karwick Nature Preserve near Krueger Middle School on the east side.

Heavy equipment operators and crews from the Michigan City Sanitary District began working Saturday to shore up the eroded banks with 270 tons of glacier rock.

The rock was laid over a net placed over the banks Friday to prevent more garbage from dropping into the creek until the stone was laid.

''What we're trying to avoid is a big release of it,'' said Michael Kuss, general manager of the Michigan City Sanitary District.

Kuss said it's an emergency situation because if the banks totally collapse an avalanche of garbage would go into the creek.

The creek empties into Lake Michigan and, eventually, trash -- mostly plastics like dish soap bottles -- would migrate into the lake and onto the beaches three to four miles down stream.

"We had refuse starting to expose itself along the shoreline here,'' said Kuss, who said that just a small amount of garbage had gone into the creek before the work along the banks started on Friday.

Mike Milatovic, water reclamation superintendent for the Michigan City Sanitary District, said a fisherman about a month ago first complained about the water in the creek looking discolored.

He said trash starting to become exposed was discovered when representatives from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and representatives from the city in response to the complaint inspected the site.

The situation quickly worsened during a period of heavy rain and bank erosion last week.

''Just the last event made it more obvious,'' said Milatovic.

Michael Gonder, president of the Michigan City Sanitary District Commission, said he remembers the old city dump being open in the '60s and '70s.

The estimated five-acre site was later covered and turned into a nature preserve.

Long term, Kuss said the goal is to develop a strategic plan for the site to prevent further bank erosion and release of garbage into the creek.

He said among the recommendations from IDEM has been rerouting the creek away from the old dump site.

''It's going to be an engineering challenge,'' said Kuss.