County residents invited to help develop watershed quality improvement plan

Residents in Carroll, Clinton, Grant, Howard, Madison, Tippecanoe and Tipton counties are invited to help the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) develop a plan to improve water quality in the South Fork Wildcat Watershed. IDEM will kick off the planning process with an informational meeting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 26, in Frankfort at the Frankfort Neighborhood Center, 259 S. Third Street.

IDEM will begin the meeting with an explanation of the water quality improvement program and how residents can get involved in the process to identify reasons for impairments and possible solutions.

Water samples taken from multiple locations in the watershed show levels of E. coli bacteria are above those allowed under state and federal water quality standards. Samples also indicate the watershed has impaired biotic communities (IBC). The phrase "impaired biotic community" is used when biologists sample a waterbody and determine that the population of fish and macroinvertebrates (primarily insect larvae such as mayflies, mollusks, and worms) is not as diverse as it should be, but cannot identify the specific source or pollutant causing the impairment. There are no specific pollutants addressed by the biotic community sampling; however, phosphorus, nitrates, and total suspended solids have been linked to and can be leading factors in impairing biotic communities. Indiana currently does not have water quality standards for phosphorus, nitrates, or total suspended solids. However, goals can be set to benefit the water body and improve the biotic community.

IDEM routinely tests creeks and rivers. If water quality is poor, the federal Clean Water Act requires IDEM to set water quality goals through a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan. Examples of activities that affect water quality include discharges from municipal or industrial wastewater treatment plants; runoff from paved surfaces, construction sites, and crop lands; and, failing septic systems.

The goal of the TMDL program is to determine the amount of discharges from various sources that a waterway can support without exceeding state water quality standards once the recommended TMDL project is successfully implemented.

Citizens with questions may contact Ernest Johnson at (800) 451-6027 or (317) 234-3319, by email to ejohnson@idem.IN.gov, or by mail to IDEM, 100 N. Senate Ave., Mail Code 65-42 TMDL SM, Indianapolis, IN 46204-2251.