Watershed Restoration Action Strategy/Little Calumet-Galien Watershed
    Local Water Concerns
    Watersheds
    Watershed Restoration Action Strategy
    The Little Calumet-Galien
    E.coli Pollution
    Toxic Substances
        Metals
        PCBs
        Ammonia
        Pesticide
        Cyanide
    Current Efforts
Additional Resources
 
 

Local Water Concerns: 

        The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) is planning to add 277 new streams, rivers, creeks, ditches and lakes to its list of “environmentally impaired bodies of water.”  This will occur later this year with the addition bringing the number of polluted Hoosier waterways to 485.  The listed water bodies include pollutants resulting from fertilizers, industrial chemicals, animal wastes, human sewage and pesticides.  In 1998, the state’s first survey included 208 bodies of impaired bodies of water.  Public meetings have been hosted by IDEM to generate community input on the additions to the list.  The lakes, rivers and streams identified do not meet quality standards for designated uses, like aquatic life support, recreational use and fish consumption.

        IDEM’s job under the Clean Water Act is to test all state waters, identify the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) that each water can handle and develop plans to meet these levels.   A TMDL is a tool created by the Clean Water Act intended to ensure that U.S. waters meet water quality standards.  States are required by the Water Act to monitor waters for certain pollutants and prepare a list, called the 303(d) List of Impaired Water Bodies every four years.  TMDLs must then be developed for each body of water listed. A TMDL is often referred to as a pollution budget for the stream.  The state must determine how much of a particular pollutant a stream can handle and still meet water quality standards, and that amount is then allocated among all pollution sources in the watershed.
Although the Clean Water Act has existed since 1972, TMDLs have largely been ignored.  Development of TMDLs is currently underway.  The following information is used to determine the TMDL:

                   TMDL = Non point Source Pollution +  Point Source Pollution + Background + Margin of Safety

        The TMDL process will begin this year (2002) at Salt Creek, Burns Ditch, the Little Calumet River, Trail Creek and the Kankakee River.  One of the criticisms of the initiative is that while it reveals what the problems are it does not identify the source.  Where the pollutants are coming from is not detectable leaving preventative efforts, an imperative part of the reduction process, neglected.

        In addition to helping agencies pinpoint what the potential pollutants are the list will also allow eligibility for more federal funding for clean up actions.  Since the release of the 1998 list two major projects have been initiated including a $1 million dredging project along the Grand Calumet River.  Removal of PCB contaminated sediment will start in October along the eastern 11U2 miles below the lagoons in Marquette Park at the 16-mile-long river’s headwaters.  The highest level of protection will be in place to
ensure that the 175,000 cubic yards of toxic sludge stays in the containment area. It is predicted that the river will be sterile when completed in Spring 2003.

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Watersheds:

        A watershed, also referred to as a drainage basin, is a region from which water drains into a stream, stream system, lake, reservoir, or other water body.  John Wesley Powell, scientist geographer, explained a watershed as:

                                              “that area of land, abounded hydrologic system, within which all living things are inextricably
                                                linked by their common water course and where, as humans settled, simple logic demanded
                                                that they become part of a community.” (www.epa.gov/win/what.html)

        Watersheds cross county, state, national boundaries and are present in all communities.  A smaller watershed that nests inside a larger watershed is called a sub-watershed.  Watersheds are identified by hydrologic unit codes, or HUCs.  The larger the watershed, the smaller the HUC.  There are three types of HUCs; 8-digit, 11-digit and 14-digit.  Eight digit watersheds are the lager watersheds, while 14-digit HUCs characterize the smallest.

         The watershed approach to cleaning up water is very important.  In the past people generally believed that cleaning up lakes, rivers or streams should focus on conditions of the water body and not the condition of the entire watershed.  This focus was on “point sources”, such as specific pipes that deliver sewage to a stream.  However, this approach neglected “non-point sources” that affect water conditions such as soil erosion or pesticide runoff.  To address the problems of a body of water, the focus should also include upstream and all the land that feeds into the body of water in order to identify all sources of pollution.  Some activities that might affect a watershed include urban development, logging, agriculture, building roads and bridges, and dumping sewage and other waste into streams.
 

Watershed Restoration Action Strategy:

        The Watershed Restoration Action Strategy (WRAS) was developed in 1999 to ensure federal Section 319 grant funding in priority watersheds (identified in the Unified Watershed Assessment).  The WRAS has proved to be an excellent resource for local communities, IDEM and others working on water quality issues.  Whittman Hydro Planning Associates, Inc. has been contracted with to develop Watershed Restoration Action Strategy (WRAS) documents for 17 watersheds in Indiana, under contract to the IDEM Office of Water Quality. Currently, a draft of the WRAS is available containing information regarding land use, water quality monitoring, locally identified resource concerns, broad recommendations for restoration, and technical assistance for funding.  The document is divided into two parts: Part I includes general watershed descriptions, causes/sources of water pollution, water quality/us support ratings and state and Federal water programs;  Part I focuses on water quality concerns identified by local stake holders and state and federal agencies, identification of impaired waters, priority issues and recommended management strategies, and future expectations and strategies.  The appendices map out relevant figures and relevant analysis documents including funding sources.

        The overall goal of Part I of the WRAS is to provide a reference point and map to assist local citizens with improving water quality.  Part II of the document focuses on concerns and management strategies.  The intent of the WRAS is to be a living document to assist restoration and protection efforts of stake holders in their sub-watersheds.  Additionally, the completion of the document must be ongoing as revisions and updates will continuously be implemented.

         The WRAS drafts are be released for public review.  A 60 day public comment period will follow public meetings at which the document is introduced.  A final version of the WRAS will include public comments received during the 60-day comment period.

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The Little Calumet-Galien:

         The Little Calumet-Galien is one of the WRAS locations.  The overall water quality goal for the Little Calumet-Galien Watershed is that all water bodies meet the applicable water quality standards for their designated uses as determined by the State of Indiana, under the provisions of the Clean Water Act.

         The Little Calumet-Galien watershed is composed of portions of two larger watersheds within Indiana and is an eight digit or larger watershed. The Little Calumet River collects its waters from many small streams and drainage ditches in northwestern Indiana before emptying into Lake Michigan via Burns Ditch and the Calumet Harbor in Illinois.  A unique feature of the Little Calumet River is that its direction of flow corresponds with the water levels in Lake Michigan.  The location in the river where the direction of flow splits between Indiana and Illinois shifts, depending on the lake levels and climate conditions throughout the year. Agriculture is an important use in the Little Calumet-Galien Watershed.  40.4 percent of the land cover in the watershed is agricultural vegetation.

        Four counties have land portions in the Little Calumet Watershed reflecting a population of 1,007,027 (Census 2001).  The counties include:  St. Joseph, Cook, Berrien, La Porte, Lake, and Porter.  Population figures are not actual populations of counties but the population in the land area of the watershed.

        A number of substances including nutrients, bacteria, oxygen demanding wastes, metals, and toxic substances, cause water pollution.  Pollutants have point and non-point sources.  Major causes of water quality impairment in the Little Calumet-Galien watershed include:
                                            · E. coli bacteria.
                                            · Toxicants
                                                · Pesticides
                                                · Metals
                                                · PCBs
                                                · Ammonia
                                                · Pesticides
                                                · Cyanide
 

E.coli Pollution:

        E. coli is a significant source of pollution in the Little Calumet-Galien watershed. Five water bodies are listed as impaired by E.coli contamination on the Indiana 303(d) list.  The federal standard set forth to ensure safe use of waters for water supplies and recreation (327 IAC 2-1-6 Section 6(d)) states that E. coli bacteria, shall not exceed 125 per 100 milliliters as a geometric mean based on not less than five samples equally spaced over a 30 day period.   The bacteria are associated with the intestinal tract of warm blooded animals.   The presence of E. coli in water is a strong indication of the presence of sewage or animal waste contamination.  It may enter the water through combined sewer outlets during rainfalls or other types of precipitation, or it may come from poorly function septic systems or spills from lagoons containing animal wastes. E.coli is widely used as an indicator of the potential presence of waterborne disease causing (pathogenic) bacteria and viruses because they are easier to detect than these pathogenic organisms.  The presence of waterborne disease-causing organisms can lead to outbreaks of such diseases as typhoid fever, dysentery, and cholera.

Toxic Substances:

Metals
        Metals are a significant source of pollution in the Little Calumet-Galien watershed.  There are fifteen waterbodies on Indiana’s 303(d) list with impairments due to contamination of metals including mercury, lead and copper.  These waterbodies are scheduled for TMLD development from 1998-2012.
Municipal and industrial dischargers and urban runoff are the main sources of metal contamination in surface water.  Indiana has stream standards for many heavy metals, but the most common ones in municipal permits are cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, lead, mercury, and zinc.  Point sources discharges of metals are controlled through the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit process.  Non-point sources of pollution are controlled through best management practices.

PCBs
        PCBs are organic chemicals that were once used in capacitors and transformers.  PCBs enter water from runoff from landfills and from discharge of waste chemicals.  In 1977, production of PCBs in North America was halted.  PCB contamination today is a result of historical waste disposal practices.  All water bodies in Indiana are under a fish consumption advisory for PCBs.  There are thirteen waterbodies in the Little Calumet-Galien watershed on Indiana’s 1998 Section 303(d) list due to PCB impairment.  These segments are currently scheduled for TMDL development from 1998-2012.

Ammonia
        Ammonia is a nutrient required for life.  It enters water through agricultural runoff, disposal of ammonia-containing household products, and through certain industrial practices.  Discharge of untreated septic effluent, decaying organisms which may come form non-point source runoff and bacterial decomposition of animal waste also contribute to the level of ammonia in a water body. Exposure to high levels of ammonia is toxic to fish and exposure to slightly elevated levels can cause growth rate reduction and damage to gills and liver.  One waterbody in the Little Calumet-Galien watershed is listed on Indiana’s 303(d) list due to impairment.
 

Pesticides
        Pesticides are used in agricultural and urban/residential settings to kill unwanted plants and animals.  Pesticides enter surface waters primarily through non-point source runoff from agricultural lands and urban areas. Pesticide contamination is also due to legacy pesticides that are no longer being used but are still impairing the environment.  Pesticides are a significant source of pollution in the Little Calumet-Galien watershed.  There are seven waterbodies listed as impaired by pesticides on Indiana’s 303(d) list.  Seven are scheduled for TMDL development from 1998 –2004.

Cyanide
        Hydrogen Cyanide is mainly used to make the compounds needed to make nylon and other synthetic fibers and resins.  Other cyanides are used as fertilizers.  Cyanide enters the water through the release of discharges from metal finishing industries, iron, and steel mills and organic chemical industries.  Cyanide ties up the hemoglobin sites that bind oxygen to red blood cells, resulting in oxygen deprivation.  This condition is known as cyanosis and is characterized by blue skin color.  Cyanide also causes chronic effects on the thyroid and central nervous system.  Most water quality monitoring programs measure total cyanide.  Cyanide is a significant source of  pollution in the Little Calumet-Galien watershed.  There are five water bodies listed as impaired by cyanide pollution on the Indiana 303(d) list.  These five segments are scheduled for TMDL development from 1998-2004.

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Current Efforts:

        The Clean Water Action Plan states that “States and tribes should work with public agencies and private-sector organizations and citizens to develop, based on the initial schedule for the first two years, Watershed Restoration Action Strategies (WRAS), for watersheds most in need of restoration.”  The overall water quality goal for the Little Calumet-Galien Watershed is that all water bodies meet the applicable water quality standards.  The Clean Water Act Section 303(d) requires states to identify waters that do not meet, or are not expected to meet, applicable water quality standards.

        The current process of identifying TMDLs to determine how much pollution each body of water within the watershed can handle is underway.    However, since IDEM released its 1998 list, only two impaired waterways have initiated clean-up.  This leaves approximately 207 water that have not been addressed.  Additional complaints about the list include the ability to identify problem areas but not necessarily the source of pollution affecting the water leaving little options in regard to preventative efforts.

        The first draft of the Little Calumet-Galien Watershed Restoration Action Strategy (WRAS) is available for public review.  A 60-day public comment period is now in effect.  A final version of the WRAS will include public comments received during the 60-day period.
 

Questions regarding the WRAS review can be directed to:
Witman Hydro Planning Associates, Inc.
320 West Eighth Street, Showers Plaza, Suite 201,
Bloomington, IN 47404
matt@wittmanhydro.com or requests by Fax at 812-333-3080

The following web-sites have information regarding local watersheds and the status of water pollution:

15 Ways To Help Your Watershed
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/earthday/earthday.html

Water Pollution Facts
http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/facts

Surf Your Watershed
http://cfpub.epa.gov/surf/

Regional Activities:

Watershed Conference In April
http://www.hecweb.org

http://www.in.gov/idem
 

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Comments:  Ellen Szarleta
Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity