MAINSTREAM Spring 2004

This April's issue is a little late; but then winter is still hanging on, and we may skip Spring and go directly to Summer. We have several matters of interest to those of you who treasure our Pere Jacques Marquette River.

Baldwin's Village Stormdrain For over 50 years the stormwater from the downtown streets has been collected in drains which are deposited into a small catchbasin overflowing directly into the Baldwin River. The system was built shortly after World War II, most likely in the early 1950s, with subsequent additions over the years, but little in the way of improvements. The project has dual ownership with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) being responsible for the M-37/Michigan Avenue corridor and the Village of Baldwin contributing by the side streets which intersect the main street. However, compounding this is the fact that some private businesses have also connected to the system, the most recent example being the banks parking lot which drains into the system. As a point of clarification, the system is not connected to any septic systems; all effluent is rainwater or ground water.

Having said that, you should realize the water going into the Baldwin is not just clear runoff. The village, located on the Baldwin floodplain, has a very shallow water table not at all like the very sandy absorbent land so prominent in Lake County (with its history of poor soil and sparse farming.) The water table results in more runoff than is usually seen. The rain also picks up the oil, gas, and other automotive drippings; since most are lighter than water they rise to the surface and are first to runoff. Someone noted hearing a factoid recently that claims the national monthly runoff of petroleums is equivalent to the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The system also collects all sorts of trash from the streets and pavement and carries them to the river. Most prominent are cigarette filters, and Michigans most common pollutant sand. It is estimated that the first rainfall following the Troutarama celebration will deposit a 55 gallon drumfull of cigarette filters to the catchbasin. (As an aside, the Lake Michigan Federation is claiming that those filters, with their trapped tars, nicotine, etc. are now the Big Lakes greatest pollutant; they are seeking ordinances to ban smoking on the Illinois and Wisconsin beaches. Good Luck.) The other main deposit to the Baldwin is sediment. The Pere Marquette Restoration Committee just last year alone spent $387,000 to repair road/stream crossings to keep sand out of our river, then turn around to watch all the sand collected downtown being dumped into the Baldwin. It makes little sense to keep fixing eroding streambanks while we continue to pour sand into the river in the village. What's the current system look like? The main trunk line begins on Michigan Avenue at US-10 and runs south, by gravity alone to Lake Street (between the bowling alley and the Forest Service office). From there it runs due east down Lake Street to the catchbasin just a few hundred feet east of Norway. During that trip, the village streets drain into the mainline, and private connectors have also tapped in. Currently the village administration are developing a written agreement with MDOT to divide responsibility for sharing costs. Since the expense may play a significant role in making the final decision, several alternatives have been proposed:

" The least expensive and least attractive would be to repair the existing system which has several serious defects, including collapsed pipes, illegal tap-ins, and limited capacity. The entire issue of how best to accommodate those who are covertly contributing to the volume (and who knows what to the content) has yet to be addressed. " A new method utilizing a vortex system has been recently installed in Manistee; it uses a swirling chamber to separate the trash and lighter hydrocarbons from the water before releasing. " Large vaults (100x100x12 & possibly two) can be used to store and disperse the water; some separation of contaminants is accomplished. " Disposal directly to other sites (south of the high school, or at the airport) would allow greater dispersal, but would require forced pumping to the location. These last three all require maintenance, which has not been the case with the existing system.

This project got underway last June with little or no progress in almost a year. The City of Grayling has a similar problem and has set up a partnership of environmental groups, agencies, and municipalities who have produced $988,000 to resolve this situation. Their plan changed from conventional stormwater retention and end-of-pipe treatment to Low Impact Development techniques, which will include rain gardens, vegetative swales, rain barrels, and pervious pavement. Your watershed council will continue to work toward these and other effective means of keeping the runoff from going directly into our river.

VOLUNTEERS In 1995 a conference was held in Lansing for watershed councils statewide. The meeting was more or less focused on those groups which had paid staffs and how each of them operated as a business. Three of Michigans environmental statesmen, Bob Nicholson, Joe Kutkuhn, and Will Wolfe noted that, while those groups serve a purpose, it's the all-volunteer groups that put the rocks in the rivers and get the job done. The Pere Marquette Watershed Council hosted the first of the Volunteers watershed councils to give each group an opportunity to demonstrate how they approach a problem, work with others, and get results. Each river group has specialized expertise based on experiences which began in their river system: The Jordan had to fight off oil and gas development, the Rapid River fought water diversion, the Boardman stopped a bridge through wetlands, the PM has experience in massive erosion control efforts. This year marked the 10th annual get-together for our groups to meet and share best How to Avoid Reinventing the Wheel. This year's highlights were the Graying Stormwater Project (above), and the recent proliferation of aluminum docks on the AuSable river. To avoid lining both banks of their river with metal, their watershed council is advocating replacement with lunker structures which are then covered with sod; the side can be covered with woody debris and most passersby would never notice that it's a dock with fish cover beneath. We have plans and advice if any of you are thinking you might prefer a camouflaged access to the river.

Cast for Conservation® Event and Banquet

A reminder that this year's 34th Anniversary Banquet will be held July 17th at the Ramada Inn in Ludington. Invitations will be sent out in June, but mark your calendar now. We look forward to seeing you there .. everyone will take home a memento this year.

Tied in with the Banquet is our Annual Cast for Conservation® Fishing Tournament. This is an opportunity to fish with an experienced guide, using a sliding-scale measure of fly fishing expertise & 100% number of points per inch on your first choice fly, 75% of the points per inch if you change to a second choice, etc. While the points are carefully calculated for ranking, all contestants are reminded that they will be disqualified if they take the competition too seriously. It's a great chance to see the river, have a lot of fun, and contribute to our river's conservation. Call the office or Bob Kennedy (231-898-3319) and well mail you the rules for the contest and an application form.

As soon as you put this down, go mark your calendar for July 17th and we'll see you in Ludington.

Dick Schwikert Scribe