Sierra Club Sewers Campaign Outreach and Education Programs

The Sierra Club received generous funding from the Edwin H. and Nellie M. Rausenburger Fund of the Columbus Foundation for education and outreach programs to a wide variety of people in local groups:  watershed organizations, education program for inner city youth, the New Albany Middle School, native plants group, civic associations, and even a city department!  Eleven community events during the summer provided outreach to thousands of people: ComFest, Rose Festival, Three Creeks Fest, and Columbus Neighborhood Pride program. A colorful brochure has been produced for the general public as an introduction to some of the concepts of wastewater and how citizens and neighborhood groups can work positively with their utility for improved water quality.

The Sierra Club Sewers Campaign is in the final stages of outreach and education.  It is still possible to schedule a presentation for your group until March 2007. Contact at 614-461-0734 x 311.

Wetland and Stream Impacts at Polaris and Rickenbacker

Development often impacts aquatic resources. Permits are required for most large scale filling of wetlands and streams, with “mitigation requirements” for creation of new wetlands and streams when destruction does occur. Stiff fines and penalties can apply when construction goes forward without permission. One of the most valuable aspects of the federal (US Army Corps of Engineers) and state (Ohio EPA) permitting process is the opportunity for citizens to review and comment on applications. Sufficient interest can trigger a public hearing that allows for question and answer sessions with state regulators and representatives of applicant developers. Almost all applications to fill wetlands and streams are approved by federal and state regulators. Citizen input can help reduce harmful impacts.

     The Polaris area has experienced widespread development in the last 15 years. Many streams have been filled or moved and wetlands destroyed in the creation of a destination mall and office district. There is greater pavement and roof surface causing increased storm surges with erosion and flooding during rain events. Pollutants wash off roads faster as vegetation and stream buffers are taken out. Many streams have no water flow during dry times because of less infiltration of water into the ground – too much pavement!  Sierra Club has asked for preservation of existing streams, protection by stream buffers and strict enforcement of regulatory requirements on stormwater runoff.

Rickenbacker, 10 miles southeast of Columbus, began as the Lockbourne Air Army Base in 1942. Commercial air traffic has been added and it is now one of the 20 fastest-growing cargo airports in the world. Rickenbacker is being promoted as the “Advanced Global Logistics Center”, a hub for warehouses and distribution by truck, rail, and air. The military facility area has a legacy of tainted soils. Numerous warehouses have been built since conversion into a commercial air facility, currently estimated to total over 35 million square feet under roof. The Columbus Regional Airport Authority and development partners plan to build many more. Three applications were submitted for warehouse facilities in late 2006 totaling about 600 acres and 9 million square feet of warehouse buildings.

Sierra Club has urged inclusion of watershed groups in a process to preserve and improve local streams. We are promoting the use of green roofs with plants that can help to reduce and cleanse water. Reduction of impermeable surface is recommended, along with preservation of streams and wetlands, and green stormwater controls.

The Olentangy River in winter: an urban riverscape in Columbus just north of Ackerman Road, where Glen Echo stream discharges into the mainstream.
—Photo by Cyane Gresham

Olentangy River Watershed Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)

A TMDL is a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a water body can receive and still meet water quality standards. This measurement and enforcement of pollution standards is required under the Clean Water Act. The Ohio EPA has recently finished the draft report on TMDLs for the Olentangy Watershed.  The draft report is a snapshot of the health of the streams and Olentangy River itself, with diagnoses of problems and recommendations on how to improve health of the waterways and the watershed.

TMDL reports are fascinating sources of information on waterways. They are legally required when a stream or river does not meet the water quality goals that have been set for aquatic life and habitat, recreation, drinking water, and other parameters. Extensive work and study goes into compiling TMDLs:  sampling fish and insects, assessing stream structure, identifying sources of impairment, calculating how much pollution is being discharged from which sources, and then setting limits for the various sources.

 Among all possible contaminants, the Olentangy TMDL focuses on total phosphorus, total suspended solids, and fecal coliform bacteria. None of the subwatersheds meet the TMDL levels, meaning that all parts of the Olentangy watershed have problems with total loads of phosphorus, suspended solids, and bacteria.  Unexpectedly, the highly urbanized part of the Olentangy River near Columbus comes closest to meeting its TMDL goals for these parameters! This may be because of extensive sewering, less livestock and farm chemicals, and improvements in handling wastewater. However, all parts of the watershed show habitat and sediment problems from failing home sewage treatment systems (septic, etc), stormwater runoff, dam impoundments, channel modifications like ditching and tiles, and destruction of stream buffers. Possibly the most threatened area of the whole watershed is the middle portion in rapidly developing Delaware County.  Not only does construction cause erosion and sedimentation, but long-term changes toward more and more pavement result in lowered water quality.

The biggest question about the Olentangy TMDL (and other such studies) is whether the valuable knowledge will be translated into action. Ohio EPA does not have the power to regulate all sources of problems. They can act on discharge permits for wastewater treatment plants, sewer overflows, and other “point” (specific) sources and can demand that larger communities implement stormwater management plans. Home septic systems are under the authority of local health departments. Programs to reduce “nonpoint” (diffuse) sources such as agriculture usually rely on incentives and grants and tend to have less teeth. Municipal zoning and subdivision regulations often very much influence land use patterns and can encourage stream preservation – or not.

Join Your Local Watershed Group!

There are two watershed organizations advocating for the Olentangy River. Friends of the Lower Olentangy River (FLOW) is a “community advocate” for the river, offering education and outreach programs and sponsoring stream restoration projects. The Olentangy Watershed Alliance focuses on the agricultural areas of the upper Olentangy in Delaware, Morrow, Marion, and Crawford Counties.  In the Polaris area, Friends of Alum Creek and Tributaries (FACT) are dealing with development issues.  The Friends of Big Walnut Creek are working for protections for the creek that flows through the Rickenbacker area.

This map of Franklin County watersheds from MORPC (Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commision) is a useful guide to finding a group near you. These and many more groups are listed with contact information here.