Keep Okoboji Blue ~ Arnolds Park, Iowa

2006.10.06

Summary, Dickinson County Issues Forum, 8 October 2006

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WATER QUALITY:

What Goes Around, Comes Around: The Water Cycle, You, and Government

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With approximately 70 people in the Hedberg Theater Room of the Maritime Museum, DCIF Steering Committee member Bonnie Fokken introduced naturalist Jane Shuttleworth, Executive Director of Friends of Lakeside Lab, who provided an overview of pollution classifications.

Water pollution is classified as “point source,” which comes from one pipe or one known outlet, or “non-point source.” Point-source pollution can be monitored and regulated. Non-point source pollution, from urban runoff or overland drainage, is more common and much more difficult to monitor or regulate because it can come from diverse sources. High nutrient content (partly due to our rich soils) and high sediment content are both problems in Iowa.

Under the federal Clean Water Act, all states are required to assign “designated uses” to all lakes, streams, rivers and ponds, such as: drinking, fishing/swimming, and industrial discharge. Each designated use has state-mandated pollution restriction standards which must be met. Shuttleworth then introduced the evening’s presenters.

Steve Anderson was unable to attend the forum because of a National Guard commitment.Steve is the Coordinator for the Dickinson County Clean Water Alliance, a coalition of more than 60 governmental and non-governmental groups working together to protect and improve the water resources of Dickinson County.

Jane described Steve’s job as “communicate, collaborate, coordinate.” Steve helps agencies and organizations find funding for water quality projects. The Dickinson County Water Quality Commission is one such grant source, and has already provided funding toward wetland restoration, water monitoring and lake-friendly urban development projects (i.e. bioswales, pervious pavement and cost-sharing for rain gardens). (The environmental parking lot east of the Maritime Museum is the result of one such grant.)

Bob Sewell, General Manager of Milford Municipal Utilities, helped draft the Iowa Great Lakes Source Water Plan (Milford, Spirit Lake, Central, Wahpeton) in response to the Legislature’s 1996 law requiring that the DNR assess every public water supply in the state. “Source protection” is a proactive approach to protecting water at its source rather than just treating it before it comes out of the tap. The Water Plan is now about six weeks away from being distributed to the public for review and comments.

The monitor located at the bridge between the towns of Arnolds Park and Okoboji has proved that West Lake is spring-fed. After ice over on both West Lake and East Lake, the monitor shows water flowing from West Lake into East. (Ice over flow measurements reflect real flow, whereas open-water movement may be wind-driven).

Following a rain event, so much surface drainage enters East Lake that water flows from East into West. Lake level and temperature data can be found on the website watersafetycouncil.org. Click on “Lake Level and Temp” in the blue box on the left, about halfway down. To see charts of water level, temps, and flow East-West, click on blue link at bottom of page.

Milford Utilities is permitted to take 250 million gallons of drinking water from West Lake annually. About 250 million gallons of water evaporates off the surface of West Okoboji during 8 days in June. Proper management of this resource is the goal of the Iowa Great Lakes Source Water Plan.

With assistance from Mike Hawkins (Department of Natural Resources), Bob described a bathymetric (underwater topography) study of West Lake to determine locations of the groundwater springs below the lake’s surface and the velocities and movement of the water at varying depths. This project is in its preliminary stage, with planning still in process.

To complete a water budget, planners need to know how much water reaches the lake from precipitation, how much from overland flow and how much from groundwater (springs).

Glen Peterson of the Iowa Great Lakes Sanitary Sewer District pointed out that fifty years ago, long before anyone was talking about “environmental awareness,” the people in the local communities managed to recognize the need, and they cooperated sufficiently to plan and create the sanitary sewer district.

Mill Creek, also known as Milford Creek (depending on what map you are looking at), flows for six miles, from the State Dam on Lower Gar to confluence with the Little Sioux west of Milford. For two years Mill Creek has been on the Impaired Waters List, failing to meet designated use standards because of low dissolved oxygen. Low-flow conditions and sediment oxygen demand cause the low dissolved oxygen levels that deprive insects and fish of the oxygen they need to survive. The sediment originates from urban runoff, ag runoff, feedlot runoff, and decaying aquatic vegetation.

Last spring Milford Creek received new designated use standards. While the lower three miles of Milford Creek has retained its “fishable” designation, the A-1 (swimmable) designation was added. The upper three miles have now been changed from general use for livestock, to B(WW1) A-1*, meaning safe for fish and for swimmers.

The Sanitary District is building a new treatment plant and the State will issue a new discharge permit. Because the Sanitary District discharge is the only flow in the creek during much of the summer months, oxygen will be added to the effluent from the plant in order to achieve the standards of fishable and swimmable in the creek.

Glen plans to have lawn chairs around the effluent pipe and serve cookies and punch at the open house for the new plant, which will cost about $18M. Shuttleworth said she considers the Iowa Great Lakes Sanitary Sewer District the eighth wonder of the world, with its 62 lift stations and more than 200 miles of sewer lines.

Mike Hawkins, a Fisheries Biologist with the Department of Natural Resources, has been conducting watershed mapping, because land use has such heavy bearing on lake health.

Much data is factored in to study the IGL watershed: land use (cropping), soil survey, sediment/nutrient levels, infrastructure, agricultural data and topography (soil erosion). Data from these sources are combined into Geographical Information System models to help prioritize watershed improvements.

Mike demonstrated "LiDAR" -- similar to radar, except the equipment in an overflying plane detects time elapsed between light pulse emission and pulse bounceback to measure elevation vertically instead of distance horizontally, as in radar. This data yields a three-dimensional computer map and generates one-foot elevation contours accurate to less than 6 inches of mean sea level (as opposed to the former ten-foot contour map lines). LiDAR along with new high-resolution photographs of the lake's watershed will be used to determine impervious surfaces (roofs, parking lots) which result in increased overland flow and decreased groundwater (springs). The LiDAR surface will be used to determine the drainage area for each individual urban storm drain, helping to place rain gardens to intercept rainfall and infiltrate water into the ground. The LiDAR surface will also be used to calculate estimates of soil erosion throughout the watershed.

The three-dimensional LiDAR graphics can be rotated on screen, with permeable and impervious surfaces shown in contrasting colors. After the developer of the Rush Farm site map saw the LiDAR display showing where wetlands would occur naturally on the property, he began replotting the plan for the development. (The Rush farm lies across Hwy. 71 from the Lakes Art Center.)

Water quality and fisheries sampling in 132 Iowa lakes over the past six years have shown (not surprisingly) that the healthier lakes tend to contain more robust bluegill and bass populations and healthy stands of aquatic vegetation. There are some really interesting biological interactions between lake water quality and the health of the lake's biological (animal and plant) community. Poor water-quality lakes tend to contain many carp and bullhead and have little to no aquatic vegetation.

Jim Frederick, Iowa Great Lakes Watershed Coordinator, is responsible for bringing it all together. He is compiling all the information described by forum participants and data from other sources into a master document called the Water Quality Assessment.

Jim is pleased that Loon Lake septic systems are now being hooked up to the Sanitary District. He is concerned about waste from boats being released into the lake waters, about invasive species, about lawn care companies over-fertilizing, about proper management of storm sewers (inlets and outlets). The Water Quality Assessment will be used to identify specific problems and attract additional grant monies.

Questions and Anwers

When asked about extending sewer hook-ups to rural housing developments, Glen (Sanitary Sewer District) responded that he’d like to see streets, sewer and water on site before housing developments are permitted and constructed, because the problem is getting the sewer line to the rural housing.

Can the taxpayers find out where grant monies are awarded? Yes, at the County Auditor’s office or from Steve Anderson of the Clean Water Alliance.

Asked about the capacity of the new sewage treatment plant, Glen responded that the current facility can handle 5M gallons per day, or a peak of 10M per day. The new plant will handle 14M at peak.

Ron Wilmot, a science teacher from Akron/Westfield, asked if testing is being done for optical brighteners (found in detergents and therefore in septic systems). The effect on aquatic life and/or human life of these optical brightners is not known, but they have been found in the Big Sioux River by a group of high school students who are donating their time and working with donated (not state or federal) funding.

The students are sampling local creeks and the Big Sioux River and doing their own standard analyses for coliform bacteria, nitrogen-nitrate, turbidity, phosphorus, and other parameters. Long-term data are being tracked, and the results will be published and presented at Iowa Farm Bureau meetings. Ron reports that landowners are usually willing to let highschool students onto their land to take water samples whereas DNR personnel who want to water-test are frequently refused access.

Asked if it was true that Iowa ranks very poorly against other states in water pollution, Mike Hawkins (DNR) responded that the waters have high nutrient levels because of the richness of Iowa soils, and the nutrient-rich water results in algal blooms. Our rivers to carry a lot of pollutants, including nitrates.

Joe Wilson reminded people to sign up for the DCIF e-forum Yahoo group or the igl-ecology Yahoo group on the clipboards at the information table.

The next forum will be Sunday 12 November, 7-8:320 p.m. in the Auditorium at Okoboji High School, Milford. The Okoboji-Spirit Lake High School Debate Team will choose sides to debate the topic “Is it time to ratify the Kyoto protocol, the international treaty on slowing global climate change?”

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*Footnote:-- BWW1-A1 – what does this mean, exactly, in water-classification-speak? (The new classification for the upper three miles of Milford Creek).

Answer: -- (from Rich Leopold, Director of the Iowa Environmental Council in Des Moines)

B = aquatic life (fishable)

WW1 = Warm Water, (as opposed to cold water such as trout streams in NE Iowa). The number, 1 or 2, speaks to the quality of aquatic life environment, with one being able to support a viable sport fish community. There is a higher set of standards for 1 than 2, but not a great deal of difference

A1 = Primary recreation contact for humans (swimmable).

"1" signifies full-immersion contact such as swimming/water skiing, etc.

"2" signifies secondary recreational contact such as canoeing, wading, etc.

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Any corrections or clarifications suggested for this summary would be appreciated.

Respectfully submitted,

Karen Thomas and Jane Shuttleworth

AuntieKaren@earthlink.net