winter 2004 voice of the mill creek newsletter, mill creek watershed council

8/9/2019 Winter 2004 Voice of the Mill Creek Newsletter, Mill Creek Watershed Council

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Winter 2004 NINTH YEAR

Published by:Mill Creek

Watershed Council

Supporting jurisdictions

include:

Amberley Village

Butler County

Cincinnati

Colerain Township

Elmwood Place

Evendale

Fairfield

Fairfield Township

Forest Park

Glendale

Greenhills

Hamilton County

Liberty Township

Lincoln Heights

Lockland

Montgomery

Millcreek ValleyConservancy District

Norwood

Reading

St. Bernard

Sharonville

Springdale

Springfield Township

West Chester Township

Woodlawn

Wyoming

GOLD MEMBERS

Butler County

Metropolitan SewerDistrict of Greater

Cincinnati

City of Springdale

Fuller, Mossbarger, Scottand May

XCG Consultants, Inc.

SILVER MEMBERS

Environmental Rate

Consultants

Village of Evendale

Voice of the Mill Creek

The Section 3 project near SalwayPark off Spring Grove Avenue is nearlycomplete. A lot of work has beendone in 2003, said Barry Schueler,U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projectmanager. The stream bank stabiliza-tion work weve done will help tominimize erosion.

The project will revegetate and stabi-

lize approximately 2,500 feet ofstream bank along both sides of MillCreek. All the riprap has been placedexcept for two access points. The rif-fle structures in the stream are inplace. A new fence has been erected,and most of the concrete articulatedblock has been installed. Seeding hasbeen completed along with installa-tion of willow posts, trees and shrubs.

The Corps of Engineers is working withthe city to determine what types ofrefurbishments will be made for a newbutterfly garden during the spring.

When the project is finished, it will beturned over to the sponsor, MillcreekValley Conservancy District (MVCD)and will have accomplished flooddamage reduction, environmental sus-

tainability and the ability for MVCD tooperate and maintain the channel.Sunesis Construction is the contractor.For more project information go to:http://www.lrl.usace.army.mil/MC3/

In other news, the General Re-evaluation Report for Mill Creek willmake recommendations for furtherimprovements to complete the flooddamage reduction project. The reportwill be finished by March of 2005 and

will be 100 percent federally funded.The Flood Warning System is sched-uled for completion for late summerusing 100 percent federal funds.

Submitted by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louis-ville District Office

(For related story, see page 2.)

Mill Creek Section 3 project before photo-

graph (above) from September 2003 and

after photograph (below) from January 2004.Army Corps photos

Council elections were held and a newwork plan adopted at the January29th meeting. This year we haveadded one trustee: Mr. Mark Policin-ski, Executive Director, OKI RegionalCouncil of Governments. Numerousexecutive committee members wereadded: five newly created AssistantChair positions have been filled andfive new At-Large Executive Commit-tee members were elected. (Complete

(Continued on page 5)

2004 elections & work plan

Mill Creek Section 3 construction nears finish


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PAGE 2MILL CREEK WATERSHED COUNCILWINTER 2004


Guest Editorial: Success of the Salway Park SustainableChannel Restoration Project

An Editorial of Personal Opinion by Michael C.Miller, Dept. of Biological Sciences, University ofCincinnati (printed as received)

As a peripheral bystander, I must convey my de-light at having watched the construction of andwalked along the nearly completed Mill CreekChannel Restoration along the 2500 foot frontageof Salway Park, located between Clifton Ave.Bridge and Ludlow Ave. Bridge.

At the toe of the restoration are large boulders

set into a ditch that is not going to be undercut.Then rip rap builds up the sides to coca fibermatting, rolled under in sections, staked downand seeded with grass and planted with livestakes of trees ready to shoot next spring. Abovethe live tree stakes on the Park side is a doublerow of large trees. Also on the Park side, abovethe rip rap is an open lattice cement pathway.

The low water stream channel has been give ameander, leaving a wide swath between the pathand river. This has been planted with aquatic

rushes. The sheer from flood crest waters thatthis low lying vegetation has already endured andwill have to endure is extreme, but most seemsto have survived the first big rainfall event thattook the Ohio River to 51 foot stage in early Janu-ary 2004.

The pathway and its construction ramp to thePark is a perfect entrance to a beautified sectionof our beloved Mill Creek. We should be able toshare this park with visitors and work to developpublic access to this frontage of the Park. While I

was there 50 geese landed on the renewed water-way.

The river at low water channel flows over three Vnotch weirs that direct the current to the center,blowing out settled sand at any discharge. Aplunge pool has developed on the down riverside. This is deep enough to attract fish. Thepublic would enjoy a catch and release fishery inso safe and beautiful a location.

From previous experience we know that even tro-phy fish move up the Mill Creek at high water.Having electro-fished near the Hopple Street andWestern Hills Viaduct last spring (2002) wecaught Sauger, Large Mouth Bass and some realtrophy Hybrid Striped Bass. Will this move up-river as habitat is improved? Of course there isno canopy cover over the river cover here, norwill there be.

I was dismayed by the original plans, but the exe-cution has been done very well by Sunesis. They

have a tree survival clause in their contract, suchthat I am certain these trees will grow. Quickly,the bank will be restored to full foliage. Becausethe channel was over-widened somewhat, thesetrees and shrubs might be allowed to grow. Plan-ning for a vegetative roughness in the channeldesign makes good sense. A sustainable bio-restored channel is not ugly, but manicured.

In the lower reaches of the Mill Creek where rec-tangular and trapezoidal cement channels domi-nate, this section is a far superior endpoint. Un-

fortunately the costs were high, but sections ofgrouted or normal rip rap that are already overwidened could be enhanced by this type of chan-nel restoration.

In the widened, hardened channels, the MillCreek is starved of large boulders and becomecovered with silt/sand and multiple, shallowbraided channels. There are no fast flowingreaches and no deep pools. The result is a bio-logical desert that cannot comply with minimalstandards of the Clean Water Act, even if water

quality were good.

Regions between Town Ave and Procter and Gam-ble, Ludlow Avenue to Mill Creek Bridge, andHopple Street-Western Hills Viaduct all fall intothis category of over-widened, sand-bottomedstreams. These would all be enhanced greatly bysimilar channel restoration that is within the

(Continued on page 3)


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guidelines of what the USACE will do. We couldhope for better; however, the reality of frequentpeak flow events and our investment in cement,

infrastructure preclude more ecologically viablealternatives in-stream channel design.

The maintenance path of an open lattice workabove the pool depth in the Mill Creek in SalwayPark is one solution to allowing public use of thewaterway and providing a walking pathwaythrough the inner city without interfering withtraffic flow by passing under the bridges on theelevated walkway.

The 2500 feet below Salway might be continued

to the Mill Creek Bridge, Hopple Street and be-yond to Western Hills Viaduct with little addi-tional loss of channel volume. The natural lowflow channel takes only about two-thirds of thewidth of the over-widened channel. Some rockriffles have developed naturally by the rocks

(Editorial, continued from page 2) washed in from bridge construction in Mt. AiryPark on the West Fork Creek, for example.

The risk to visitors health can be managed, in

the same way that beaches along the Atlantic,Gulf and Pacific coasts are closed by bacterialcontamination with rainfall events. Flags show-ing risk level, lockable gates, and signage couldbe devised to inform visitors of acceptable con-tact. Access by people can lead to less litter andsome attempt to clean up the creek.

Having worked in and on the Mill Creek for manyyears and toured its length with the Mill CreekYacht Club, neither I nor anyone whom I know hasbecome ill from restricted water contact and

care.

I urge all Mill Creek advocates to go examine theUS Army Corps-funded, Section 3, Mill Creek bio-restoration to see if it does not call you down fora walk along its secure path.

Word has it that comments on the draft Upper

Mill Creek sub-basin watershed action plan(WAP), submitted last fall to the Ohio Environ-mental Protection Agency (OEPA) for review, aredue back soon. Review team members fromOEPA, Ohio Department of Natural Resources andthe Ohio State University Extension Office aresubmitting their comments on the draft WAP tothe Southwest District OEPA office for compila-tion into one review package. Once they are re-ceived, members of the Upper Mill Creek plan-ning team will be alerted.

On the other hand, there has been no news onthis end regarding the Mill Creek Total MaximumDaily Load (TMDL) report. Late last year it ap-peared that the U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency would submit their comments to OEPA intime for a redraft and public review of the re-vised TMDL this winter. When this eventuallydoes happen this year, the Council has volun-teered to work with OEPA to arrange for publicparticipation during the comment period.

Watershed Action Plan/TMDL Update We need help from Councilmembers and other volun-teers to help us meet our

2004 work plan goals. Successin achieving these goals liessolely in the hands of the

people that work on our committees.

This year our standing committees have beenreplaced with the following ad hoc committees:

Flood Damage Reduction/GRR Economic Development Watershed Action Plan/TMDL Newsletter (Voice of the Mill Creek) Recreation (Hands Dirty, Feet Wet)

Capture the Creek 2005 Fundraising

Each has specific project goals and deadlines.Committees meet monthly, bi-monthly or quar-terly. For the most part, the time commitmentis minimal when compared to benefits received.

If you are interested, please call Ms.Nancy Ellwood at 513.563.8800.

Council Currents

Nancy Ellwood,

Executive Director

Mill Creek

WatershedCouncil


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Mill Creek Greenway Progress: South Mill Creek Greenway Trail

Feasibility studies and fieldwork continue for the South MillCreek Greenway Trail, proposedby the Mill Creek WatershedGreenway Master Plan in 1999.Greenway planning and imple-

mentation, led by Mill CreekRestoration Project (MCRP), hasbeen working on this piece ofthe greenway system since2001.

The proposed greenway con-nects Salway Park in WintonPlace to the Ohio River via a5.5-mile greenway trail, pro-vides extensive landscaping,protects and restores function-

ing wetlands within the riverchannel, and improves waterquality and riparian environ-mental conditions.

There is need here for soil bio-engineering treatment ofstreambanks in several loca-tions, and implementation of ahike/bike trail development willrequire community involvement

and participation as plans be-come reality.

This piece of the greenways sys-tem passes through or adjacentto the neighborhoods of Winton

Place, Northside, South Cum-minsville, Millvale, North andSouth Fairmount, and LowerPrice Hill. Community membershave been an integral part ofthe planning and field work thathas been completed.

A greenway trail feasibilitystudy for the South Mill CreekGreenway trail has been com-pleted by MCRP consultants.Ecological and streambank con-ditions have been inventoriedand analyzed, and a restorationplan created from the results.

A Phase I environmental assess-ment of the stream corridor andsurrounding properties was com-pleted in 2002, and additionalsoil testing and analysis tookplace in 2003 between Mill

Creek Road and I-74. No haz-ardous conditions outside of

normal environmental parame-ters were detected. Initially,public properties that are mosteasily recoverable will be prior-ity areas for restoration, withadditional environmental testingand risk analysis is taking placeas funding is available.

After initial environmental test-ing was completed and priorityrestoration areas identified,

MCRP hosted a series of soil bio-engineering training activitieswith adults, and weed and seedactivities with youth and jobtrainees from the watershedarea.

At least 298 separated propertyowners exist in the stream corri-dor area of the South Mill CreekGreenway Trail, making the res-toration and development ofthis corridor particularly chal-lenging. However, MCRP isseeking partnerships with exist-ing community developmentagencies and neighborhoodgroups to build upon urban coreimprovement projects alreadyunderway.

The South Mill Creek Greenwayis a long-term project: it is esti-mated that a multi-purpose trailand ecological improvements

could be completed by 2010.

For more information about theSouth Mill Creek projects callSusan Schultz at 513.731.8400.Greenway mapping and pro-posed trail locations can befound at the MCRP website:www.millcreekrestoration.org.

Submitted by Susan Schultz, MCRP

South Mill Creek greenway field work conducted in May 2003. MCRP photo


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MILL CREEK WATERSHED COUNCIL

WINTER 2004


election results are presented inthe table below.)

The Council also adopted anambitious work plan for thecoming year related to the fol-lowing issues: flood damage re-

(Elections, continued from page 1)

2004 Election ResultsChair: Mr. Frank Birkenhauer, Assistant Administrator, Colerain Township

Vice Chair: Ms. MaryLynn Lodor, Department of Environmental Services, Butler CountySecretary/Treasurer: Mr. Cecil Osborn, Administrator, City of Springdale

Board of TrusteesHonorable John Dowlin, Hamilton County Commissioner

Mr. Mark Policinski, Executive Director, OKI Regional Council of GovernmentsDr. John E. Hunter, League of Women Voters

Mr. Patrick T. Karney, Director, Metropolitan Sewer DistrictDr. Michael Miller, Professor, University of Cincinnati, Department of Biological Sciences

Mr. Tony Parrott, Director, Butler County Department of Environmental ServicesDr. Rosemary Schmidt, Physician, Children's Hospital Medical Center

Mr. Jerald RobertsonAssistant Chairpersons

Water Quality Assistant Chair: Ms. Margaret Main, (formerly with City of Wyoming)Flooding Assistant Chair: Mr. Robert Jansen, Millcreek Valley Conservancy District

Recreation Assistant Chair: Mr. Bruce Koehler, OKI Regional Council of GovernmentsWatershed Assistant Chair: Ms. Nancy Ellwood, Mill Creek Watershed Council

Economic Development Assistant Chair: Mr. Gene LangschwagerAt-Large Members:

Ms. Christine Thompson, City of Sharonville; Ms. Melanie McNulty, Springfield Township; Mr. RameshKashinkunti, Cincinnati Water Works; Ms. Mickie Ficke, Village of Evendale; Ms. Kim Lahman, Mill

Creek Restoration Project; and Mr. Bob Lentz, Butler County Stormwater District

duction, water quality, water-shed awareness, economic de-velopment and recreation.

The 2004 work plan can beviewed downloaded from theCurrent Events web page on theC o u n c i l s w e b s i t e :

www.millcreekwatershed.org.

Minutes from the January 29thCouncil meeting are posted onthe Home page of the website.

The next Council meeting isscheduled for April 29th.

Board begins planning for the future

On a snowy morning in earlyJanuary, Mill Creek Watershed

Council Board of Trustees mem-bers began a year-long processto develop long-term planningand funding strategies for thecouncil.

To focus this effort, a profes-sional facilitator led a discussionabout Council strengths, weak-nesses and key challenges. Thisdialogue was aided by resultsfrom a written survey distrib-

uted to Council members in No-

vember 2003. The group alsodeveloped a list of current wa-

tershed stakeholders.

The result of this session was adecision to focus future effortsfirst on the communities af-fected by the Mill Creek. Tostart this process, the Trusteesworked together to revise theCouncils mission statement.

After minor revisions by Councilmembers at the January 29th

meeting and at the February 6th

Board meeting the followingmission statement was adopted:

The purpose of the Mill CreekWatershed Council is to main-tain and enhance the asset-value of the Mill Creek by pro-viding resources to the commu-nities and the region to realizelasting benefits.

The new mission statement willform the foundation for furtherdevelopment of the Councils

long-term strategy.


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To:

For more information, contact:

Nancy Ellwood, Executive DirectorMill Creek Watershed Council

One North Commerce Park Drive

Suite 222

Cincinnati, Ohio 45215

Phone: 513.563.8800Fax: 513.563.8810

E-mail address:

[email protected].

Website: www.millcreekwatershed.org

One North Commerce Park Drive, Suite 222Cincinnati, OH 45215

Mill Creek Watershed Council

Mill Creek Watershed Council meetings will take place on a quarterlybasis in 2004. We have also changed to meet at 10:00 am on the lastThursday of the first month in each quarter.

Remaining Council meetings for 2004:

Thursday, April 29, 2004, 10:00 am, City of Sharonville (10900Reading Road)

Thursday, July 29, 2004, 10:00 am, City of Springdale (11700Springfield Pike)

Thursday, October 28, 2004, 10:00 am, City of Wyoming (800 Oak

Avenue)

All Council meetings are open to the public.

2004 Meetings:

The Mill Creek Watershed Councils 2004 Work Plan and 2003 End-of-

Year Review can be viewed and downloaded from our website home

page at: www.millcreekwatershed.org

winter 2004 voice of the mill creek newsletter, mill creek watershed council

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