Geist Watershed Alliance

The Hamilton County Soils and Water Conservation District is now maintaining a listing of retailers and landscapers that offer watershed friendly options. Check ‘em out.
www.hamiltonswcd.org/id28.html

We should all care about the water quality of Geist Reservoir. We drink it. We swim in it. And it affects our property values.

Unfortunately, toxic blue-green algae (also called cyanobacteria) love Geist Reservoir as much as we do. The combination of shallow and calm water, moderate seasonal temperatures, sunlight, and a high nutrient load make Geist an ideal environment for toxic algae.

Nutrient load, the mass of nitrogen and phosphorus that drain into a waterway, comes from leaves, grass clippings, topsoil runoff, manure, septic tanks, and agricultural and residential fertilizer runoff. Algae are particularly fond of phosphorus.

Given a high nutrient load, algae will outcompete all other forms of aquatic vegetation in our reservoir. As it blooms, algae prevent sunlight from penetrating the water and inhibit growth of beneficial native aquatic plants. At night, algae consume dissolved oxygen in the water and can kill fish. Toxic algae can cause serious illness to pets, waterfowl, and humans. It looks bad, smells bad, limits reservoir recreation, and increases the treatment cost of our drinking water.

So while we can’t change some of conditions that affect the reservoir’s water (like the weather), we can reduce the reservoir’s nutrient load. An important first step is to change how we fertilize our lawns.

Most established lawns in Indiana already have enough phosphorous. By purchasing phosphate free lawncare products and services we can significantly reduce the reservoir’s nutrient load. Your lawn will not know the difference.

HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP – this spring, if you fertilize, please buy the bag with a “0” in the middle. For example, a bag with the label 29-0-5 contains no phosphorus. (The three numbers on a bag of fertilizer identify the nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium content). If you use a lawncare service, request a zero phosphate treatment. Waterfront properties should not fertilize within 15 feet of the water’s edge. Finally, consider replacing one fertilizer application with a mechanical aeration.

The EPA estimates that only 35% of lawn fertilizer actually makes it to the lawn. The rest is vaporized or leaches into the water. Zero phosphate fertilizer is an essential first step to a cleaner reservoir.

To learn about what else you can do to improve our reservoir, visit the Geist Watershed Alliance website at www.atGeist.com/water.

Your community thanks you.

Efforts to improve the water quality of the Geist Reservoir are making continued progress. The focus of recent activities of the Upper White River Watershed Alliance and Geist Watershed Alliance has been development of an Aquatic Vegetation Management Plan for the reservoir.

Funded by an Indiana Department of Natural Resources Lake and River Enhancement Grant, the management plan will provide guidance to develop and maintain a stable, diverse aquatic plant community in the reservoir and watershed. The establishment of this community will help enhance the balance of predator and prey fish, wildlife species habitat and water quality. Other goals include helping improve the ecosystem’s resistance to minor habitat disturbances and invasive species, preventing or controlling aquatic invasive species, and providing reasonable public recreational access while minimizing the negative impacts public use on key plant, fish and wildlife resources.

Ecological consulting firm V3 Companies, which has a long history of analyzing Indiana watersheds, was selected to complete the management plan. The Spring Tier II Survey was completed in June while the Summer Tier II Survey was completed in August. Activities included sampling 100 different sites within the reservoir to evaluate the presence and abundance of aquatic plants. The results of the surveys – as well as management recommendations for the reservoir – will be presented at a Public Meeting on Jan. 27, 2010 at the Geist Elementary School Cafeteria, starting at 6:30 pm.

Geist Watershed Alliance Public Meeting

Thursday, May 21,  2009  6:30 - 8:30 P.M.

Geist Elementary School, School Cafeteria

14051 East 104th St.,

Fortville, IN  46040

Dr. Tedesco, Senator Gard, Senator Merritt among others will be attending.

By Jill Hoffman -

After algal blooms and public health concerns drew attention to the fragile nature of local water quality, a group of concerned citizens teamed up with the Upper White River Watershed Alliance to secure a grant to study pollution in the reservoir and where it is coming from.

The land area that drains to Geist Reservoir encompasses a 215-square-mile, six-county area. This watershed (drainage basin) is known as the Upper Fall Creek Watershed and includes both suburban and agricultural land uses.

The watershed study will make use of several new sets of data from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and the Central Indiana Water Resources Partnership (a collaboration between Veolia Water and IUPUI’s Center for Earth and Environmental Science).  Hundreds of water quality samples have been taken in the tributaries and ditches upstream of the reservoir, as well as within the reservoir itself.

The current watershed planning project will use these findings to help understand “hot spots” or land use areas that have a disproportional impact on water quality. Field observations, natural resource assessments and public input will help the project team interpret the water quality data and identify opportunities for future restoration projects and pollution prevention projects.

The public will be asked to help identify concerns about pollution or land use problems at an upcoming public meeting expected in early May. Researchers involved in the watershed project are also working to better understand the reservoir response to incoming pollution by conducting detailed blue-green algae studies.  These studies are aimed at better understanding the types of algae present, the conditions that cause algal blooms, and the risk of algal toxins.

Algae studies will continue throughout the fall of 2009, and results will be coordinated with the ongoing watershed management planning project. Results of 2008 algae sampling and an introduction to the 2009 sampling plan will be presented at the public meeting in early May. Meeting details will follow in the next atGeist newsletter.

Now that the Geist Watershed Alliance (GWA) has received its grant of $54,000 from the Lake and River Enhancements (LARE) section of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), it is positioned to make a major impact on the future health of Geist Reservoir, as well as the other waters in this regional basin.

Important decisions are slated to be made during the course of the next few months, and the GWA needs input and direction from the area’s citizens. The steering committee is still being formed, and presently only consists of about 8 active members – just one of which is an actual resident of the immediate Geist Reservoir area.

By the time this issue of the atGeist Newsletter is printed, the steering committee will have drafted and submitted a Request for Proposals (RFP) to prospective watershed management co-ordinators, and we will be seeking input from informed residents concerning the final choice of specialists who will be devising the path to restoring the reservoir’s health. As recommended by LARE, we will be also soliciting advice and recruiting steering committee members from outlying connected watersheds; therefore, we are concerned that the focus on the immediate Geist area could be under-represented if more participation from local citizens is not generated.

We are thankful this year that weather conditions have not been conducive to explosive toxic algal growth. But we must maintain our awareness that the risk is always present for this to occur in summers to come unless we work now towards a solution to understanding and preventing the conditions that allowed the algae to plague Geist Reservoir in the Summer of 2007.

Come help your community and the GWA as it works to address the water quality issues affecting the lake. You will not be required to devote a great deal of time, but you can become educated and help to educate others while helping the GWA to make informed decisions about how to protect Geist Reservoir and your own property’s value.

More information about meetings and issues can be found at the GWA’s website: www.GeistWatershed.com. During the August steering committee meeting, a new schedule for monthly meetings will have been determined and posted on the website. It only takes a minute to make the cyber-visit and learn when the next meeting will take place. Please check us out!

After learning the news that the Geist Watershed Alliance received an award of $54,000 to fund its mission to protect the reservoir’s water quality, we contacted the Gwen White of the Lake and River Enhancement (LARE) section of Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources to learn more about what this means for our community. Gwen was very open and enthusiastic about the broad benefits this award will bring to not only Geist Reservoir, but also the waters leading into and away from our lake. The GWA is consequently positioned to help make a major contribution in terms of water quality for the whole region.

Gwen also made sure to congratulate and thank Dave Sylvester for his hard work in making this award become a reality. Like the rest of us involved with the Geist Watershed Alliance, she will miss his participation but wishes him well in the future.

Because the scope of this award is broad and fairly technical, Ms White kindly forwarded an easy-to-understand summary of its details and described what the GWA’s next steps will be. Her message is pasted below so that everyone can learn directly from the source about how the grant award will work.

_____________________________________

The IDNR Lake & River Enhancement Program (LARE) is providing an award that would cover 90% of the costs up to $54,000 for development of a Watershed Management Plan.

Components of the project will be:

• Update water quality or biological data, as necessary
• Summarize historical information on trends in land use and water quality
• Map and describe current reservoir and watershed conditions, as necessary
• Hydrology, shoreline and stream bank erosion, and sediment deposition
• Model nonpoint source pollution in lakes and subwatersheds
• Facilitate steering committee, stakeholder, and public meetings
• Complete a 5-year Aquatic Plant Vegetation Management Plan (AVMP)
• Complete a Watershed Management Plan

Important aspects of this project are:

• Since the reservoir is a critical resource for Indianapolis area water consumers and recreational users, multiple organizations and agencies are working together to build a long-term water quality protection plan, based on data collected by IUPUI, IDEM and others.
• The outcome will be to provide an interpretation of a great deal of scientific data to aid in the development of long-term guidance (watershed management plan) that focuses on addressing soil erosion, nutrient runoff, and invasive aquatic plants (milfoil) in the 1,900 acre reservoir and tributary streams throughout the 140,162 acre watershed draining to the reservoir. The project will address all aspects of nonpoint source pollution (runoff), including impacts on the growth of bluegreen algae.
• The project partnership will solicit active public participation through a series of meetings and other communication mechanisms to identify and expand positive actions and to address any concerns related to water quality and use. The local sponsors will help the contractor to identify the most effective ways to reach the broader community for input during this process. Part of the plan will be to identify the most effective mechanisms for future education and outreach on issues that are significant for the community.
• The resulting plan will prioritize strategic actions and will meet eligibility requirements for funding to implement future projects through both IDNR LARE state funding and IDEM Section 319 federal funding sources.

The recent flooding in Central and Southern Indiana is a stark reminder of how important water management is for sustaining our local economies and protecting downstream areas. This is an opportunity for the public to get involved by providing insight and creativity to address these issues. Each individual and organization in the area can make a difference.

During the initial coordination meeting on July 22 at 7 pm, we will go over the components of the plan in the Request for Proposals, which the GWA will then send to at least three contractors. The group can then identify contractors to interview and will select one to complete the project. I will then work with you to finalize a contract. Funding is available and work can start immediately. Projects typically last about 18 months. I will be at the meeting to answer any questions about LARE. I believe Bonny Elifritz will also be attending to ensure that we are coordinating efforts with the IDEM Section 319 program.

By Wendy Thanisch
Wendy@atGeist.com

The Geist Community’s own non-profit water quality protection organization, the Geist Watershed Alliance (GWA), was notified on July 9^th that it has been awarded $54,000 from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to fund the development of a watershed management plan. This is the GWA’s first big achievement, and is significant for not only for Geist, but also numerous other watershed groups in the region.

According to Gwen White of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, her agency is extremely excited to make this award because it will be funding a unique project – one which has not been done on such a large scale in this state. Specifically, it is designed to permit multiple agencies and organizations the ability to work together to share data, resources and solutions for protecting the region’s water quality.

One of the GWA’s first steps will be to hire a watershed coordinator. This contractor will serve as an administrator to organize and manage the GWA’s affairs, administer the grant’s guidelines and execute the strategies determined by its steering committee. Ultimately, the funding will allow this paid coordinator to streamline the tasks related to GWA’s mission without risk of failing to meet its goals due to inadequate volunteer participation, skills or resources.

During the course of the next 18 months, the GWA will develop a workable watershed management plan based on the technical data generated by the various government agencies, institutions and the feedback from all types of stakeholders. The plan will outline various projects and initiatives, which up to this point have not been started due to lack of funding, manpower and scientific research.

As described by DNR’s Gwen White, her agency anticipates that the GWA’s award will result in a plan that offers resources and benefits to a number of other connected communities and watersheds, and thereby contribute to the overall health of the lakes, streams, rivers and reservoirs in the region. Ms. White adds that other smaller watershed groups will be subsequently positioned to apply for future grants to fund their own projects.

At the end of July, the GWA’s Steering Committee will be meeting with representatives from DNR’s Lake and River Enhancement Program (LARE), the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and IUPUI to determine the organization’s structure and prepare a solicitation for bids in order to select a contracted watershed coordinator. In the meantime, residents interested in learning more about the Geist Watershed Alliance and its mission can visit their website at www.GeistWatershed.com. Full details about the grant and its objectives are available online.

The Hamilton County Soil & Water Conservation District’s urban conservationist, Shaena Smith, has been working hard to help the Geist community get the information and resources it needs to address the reservoir’s high nutrient levels.

In the June issue of the atGeist Newsletter, the following article will appear which promotes a workshop organized by the Hamilton County SWCD that will take place on the evening of the GWA’s regularly scheduled meeting for July. We hope that everyone will make a special effort to attend, as this workshop will be full of useful information that not only addresses the GWA’s mission, but also gives homeowners tons of tips for improving the beauty, health and utility of their gardens.

Please feel free to print out a copy of the flyer attached with this post or forward the link to this article to help promote this event. Let’s make this workshop a worthwhile step in getting the community’s individual homeowners mobilized in doing what it takes to address the problem of “too much food for blue green algae” in the water.

Impress Your Neighbors with a Spectacular Garden

By Wendy Thanisch
Wendy@atGeist.com

Want to know the secret of establishing an amazing flower garden and keeping it looking its best all season long? Even through drought and flood? Now, you can … and it won’t cost you a cent. In fact, it may save you money in the long run in terms of your water bill and what you spend on annual plants.

These secrets are being revealed at a free workshop presented on Wednesday evening, July 9th at the Geist Clubhouse from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. In just two short hours, you can learn a variety of simple techniques that will make your yard the envy of your whole neighborhood. An ecological expert from JFNew will be discussing how to design the landscape to maximize your yard’s features and water resources so that you can have a healthy, colorful garden during both the rainy and dry periods.

Also on hand will be Shaena Smith, our friendly urban conservationist from the Hamilton County Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD), who will be showing us simple tools and tips for beautifying the landscape while preventing the runoff of harmful chemicals or sediment into the lake or storm sewer system. Perhaps best of all, she will also be teaching us how to keep those pesky Canada geese out of our yards.

Busy homeowners, do-it-yourselfers and gardening enthusiasts will be delighted by the short presentations and the opportunity to collect information about contractors, suppliers and resources available for residents who take pride in their property’s appearance.

Some of the topics being covered will include: rain gardens, fertilizers, rain barrels, and water edge enhancements. You can also learn what to plant in those difficult-to-grow-anything areas that might be affected by shade or standing water.

The folks most interested in attending this workshop will most certainly be the officers of homeowners associations who will be pleased to know they can get information about how their neighborhood can participate in a cost-share program that will not only enhance its scenic qualities, but also aid in reducing its contribution on the reservoir’s dangerously high nutrient levels. HOA representatives attending will want to make a special effort to connect with Shaena Smith in order to discuss how they can take advantage of this unique program – one which is not offered anywhere else in this state.

The Geist community is blessed to have such a workshop available free of charge. Residents elsewhere usually pay substantial sums of money to attend such events. However, because the reservoir is considered ‘at-risk’ due to last year’s toxic algae bloom, special favors are being given to the caretakers of the lake … i.e. – you and me. On behalf of the Geist Watershed Alliance, the Hamilton County SWCD has kindly organized this event in order to demonstrate that protecting the lake’s water quality doesn’t have to mean taking drastic measures or sacrificing a beautiful landscape.

Although the workshop is intended for Hamilton County residents, it’s unlikely that anyone from the Geist area (read Marion and Hancock Counties, McCordsville, Fortville, etc.) would be turned away. The Hamilton County SWCD understands that we all have an impact on Geist Reservoir.

You can get a printable flyer describing the workshop by visiting the atGeist Newsletter’s website where this article is posted. More information is also available at www.hamiltonswcd.org or when you register for the workshop at:
773-2181 ext. 101 (or)
tina.moon@in.nacdnet.net

Click the link for the Hamilton SWCD July 9th workshop Flyer

For folks who might not be able to attend the July 9th workshop, there will be another free workshop the following evening in Carmel. Click the link for a printable flyer which contains all the details about the Carmel workshop: SWCD Carmel Workshop Flyer

The latest issue of Indiana Living Green featured an article that seems to have been written with Geist in mind. The author, Lynn Jenkins, has kindly permitted us to post it on our website. For those not yet familiar with this magazine, you can check it out online when you click the link to finish the article.

For many folks, the term “organic” conjures up a picture of the 1960s’ homesteading hippie, bedecked in bib overalls. So, the word “natural” may be a better word to describe the best gardening and lawn practices. Plus, it gives a little leeway if there is the rare occasion when one must step off the organic path to handle something truly out-of control. Furthermore, since the U.S. Department of Agriculture has commandeered the word “organic” with its regulations, “natural” seems a more natural way to go. – Continue -

-Article appeared in the May/June 2008 Issue of Indiana Living Green, which can be picked up in Marsh Supermarkets near the atGeist Newsletter display.