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Mission Statement:
Grand Lake St. Marys Restoration Commission is a local initiative dedicated to healthy renewal and sustainability of our lake for all environmental, recreational, and economical purposes by fostering regional cooperation and resources across Ohio.
Grand Lake St. Marys Restoration Commission Resolution of Support
We are working together as a team to positively impact and restore health to Grand Lake St. Marys. Our newest project includes sediment removal from three feeder creeks and placement of two large aeration units in two separate embayments. We are committed to moving this project forward during spring and are actively seeking multiple funding sources, including local dollars. Mercer County Civic Foundation and St. Marys Community Foundation 501c(3) have both set up specific accounts for your tax-deductible donations.
Strategic Plan: Goal, Objectives & Actions
The Grand Lake St. Marys Restoration Commission (GLSMRC) was established January 2010, in response to the decline of the ecological health of Grand Lake St. Marys, associated with nutrient enrichment which has resulted from historical and current human activities within the contributing watershed area. It is a collaborative partnership comprised of multiple community leaders, governmental entities and volunteers formed to collect, analyze, and catalyze actions for the benefit of Grand Lake St. Marys through restoration planning, monitoring, fiscal management and project implementation.
Strategic Goal
Develop a holistic blueprint for the sustainable environmental and economic renewal of Grand Lake St. Marys and its contributing watersheds that will coordinate stakeholders to increase the ecological and economic effectiveness of restoration activities while helping its communities realize their potential to improve and protect the natural and economic resources of the region.
Strategic Objectives
Strategic Objectives formulate a coordinated approach to achieve the Strategic Goals of the GLSMRC. These objectives form a matrix of efforts which jointly provide a roadmap to success and provide a framework for utilizing various management tools and financial resources to implement solutions for current and future lake improvement and protection. The end product is a living document which will be evaluated regularly and updated as new information becomes available. Key objectives of the plan are:
- Coordinate – Provide a basis of interaction to coordinate and integrate the efforts experiences and resources of state, federal, private and business interests to achieve consensus on issues and solutions to realize a synergistic effect.
- Study/Document – Promote the application of science to understand the stressors impacting the system and document the effects to promote solutions and measure the effectiveness of actions. Seek appropriate technologies for application.
- Public Outreach – Establish open lines of communication to inform, educate and understand the needs and objectives of those who live within the ecological context of the system and holistically carry the message on to the overall populace.
- Fund Revitalizing Public/Private Partnerships - Seek funding to implement projects through grants, sustainable business opportunities, contributions, state/federal initiatives, and contact the economic drivers of the region.
- Plan/Implement Monitoring– Carry forward the identification and implementation of coordinated actions that will lead to the restoration of the lake and restore economic viability.
Strategic Actions
Actions are undertaken to achieve the objectives of the strategic plan. The initial actions executed under the plan by the GLSMRC have been focused on evaluating the extent and cause of current conditions and to offer a scientific foundation for specific recommendations through lake wide/watershed based approaches and identifying proven strategies and technological solutions available to work toward improvement and ultimately restoration of the lake’s water quality and recreational value. Highlights of these efforts to date include:
Strategic Plan Objectives |
Actions Implemented to Date |
| Coordination |
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Study/ Documentation |
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| Public Outreach |
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| Funding |
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| Plan/Implement |
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Key Technology Applications
Treatement Train - In Design
The treatment train consists of multiple Best Management Practices (BMP’s) integrated by stream flows that jointly result in improvements to the quality of water discharged into GLSM from the watershed. The ’train’ begins with a stream bed load collector with integrated alum dosing, followed by a constructed wetland to provide secondary treatment, then filtration through a restored wetland for tertiary refinement prior to entering an embayment such that biological filtration and aeration can be employed.
Stream/Lake Monitoring - In Process
Monitoring refines our understanding of the amount and timing of nutrient input into the lake. Establish a series of monitoring stations in each of the contributing watershed enables the appropriate selection of best management practices and monitors the success of the work completed.
Chemical Treatements - In Process
Alum and peroxide are chemicals used to target the phosphorus in the lake that feeds the algal blooms. The chemicals are applied to the lake from boats and quickly react to inactivate the phosphorus. This treatment provides an excellent near term solution to the existing algal blooms in the lake while the source supply of phosphorus is reduced to sustainable levels.
Biological Treatments - In Planning
Removal of rough fish species aids in rebalancing the internal biological cycling of the lake. Targeting species such as carp and shad reduces nutrient cycling allowing chemical treatments to be more effective and re-initiates natural processes that discourage blue green algal development.
Sediment Management - In Planning
Sediment is the primary means by which phosphorus migrates from the watershed and is stored in the lake. Management of this material includes both preventing it from entering the waterways through agricultural BMPs, stream restoration, and shoreline stabilization and removing the material that has already entered the system through sediment collection and dredging then reusing the material for beneficial projects such as islands.
2011 Strategic Actions
The GLSMRC Action Items are based on the concept of Balance. We know that the lake had a wider array of plant, animal life (mussels), islands, etc. at one time. They all contributed to the ECOLOGICAL BALANCE of the Lake. If we can get back to this state, Mother Nature will begin to heal itself. If these measures (some long term, some short term (alum) gives the watershed alliance time to continue to make improvements to lessen the impact it has on the lake and allow mother nature to continue to get herself back into balance naturally.
- Provide flow of information regarding actions and achievements to stakeholders through media, public meetings, and educational events.
- Establish an interactive process to receive and address stakeholder input.
- Seek funding to initiate the development of dredging and dredge spoil island development in the lake
- Complete Prairie creek treatment train and apply for funding to initiate development of treatment trains in remaining watersheds.
- Install water quality monitoring stations in each contributing drainage to document achievements and provide critical data for lake management.
- Undertake development of program to remove rough fish from the lake
- Initiate/encourage the development of at least one sustainable business enterprise within the watershed that aids in treating critical stressors in the system (i.e., waste to energy operation).
- Lobby and coordinate the establishment of a multi jurisdictional revitalization district over the lake and its contributing drainage area to unify efforts to restore the ecosystem and its economic vitality.
As described in the 2011 Strategic Actions, over the coming year, inventory, assessment, monitoring and implementation activities will continue across the lake. Orchestrated planning efforts by the GLSMRC will allow resources to be directed most effectively to provide the greatest environmental and economic benefits for the lake. In this manner, Grand Lake St. Marys planning initiative can have a synergistic effect, attracting additional environmental protection and improvement efforts.
Although significant work has been completed through the coordinated efforts of Local, State and Federal agencies, much work, research and plan development remains to restore the lake. The unified support and dedicated efforts from all stakeholders, will bring to fruition the goal of improving and protecting the natural and economic resources of Grand Lake St. Marys.
For more information about the Grand Lake St. Mary’s Restoration Commission or the Strategic Plan, please contact Tom Knapke, LRC facilitator: Thomas.Knapke@wrightstate.edu
and/ or visit our website:
www.lakeimprovement.com
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
Grand Lake St. Marys Restoration Commission officially formed in January 2010, focusing on lake restoration goals. Charter Members include: Grand Lake St. Marys State Park, Wright State University Lake Campus, Cities of Celina and St. Marys, Counties of Auglaize and Mercer, Grand Lake/Wabash Watershed Alliance, Lake Improvement Association, Lake Development Corporation, and the Auglaize/Mercer Counties Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Leading local fund raising activity with Mercer County Civic Foundation and St. Marys Community Foundation: $550,000 YTD
Testing new technology by installing electric powered Airy Gators and Streamside Collection Units designed to increase constant aeration to sediment layers and remove sand, gravel, silt particulates from streams prior to entering lake
Monitoring water and data collection by Wright State University’s partnership with Battelle Institute and other universities validating changes in biology, chemistry of lake environment to further problem solve solutions
Forming public/and or private partnerships with state departments of ODNR, OEPA, Health and Agriculture concerning our planning and activities in GLSM watershed
Seeking grants such as Surface Water Improvement Fund (SWIF) 319 Grant Award for “Treatment Train System” installation on Prairie Creek. Funded model includes stream stabilization, traditional and floating wetlands, embayment dredging and re-introduction of natural mussels to promote nutrient removal
Promoting agriculture conservation and nutrient management practices in watershed through educational teams and over $1.5 million of incentive funds for operators
- Supporting stricter guidelines, inspection, nutrient mgt plans for all farms
- Prompting a variety of public and private entity solutions, resulting in pilot testing by EPA and ODNR, and other additives
- Teaming with Algae Ventures to replace cyanobacteria with non-harmful algae (diatoms) by adding silica
- Treating lake with alum to inactivate phosphorus
- Testing of Blue Planet project near Riley pond
- Harvesting of algae for energy purposes
- Securing funding for new conservation district or operational body, and lead facilitator
- Forming legislative subcommittee and lobbyist presence to increase funding sources
- Creating formal master plan and developing timeline for project management
- Sharing our knowledge, ideas and resources with one another to build awareness, leveraging any/all available funding sources through media and lake program updates
Fund Raising Update!
Milt Miller receives another donation to the project, raising our total funds over $550,000!
Sediment Collector arrives Memorial Weekend!
Dr. Hiskey retrieves water samples from Grand Lake.
Airy Gators are here! April 13 and April 15, two units delivered to Grand Lake St. Marys. Baseline water sampling has begun and units will be powered within the next week.
Dr. Robert Hiskey, Wright State University Lake Campus Professor and his students are testing water samples with newly purchased scientific equipment furnished by the restoration project.
Barnes Creek Sediment Collector Installation
Despite the frigid weather of the past two months, the Grand Lake St. Marys Restoration Commission (GLSMRC) will achieve another milestone this week. The installation of the in stream sediment collector on Barnes Creek was completed when Midwest Electric installed their meter completing the connection the collector to their lines. This is the third in stream collector installed on a tributary to the Lake by the GLSMRC.
The in stream collectors remove the sediments and the nutrients attached to sediments before they get into the Lake. The Streamside Systems patented Collector allows the energy of the stream to deliver the bedload sediment up the Collector’s ramp and into the multiple hoppers. The fluidized sediment is pumped to a dewatering site for beneficial reclamation of harvested sediments and the water is returned to the Collector in a semi close-loop scenario. The collectors are unobtrusive; will not increase in stream turbidity, nor will they adversely impact the aquatic ecology.
The major components of the in stream collector system are the collector which is installed in the streambed, a wet well, a pump, a controller, and a separator to remove the sediment from the water. The control has a wireless internet connection that allows for maximum energy efficiency by downloading stream flow and depth data from the internet - off of the USGS website (http://waterdata.usgs.gov) - from the gauging station on the Big Chickasaw and only running the sediment pumps when sediment is moving in the river and being harvested by the collector. This is done by periodically cycling the pumps on and off at low flows to capture the small amounts of sediments moving and continuously running the pumps for high flows (heavy rain events) to capture the sediment transporting - which is when the majority of the sediment moves downstream in the river.
The attached pictures show the 20 foot long collector just prior to its installation and the collector being lowered into Barnes Creek. The installation required breaking up the ice at the site, excavation of shallow depression in the creek bed, placing a gravel bed to support the collector, and carefully lowering the collector into the stream. Note the dedicated Streamside Systems technicians in the creek guiding the collector to its proper position.
The acquisition and installation of the Barnes Creek collector was funded by an OEPA 319 grant and matching funds raised by the GLSMRC.
Issues and Solutions for Grand Lake St. Marys
Fact Sheet: Problems and Solutions for Grand Lake St. Marys
Fact Sheet: Grand Lake St. Marys Toxins
Latest EPA Updates for Grand Lake St. Marys
Tetra Tech Recommended Actions
Benefits of Saving Grand Lake St. Marys
Pollution Issues and Solutions
Legislative and Enforcement Issues and Solutions
Misconceptions About Grand Lake St. Marys
Why Should Agricultural Professionals Support the LIA (What's In It For Producers)?
Nutrient Management Best Practices
Strategies for Removing Existing Contaminants
All About Harmful Algal Blooms
Killer Lake Kills Property Values, Tourism Jobs
Rain Increases Phosphorus Dumping into Lake Erie
How Can I Help?
Your Personal Action Plan For Saving Grand Lake St. Marys
Current Political Action
Bills Affecting Grand Lake St. Marys (TBA)
Lake Improvement Association Initiatives
What is the LIA Doing to Save The Lake?
Reports and Documents
Grand Lake St. Marys Lake Improvement (large file, may take several minutes to download)
Summary of Documents
1. Grand Lake St. Marys Lake Improvement Association Goals
2. Grand Lake St. Marys Watershed Action Plan 2000
3. Grand Lake St. Marys Watershed Protection Project
4. The Restoration of a Canal Lake
National Eutrophication Survey
GLSM Watershed Protection Plan
The Restoration of Canal Lake 1
The Restoration of Canal Lake 2
LIA Powerpoint Presentation(zipped format)
Grand Lake St. Marys Water Quality Improvement Initiatives
References and Further Reading
Wright State University Presentation
WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT INITIATIVES
Sedimentation Water Quality Survey
Survey Report for Flood Control and Allied Purposes
Contact Milt Miller, Fundraising Chair: (419) 733-3004 or email miltmiller@hotmail.com
Projects being planned: Sediment Removal, Island Restoration and Development, Water Quality Improvements
Make checks payable to:
St. Marys Community Foundation OR Mercer County Civic Foundation
Note: Grand Lake St. Marys Project Fund
Send to foundation of your choice:
St. Marys Community Foundation Mercer County Civic Foundation
146 East Spring Street PO Bx 439
St. Marys, Ohio 45885 Celina, OH 45822
More about us
To be contacted about a tax deductable donation click here.
Contact Milt Miller, Fundraising Chair: (419) 733-3004 or email miltmiller@hotmail.com