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Announcing the Great Lakes Basin Program Grant Projects for 2009 This fiscal year, the Great Lakes Basin Program for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control awarded 11 grant projects. Minnesota: 1 Project 1. Ullr Mountain Gully Erosion and Sediment Control Project Deforestation, land use changes and development on Ullr Mountain has converged separate increased flows into a single location creating severe erosion and sedimentation adjacent and into the Poplar River. The erosion has created a safety concern for recreational activities and increased sedimentation into the Poplar River, which discharges directly to Lake Superior. Wisconsin: 1 project 2. Menomonee River Erosion Control Project Some design and restoration has occurred along parts of Milwaukee's Menomonee River; however, within the newly-created Menomonee Valley Industrial Center, a 900-foot stretch of riverbank remains where excess sedimentation continues due to severe bank erosion and lack of vegetation. The steep slope of the riverbanks is the result of poor fill placement and will continue to run off directly into the river, resulting in significant degradation of area surface waters, habitat and fisheries. Michigan: 2 projects 3. Silver Creek Super Project: Reducing Non-Point Sediment in a High-Quality Tributary Non-point source sediment pollution is threatening the high-quality coldwater fishery of Silver Creek, the second largest tributary to the Ocqueoc River in Presque Isle County, Michigan. The sediment originates from neighboring dirt roads and enters Silver Creek at each of nine road/stream crossings in just over two miles of road distance. Poor road crossing construction, culvert alignment and steep slopes contribute to the source of stormwater runoff, polluted with sediment. 4. St. Joseph River Watershed Soil Erosion/Sediment Control Project 5. Stabilizing Nutrient-Rich Cropland with Cover Crops and Targeted Zone-Tillage Soil erosion is an ongoing problem with livestock-based cropping programs, due in part to the slow adoption of no-till cropping systems because of the need for intensive tillage to incorporate manure for efficient nutrient recovery. A reliance on intensive tillage leaves the soil unprotected, increases wind and water erosion, and increases sedimentation of streams and waterways. Sedimentation and phosphorus-enrichment are immediate problems in the tributaries of the Saginaw Bay and Lake Erie basins and are ongoing concerns throughout the region. This project will demonstrate a new and innovative approach to soil stabilization by integrating no-till friendly zone tillage, cover crops and manure use. Ohio: 3 projects6. Cover it Green Huron County has noticed an increase in soil erosion and increased levels of phosphorus partially due to a decline in the more expensive winter cover crops being planted. We’ve also noticed excessive erosion into road ditches and tiles. The problem of fall tillage and unprotected road side areas and field edges is occurring all over northwest and north central Ohio. The cause of the problem is a lack of the producers realizing the soil and nutrient savings by planting a winter legume or installing a filter strip along typically low yielding field edges. 7. Lorain County Erosion and Sediment Control Grant Lorain County has 270 miles of county roads and 322 miles of township roads and each township has experienced growth rates over the past 10 years. With post-construction in urban and rural areas, open ground needs to be addressed to prevent erosion and carry sediment to local drainage ways. Roadside ditches are not being properly seeded and mulched after drainage improvements which allows for erosion and the transport of sediments into area watercourses. 8. Cascade Creek Watershed Improvements Cascade Creek is listed on the EPA 303(d) list for impaired waterbodies. The impairment is urban runoff and the cause of impairment is siltation. This project will not only address the siltation through streambank restoration, but also to attempt to reduce the source through stormwater BMPs. Also, Cascade Creek’s receiving body of water, Presque Isle Bay, is the 43rd Area of Concern. The AOC’s RAP group has also focused on sediment coming from Cascade Creek as an issue. New York: 3 projects 9. Eighteenmile Creek Streambank Restoration and Erosion Control Streambank erosion has been a documented on-going problem in the Eighteenmile Creek Watershed. Erosion threats to properties, roads and bridges have become a recurring concern. Excessive sedimentation negatively impacts water quality and aquatic habitat for the local fishery resources. Minimal restoration projects have occurred on the South Branch of the Eighteenmile Creek as previous stabilization efforts have focused on the more urbanized lower watershed areas. 10. Genesee River Watershed Soil Erosion Control Project Severe streambank erosion is occurring on the south bank of Black Creek along Old Scottsville-Chili Road in the Town of Chili, Monroe County, NY. Black Creek is a major tributary to Lake Ontario; a Great Lake Waterbody. The site is causing excessive silt and sedimentation to Black Creek and is posing a threat to the adjacent section of Old Scottsville-Chili Road. 11. St. Lawrence and Franklin County Ag Soil Erosion Sediment St. Lawrence County has nine 11 digit watersheds in which agriculture has been identified as a primary source of contamination. One is a TMDL. The county also includes the St. Lawrence River Area of Concern. Franklin County is very similar and both counties rank only behind the Bronx as having the lowest per capita income in the State, severely limiting options/investments in agricultural soil erosion and sediment control. Water quality, especially fisheries habitat is impacted. The purchase of a no-till drill, to be shared between St. Lawrence and Franklin Co., would greatly increase the options available to strengthen and enhance existing erosion and sediment control programs.
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