March 17, 2010 by admin.

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

By William Kincaid

Celina studies venture to turn manure into electricity

  Celina Community Development and Planning Director Kent Bryan has begun negotiations with a private company that wants to turn local farm manure into electricity.

The city…

Posted in Water Quality, Manure management, GLSM Watershed | No Comments »

December 18, 2007 by admin.

GLWWA Watershed Action Plan
Conditionally Endorsed
Waiting on ARC/GIS files
Goal is to submit for full endorsement before 2008

Lawn Fertilizer Minigrant
Sent post cards to people with coupons, advising program will end December 31, 2007
Will compile results from Helena Agronomic Center
Will be working with Helena (and possibly others) on 2008 program

$100,000 for Grand Lake St. Marys Watershed
Started waiting list of applications
Looking for recommendations for 2008 program
First certifications complete

Geotextile Tube Manure Dewatering Grant
Three tubes filled at swine operation, two at the dairy
Beginning to analyze data
Captured attention of Celina Tent

Volunteer Monitoring Program
Volunteers are needed for this program
Working on quality assurance and supply order
Have location and possible date for Spring training

Water Pollution Control Loan Fund
Forms for septic system replacement and agriculture equipment
Funds will be available Jan. 1, 2008
Next step is to sign MOU with banks

USGS Microbial Tracking
Project could show source of nutrients
Requires a 70% match
May hold off till next year

USGS Proposal for Monitoring Ethanol Plant
Two options
May be grant funds and the possibility of other contributors
Needs to begin as soon as we know the plant will be built

Lake Geotextile Tube Project
$25,000 from state budget for capitol improvements
Assisting State Park to get project started
Proposal was accepted

QHEI Level II Training
Habitat training
Results are not complete
Level III certification

Project Learning Tree/Project WET Training
Certified to train educators in both projects
Active/hands on learning
Can be tailored for all ages

GIS/DSI Training
Learned basics of GIS
Set up personal geodatabases

Ohio Lake Management Society Annual Meeting
Learned they will become a division of Water Management Association of Ohio
Heard many possible solutions for different problems
Spoke with Director Logan

Ohio Watershed Academy
Through OSU Extension
Six month training
Assignments every two weeks

St. Mary’s River Projects
Army Corps
Allen County SWCD, Indiana
Supplied information, received report on initial top priorities

Coordinator’s Upcoming Meetings/Trainings
SWCD all employees meeting, December 20, 2007
Advisory Board Meeting, 9:30 a.m. December 27, 2007, large meeting room
Auglaize County SWCD Planning Meeting, 8 a.m. January 3, 2008, Administrative Building
Lake Improvement Association, 10 a.m. January 5, 2008, Celina Moose
Joint Board meeting, 4 p.m. January 24, 2008, upstairs 4-H meeting room
Science and Civics Facilitator Training, January 25, 2008, Columbus

Posted in Manure management, GLSM Watershed | 1 Comment »

December 18, 2007 by admin.

The Grand Lake/Wabash Watershed Alliance (GLWWA) Advisory Board meeting will be held on December 27, 2007, at 9:30 a.m., in the large first floor meeting room of the Mercer County Central Services Building at 220 West Livingston St., Celina. This meeting will give stakeholders an opportunity to recommend priority best management practices (BMPs) for the 2008 Agriculture Incentive Program.

The 2007 and 2008 Agriculture Incentive Programs for the Grand Lake St. Marys Watershed are made possible through a state budget line item. This line item was secured by Senator Keith Faber and totals $200,000 over two years. The 2007 program offered cost share or incentive on the following practices: waterways, filter strips, recharge areas, cover crops and tile control structures. The money for 2007 has been allocated; however the GLWWA is currently accepting applications to be placed on a waiting list.

The $100,000 for the 2008 Agriculture Incentive Program must be put towards agriculture BMPs in the Grand Lake St. Marys watershed. This could include the same BMPs as 2007 or a completely different list. This list depends on ideas and recommendations brought to the advisory board meeting on December 27, 2007.

Four other topics will be at the top of the discussion at the advisory board meeting.

These topics include:
Combining the Advisory Board meetings and the Lake Restoration Committee Meetings Environmental Monitoring: including the USGS ethanol plant monitoring proposal
Residential issues: lawn fertilizer program, rain gardens, Water Pollution Control Loan Fund
Centralized Manure treatment systems and other agricultural related items

The meeting is open to any topic related to the Grand Lake/Wabash Watershed Alliance.  All recommendations will be presented to the Joint Board at their next meeting.

Posted in Manure management, GLSM Watershed | 1 Comment »

May 9, 2007 by sa.

Not sure how to post these with my blog but here they are

Posted in Manure management | 1 Comment »

May 9, 2007 by sa.

These pictures (see above) were taken last Sun. May 6th, 2007 off Prairie Creek in perfectly clear weather with no reported rain to cause field runoff. The pictures don’t do it justice but I think this is manure and the slick ontop of the water was approximately 100ft long. The farmer at the corner of Kittle Rd and State Route 219 in Celina at the end of Prairie Creek had spread manure earlier that day. The wind being out of the Southeast lead me to believe the farmer had gotton too close to the East bank of Prairie Creek and sprayed what seemed to be maure directly into OUR water and it drifted to this spot down wind and down stream. Being that it was a Sun and I wasn’t sure who to report it to so I took several of these shots and sent them to Rick Wilson of the OH. EPA’s PTI and Agricultural Unit, Division of Surface Water on Mon. May 8. He in turn notified the county Wild Life Officer and another representative of Mercer County Soil and Water to investigate. By that time the matter in the water had mostly disapated (but not totally unrecognisable) and the farmer mearly questioned. The EPA lead me to believe the County Reps never even looked down stream from the farm near the the site of the pictures! To me it would be common sense seeing how I took pictures of the water not the farm. I would say this is the root of a majority of water purity problems on the lake and I never thought you could get away this in today’s environmentally educated world. VERY SAD! For what its worth if you see something that looks to be pollution of some sort you can call the Sherrif right away and tell them to send the Wild Life Officer out to investigate. Now I know and so do you.

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