IMPACTS. two great states caring for one great lake

Transcription

1 IMPACTS two great states caring for one great lake 2013

2 IMPACTS 2013 two great states caring for one great lake SEAGRANT Funding is provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA Grant #COM NA16GR2283). Office of Sea Grant, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. University of Illinois and Purdue University offer equal opportunities in programs and employment. IISG-14-84

3 CONTENTS O 01 Illinois bans 27 invasive water garden and aquarium plants O 07 Six marinas join Illinois clean marina program O 02 O 03 Michigan City, IN buoy improves small craft advisories O 08 Reducing the use of lawn care chemicals prevents pollution in nearby waterways Six northwestern Illinois communities adopt outdoor water conservation ordinance O 09 Sheboygan River clean-up leads to positive impacts O 04 O 05 Water management workshop leads to implementation of conservation practices O 10 O 11 Grand Calumet River gets a new lease on life IISG helps keep over 12,000 pounds of medicine out of local waterways Research informs new fish-on-ice enterprise in Indiana O 06 Four communities launch permanent medicine takeback programs O 12 Aquaculture industry a boon to Indiana economy

4 O 01 Illinois bans 27 invasive water garden and aquarium plants Many plants currently sold for water gardens and aquariums are invasive in the Great Lakes region. Dozens are poised to enter Lake Michigan and the inland waters of Illinois and Indiana. These species can crowd out native species, lower water quality, and hinder recreation. Based on risk assessments developed in Indiana by the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant-led Aquatic Plant Working Group, AIS specialists provided guidance as the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) identified plants that pose a risk to state waterways and drafted a list of species for regulation. In August 2013, IDNR added 27 new aquatic plants to its Injurious Species List. The amendment makes it illegal to sell or transport the plants without a permit. The ban is one of just a handful of state laws protecting waterways from potentially-invasive species.

5 O 02 Michigan City, IN buoy improves small craft advisories The nearshore zone of Lake Michigan is used by many people each day for fun, food, or drinking water. Buoys that are equipped with sensitive scientific instruments help scientists, managers, and local residents understand how the lake works, how things look today, or how things will look in the future. Launched in the fall of 2012, the buoy, in waters near Michigan City, IN, returned for a 2013 season to provide real-time and archived data to swimmers, boaters, anglers, natural resource managers, and weather forecasters. The only buoy of its kind in these waters, it has helped the National Weather Service improve wave height predictions and therefore issuing of small craft advisories. The buoy website, hosted by Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, has received 3,400 visits in 2013, making it among IISG s most-visited pages. The buoy s popularity has prompted the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory to add a live webcam to their Michigan City weather station.

6 O 03 Six northwestern Illinois communities adopt outdoor water conservation ordinance Residential outdoor water use in Illinois is often double what is needed to maintain healthy lawns and gardens and can drive the need for costly increases in water supply system capacity. Helping communities conserve water during the dry summer months will make the region s water supply more sustainable. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant continued to support the Northwest Water Planning Alliance (NWPA), comprised of almost 80 communities. IISG led the development of an outdoor water conservation education program and helped create a guide that includes the NWPA-endorsed lawn watering ordinance, as well as recommendations on policies and best management practices for communities to maintain healthy lawns and use water efficiently. Six communities Algonquin, Aurora, Batavia, Elburn, Montgomery, and McHenry have adopted the lawn watering ordinance, implementing uniform watering hours and drought watering provisions. The ordinance establishes year-round even and odd days for watering and best times to water, and includes two levels of watering restrictions that allow municipalities to respond to emergency water shortage situations.

7 O 04 Water management workshop leads to implementation of conservation practices In northeastern Illinois, the demand for water threatens to outpace supply. The region s growing population is already drawing from aquifers at unsustainable levels and approaching federal limits on how much Lake Michigan water can be tapped. Water conservation practices and policies are needed to ensure a sustainable water supply. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant delivered key content in a four-part workshop for water managers at the DuPage Water Commission. Attendees received tools to educate and encourage customers to conserve water. IISG also discussed the role of full-cost pricing in conservation and water supply management. Westmont, a DuPage Water Commission community, is now working with local planners to implement specific recommendations from the workshop series, including updating codes and ordinances to improve water conservation practices.

8 O 05 IISG helps keep over 12,000 pounds of medicine out of local waterways Pharmaceuticals have been found in surface and groundwater throughout the country due to medications flushed down the toilet or thrown in the trash. These chemicals have been linked to impaired development, behavior, and reproduction in aquatic wildlife. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant continued to provide technical assistance to 39 permanent collection programs in both states. IISG also supported single-day collection events in 14 communities by assisting with the collections, writing press releases, and providing educational materials. A total of 12,040 pounds of medicine were properly disposed of through permanent collection programs and single-day events supported by IISG. The medicine was destroyed using high-heat incineration, thus reducing the potential for diversion or accidental poisonings and keeping the chemicals out of local water.

9 O 06 Four communities launch permanent medicine takeback programs Pharmaceuticals have been found in surface and groundwater throughout the country due to medications flushed down the toilet or thrown in the trash. These chemicals have been linked to impaired development, behavior, and reproduction in aquatic wildlife. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant s pollution prevention specialists provided expertise, resources, and funding to help communities, as well as one university, begin medicine collection programs. To raise awareness of these new collection boxes, IISG also wrote press releases and participated in interviews on several local media outlets, including WCIA 3 News in Champaign, IL. In Indiana, the communities of Nashville and Avon launched their own takeback programs, and in Illinois, permanent collection boxes were established at the Champaign, Urbana, and University of Illinois police departments. Altogether, they collected more than one ton of pills.

10 O 07 Six marinas join Illinois clean marina program Marina and boating activities produce contaminants that degrade both air and water quality. With more than 15 marinas lining Illinois compact coastline, even small amounts of pollution from marinas can have a significant impact on the lake and the millions of people who rely on it. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant joined with the state s Coastal Management Program and numerous Chicago-area organizations to develop the Illinois Clean Marina Program. For its part, IISG led the development of the Illinois Clean Marina Guidebook, which provides marina operators with simple best management practices for making operations more efficient and environmentally friendly. By adopting the practices laid out in the Illinois guidebook, six harbors along Lake Michigan have been certified as clean marinas, impacting the maintenance and operation of nearly 4,500 boats. Two additional marinas are in the process of certifying.

11 O 08 Reducing the use of lawn care chemicals prevents pollution in nearby waterways Lawn care practices play a large role in water quality. Unfortunately, lawn care chemicals don t stay put on lawns. Fertilizers, pesticides, and other lawn care chemicals can be carried to nearby waterways in stormwater runoff. The Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant-led Lawn to Lake program worked with community partners to promote healthy lawn care among professionals, master gardeners, and homeowners. Lawn to Lake workshops and informational materials led to management changes on an estimated 22,415 lawn acres. These changes are expected to reduce the use of lawn care chemicals, including weed and feed, by more 3 million pounds a year, protecting nearby aquatic ecosystems from chemicals carried in stormwater runoff.

12 O 09 Sheboygan River clean-up leads to positive impacts In 1985, the lower Sheboygan River was designated an EPA Area of Concern. The high levels of nutrients, solids, and toxics entering the river had led to algal blooms, fish consumption advisories, and contaminated sediments. The pollutant discharges also were suspected of contributing to the degradation of wildlife and fish, and the reduction in fish and wildlife habitat. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant s social scientist spent over a year working on a community outreach campaign with local leaders to provide information and gauge stakeholder concerns about the project. Strategic signage, public information meetings, and needs assessment interviews helped keep the public informed and on board. The Sheboygan River clean-up is complete, with 300,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment removed, including a ton of PCBs. An IISG report on public perception of the river revealed that stakeholders are satisfied with the environmental work and have already observed impacts to recreation and overall perception. Stakeholders anticipate future improvements to the economy as well as the fish and wildlife populations.

13 O 10 Grand Calumet River gets a new lease on life The West Branch of the Grand Calumet River in Hammond, IN is an EPA Area of Concern because after years of being one of the most industrialized areas of the country, it is heavily polluted. At the same time, it is home to some of the most diverse native plant and animal communities in the Great Lakes Basin. Through funding from the Great Lakes Legacy Act and local partners, a three-year dredging project to remove contaminated sediment along a stretch of the Grand Cal is in progress. Throughout the planning and execution of this project, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant has played a key role in keeping the community informed, as well as helping EPA provide a sounding board for concerns through flyers, open houses, and public meetings. In the previous clean-up phase, 748,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment, including over 100 tons of mercury and PCBs, were removed or capped along three miles of the river. Native grasses, flowers, trees, and shrubs have been planted to restore riverbanks and upland areas. In Phase 2, 840,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment removed or capped. Ongoing wetland dredging and restoration work is expected to address an additional 400,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment.

14 O 11 Research informs new fish-on-ice enterprise in Indiana The fish market in the Midwest region is dominated by frozen products, both domestically produced and imported. Indiana s aquaculture industry is small and cannot compete with low priced imported processed seafood products. The potential to increase local aquaculture production lies with accessibility to markets as well as niche opportunities. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant surveyed fish retailers to understand consumers willingness to pay for fresh-on-ice fish. With knowledge from the study in hand, Tipcco Fish Farm and RDM Shrimp are in the process of securing a retail space in Lafayette, IN to sell fresh-on-ice tilapia and shrimp. Tipcco is producing about 150,000 pounds of tilapia/year and RDM is producing about 5,000 pounds of shrimp/year.

15 O 12 Aquaculture industry a boon to Indiana economy As fish continue to be harvested from oceans and other water bodies at unsustainable rates, the role of aquaculture grows ever more vital. Indiana is a great location for aquaculture industries due to its rich supply of raw materials for fish food and access to large markets. And industry trends show that the expansion of aquaculture supports economic development in a variety of sectors. Along with the Indiana Soybean Alliance and the Indiana Aquaculture Association, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and Purdue University Extension have been a driving force in the growth of aquaculture in Indiana. Since 2005, IISG s aquaculture marketing specialist has held 40 workshops with over 1,200 participants. He has worked one-on-one, advising potential and ongoing producers throughout the state, and engaged in numerous market studies. Research as revealed that farm sales of aquaculture products in Indiana reached about $15 million in 2013, a nearly fivefold increase over Fish farming in the state supports 280 jobs, 169 directly in the aquaculture industry. Aquaculture generates $3.7 million labor income and $19.5 million added value. The industry output is valued at $23.6 million for a total value of $38 million with other supporting industries.

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