Save Our Stream

Unsustainable at CUNA

2012-01-27T16:07:00.001-06:00

Salt storage area at CUNA headquarters in Madison, WI.

Runoff is flowing through the spilled salt and into a storm sewer.

Philadelphia uses tough love to overhaul its water and sewer system

2012-01-16T19:29:00.007-06:00

."When it comes to dealing with water, the ambition of Philadelphia is to change more than its infrastructure. It wants to change its very culture, in a cutting-edge effort to address climate and water issues. But the effort is provoking protests over costs."

"...the Philadelphia Water Department was fundamentally changing how it assessed water bills...When it comes to dealing with water, the ambition of the City of Brotherly Love is to change more than its infrastructure. It wants to change its very culture."

"...Neukrug pitched the most aggressive "green infrastructure" plan in the country. Through increased vegetation, rain barrels, sponge-like roads and other measures, the city would try to absorb more water where it fell. The ground would filter out pollutants, reduce strain on the pipelines and make the city a more attractive place."

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Read the whole article here

Thanks to Jim Lorman for finding this article. I reported on "Plan Philly" earlier, but I hadn't heard till now that it had actually cleared the hurdles of federal approval. Summary of Plan Philly

Philadelphia is taking this "radical" approach, because for them, green infrastructure is far cheaper than the billions it would take to meet federal mandates using more traditional "grey infrastructure." Most communities--in the long run--would probably find "green infrastructure" cost effective. But for Philadelphia, because of their antiquated sewage system, it's cost-effective right away.

What "sustainability" really means

2012-01-12T16:52:00.004-06:00

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"Unsustainable" means... "change is coming." And, you might not like the form change takes.

By the time people start talking about the sustainability of something--like spreading salt on streets--you can bet it's been going on for a long time. And, you can bet there's a good reason why people don't want to change. So, sustainability issues always involve tough choices. And if we don't make those tough choices, then reality forces change upon us.

Salt on roads

Take de-icing salt as an example--as practiced by the Madison. Salt use began in 1959. By 1973 it was recognized as a problem, and by 1977 the city set a target for the maximum amount to be spread in any winter. But salt use continued to rise more or less steadily. For the last decade, we've exceeded that target by 265%. So, for 34 years, we've been failing to solve the salt issue.

Meanwhile, the salt levels in all of Madison's lakes have continued to climb, while salt levels in half the city's wells are trending higher. Three of the wells exceed levels of salt recommended for people on low-salt diets. Scientists warn that if these trends continue, there could be widespread damage in aquatic ecosystems. But they can't say exactly when or how that damage will occur. It's like our own local version of the climate debate.

Each city administration tinkers with some technical adjustments to the salt spreading machines, while kicking most of the problem down the road to the next administration. So, do we just wait around for the universe to lower the boom on us, in some unpleasant way? Or do we decide for ourselves how we want to avert whatever unpleasant future might be lurking?

If only there were some clear cut menace waiting down the road, it would be easier to take action. But probably, the "end of sustainability for salt" won't arrive with trumpets and lightning. Instead, with a little imagination, here's what could happen.

Our bridges rust away until, combined with other severe economic pressures, the city finds them too expensive to repair. Cars become more expensive to operate, because of the increasing cost of fuel, added to heavy depreciation from rust--caused by road salt. So tourists stay home, and we lose all that revenue. And, people also stay home because the fish are floating belly up in our lakes. As wells become more salty, the city defends against expensive lawsuits from people whose health has been harmed, and then millions more are spent to drill deeper wells.

The end to salt finally comes when a bankrupt city simply finds it too expensive to send out fleets of trucks every winter to spread the stuff. If only we had saved the money spent on salt, BEFORE all that corrosion and environmental damage bankrupted the city.

Salty groundwater

Here's something to think about. This problem is a ticking bomb, because groundwater flows very slowly. More than half the salt makes its way into the groundwater. The groundwater is a giant reservoir that dilutes all the salt, and makes it seem less of a problem. The pure groundwater still there seeps into our lakes and streams all year, diluting the salt recently flushed into the streams.

But once the groundwater reservoir becomes salty, we lose that natural flushing. Each spring thaw will dump salty water into streams already salty. Then, the whole destructive process will accelerate--with the lakes building salt levels faster.

Or, if the city eventually does start to cut back on salt, their good efforts will have less and less effect, due to salt seeping out of the ground.

Over two thousand years ago, Rome finally conquered the rival city of Carthage. To make sure Carthage would never rise again, Rome salted the ground of Carthage, to destroy their economic base. Isn't it strange... we seem to be doing the same thing to ourselves--ever so slowly. Tick, tick....

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More about salt overuse in Madison here.

The photo at top was one of many carp found dead at Odana ponds, on 4/1/11. Biologists said it was likely due to oxygen deficiency. But... it turns out that high salt levels make oxygen depletion more likely. And, very high levels of salt were measured in the pond about this time. This is a good eaxample of how we have to take action, even when the science isn't very clear.

The overriding challenge for our generation

2011-12-14T23:19:00.002-06:00

Global warming is going to require us all to change--if not to stop warming, then to adapt to a warmer planet.

If that's not daunting enough, we have to change to avoid a world-wide resource crunch. I found the following short essay explaining this economic challenge. It's by a respected researcher, Lester Brown.

Reforming how we use water is an important part of our necessary change.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"For almost as long as I can remember we have been saying that the United States, with 5 percent of the world's people, consumes a third or more of the earth's resources. That was true. It is no longer true. Today China consumes more basic resources than the United States does.

Among the key commodities such as grain, meat, oil, coal, and steel, China consumes more of each than the United States except for oil, where the United States still has a wide (though narrowing) lead. China uses a quarter more grain than the United States. Its meat consumption is double that of the United States. It uses three times as much coal and four times as much steel.

These numbers reflect national consumption, but what would happen if consumption per person in China were to catch up to that of the United States? If we assume conservatively that China's economy slows from the 11 percent annual growth of recent years to 8 percent, then in 2035 income per person in China will reach the current U.S. level.

If we also assume that the Chinese will spend their income more or less as Americans do today, then we can translate their income into consumption. If, for example, each person in China consumes paper at the current American rate, then in 2035 China's 1.38 billion people will use four fifths as much paper as is produced worldwide today. There go the world's forests.

If Chinese grain consumption per person in 2035 were to equal the current U.S. level, China would need 1.5 billion tons of grain, nearly 70 percent of the 2.2 billion tons the world's farmers now harvest each year.

If we assume that in 2035 there are three cars for every four people in China, as there now are in the United States, China will have 1.1 billion cars. The entire world currently has just over one billion. To provide the needed roads, highways, and parking lots, China would have to pave an area equivalent to more than two thirds the land it currently has in rice.

By 2035 China would need 85 million barrels of oil a day. The world is currently producing 86 million barrels a day and may never produce much more than that. There go the world's oil reserves.

What China is teaching us is that the western economic model—the fossil-fuel-based, automobile-centered, throwaway economy—will not work for the world. If it does not work for China, it will not work for India, which by 2035 is projected to have an even larger population than China. Nor will it work for the other 3 billion people in developing countries who are also dreaming the "American dream." And in an increasingly integrated global economy, where we all depend on the same grain, oil, and steel, the western economic model will no longer work for the industrial countries either.

The overriding challenge for our generation is to build a new economy—one that is powered largely by renewable sources of energy, that has a much more diversified transport system, and that reuses and recycles everything. We have the technology to build this new economy, an economy that will allow us to sustain economic progress. But can we muster the political will to translate this potential into reality?"

Photo of L. Brown : Credit

Green streets in Sunset Village?

2011-12-14T00:39:00.000-06:00

Sunset Village already has a rural feel, especially in parts of the neighborhood without curbs.

Residents love their curbless streets, like Hammersley Av.

Imagine how much more verdant it would look, with rain gardens bordering these streets.

Madison has a rain garden program, where the City builds the gardens when streets are resurfaced--sharing the costs with residents. That means a neighborhood might have to wait many years.

But on curbless streets, gardens and swales (depressions) can be built now--with less cost, and only minor modifications to the gutter area.
For example, the area bounded by Mineral Point, Westmorland, Hillcrest, and Larkin is a shallow basin--ideal for collecting runoff. This area channels water towards the stream in the park, then westward towards the Hillcrest-Upland Greenway.

If more runoff could be retained and stored in the ground here, it would improve chances of restoring the little creek in the park (right).

A similar project is being planned for Milwaukee: "One five-block stretch of a south-side street could be transformed into a 'green street' and become an urban laboratory for storm-water management practices, under a design proposal from three Marquette University engineering students. South 6th St... would be reconstructed so it could hold rain where it falls and use it in growing trees and flowers and replenishing groundwater." More

Mt. Olive Church--a watershed opportunity

The large Mt. Olive parking area lies at the headwaters of the little basin in Sunset Village. Winter snow piles store large amounts of water that should be released to the ground, not the stormsewers.

Redevelopment of this site will probably require better stormwater handling measures--but residents of the neighborhood must guarantee this happens.

Few neighborhoods are the home for a miniature watershed, as is the case in Sunset Village. Improving watersheds doesn't just beautify the neighborhood--it protects our lakes and water supply as well. And in the long run, it will reduce engineering costs for stormwater control.

Winter solstice bonfire

2011-12-13T12:41:00.000-06:00

Celebrate the return of light!

Sunday December 18

6:00 pm-10:00 pm

* * *

at the Campfire Circle

Glenwood Children's Park

just SW of the corner of Glenway & Gregory streets.

To add to the festivities, there will be live music, poetry reading, and photos to share on the web. This year's event is being organized by Peter Nause, Parks Committee Chair, Dudgeon-Monroe Neighborhood Association: secnatland@yahoo.com

Snapping turtles in our lakes

2011-12-06T17:32:00.001-06:00

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Last summer, I encountered this big fella crossing the bike path along Lake Mendota, near where Willow Creek comes into University Bay. No doubt these turtles inhabit all our lakes and small ponds.

Common snapping turtle near Lake Mendota.

Last summer, I had a chance to learn more about snappers. While walking on the shore of a pond in Cape Cod, I spotted some mysterious tracks (below)--three inches across, with enormous claw marks and a heavy tail drag mark.

It wasn't long before I began to suspect the River Otter. Large males can have tracks that big, and river otters do live in most unpolluted waterways in the US.

I sent my photos to two wildlife experts: Scott Craven and David Brown. Craven suspected either snapper or otter--but he thought the tail drag was too heavy for an otter, which seldom leaves tail marks. Brown was positive it was a common snapping turtle Chelydra serpentina, and said the holes in the sand were also caused by the turtle. Mystery solved!

The foot prints are roundish, with deep claw marks around the edge. You don't see marks from the shell, because snappers walk with the shell off the ground.

Excavations, probably by the snapper, as she looked for a place to lay. Photo of female laying.

These holes were likely made by a female snapper digging with her front feet as she looks for a place to dig her nest. If the nest had been finished and covered, you wouldn't be able to find it. If it had been plundered by a raccoon, you would see eggshells scattered about.

It's likely the snapper found this wet spot unsuitable for a nest, since the water was only a few inches down. Pond turtles require dry, sandy places for their nests, and there weren't many places available at this pond--with so many woods around. Another attempted hole nearby suggested this was one frustrated turtle, looking urgently for a place to lay her eggs!

Females may travel long distances over land, looking for a place to lay. This makes them vulnerable to being run over.

Common snapping turtle, from Wikipedia commons.

Snappers can grow up to 80 pounds and live for 30 years in the wild or 50 in captivity. They look like ancient reptiles--and indeed they are. They are little changed in form from well before the time of the dinosaurs.

But snappers have survived into the modern world because being cold blooded has its advantages. With a very slow metabolism, snappers can hold their breath for a half hour or more. They are often ambush predators, waiting motionless below the surface for a fish or frog to happen by. Then, the long neck strikes with lightning speed, and the surprised prey is eaten with a few gulps.

Snappers may bury themselves under the mud in shallow water, waiting for something edible to happen by. When they need to breathe, they simply raise their long neck to the surface.

Young snappers eat insects, worms, leeches, crayfish, small fish, or dead animals. Adult turtles eat larger prey including frogs, toads, snakes, turtles, small mammals, and even ducklings. Both eat plants as well, for a third of their diet.

Being rather fierce--and protected by scales and strong jaws--snappers don't require as much protection from their shell. They look like they have badly outgrown their shells--seeming to bulge out of them.

Snappers won't attack swimmers, but if you pick them up, they have very long necks that can take a serious bite--even remove your finger.

Don't confuse the common snapper with the alligator snapping turtle Macrochelys temminckii, found in southern states. The record for an alligator snapper was over 260 pounds. These turtles look much more fierce and primitive than the common snapper. Their most distinctive feature is a worm-like red lure on the bottom of their mouth. They open their jaws wide to display the lure, and wait....

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Find out more about snappers

Popular snapping turtle website
Wikipedia articles on common snappers and alligator snappers.

Wingra springs threatened by heavy pumping

2011-12-06T16:27:00.000-06:00

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Over the years, a number of springs on the shores of Lake Wingra have gone dry. Vigorous springflow is important, because it helps to keep Lake Wingra clean. Improved spring flow is part of the restoration plan for the lake.

The Odana Infiltration Project, costing over $2 million, was supposed to restore groundwater in the area by pumping stormwater into the ground. But now that project is in limbo, since it was found that the groundwater was being contaminated--over legal limits--from the salty runoff they were pumping.

Still, a number of springs in the area continue to flow--to the delight of residents in the area.

Western Council Ring Spring--a window into a healthy underground.

Now, heavy pumping of groundwater is occurring at two construction sites in the area:

Parman Place at Monroe & Glenway St

The blue hose to the left is carrying the pumped groundwater.

Steve Glass sent me the following report:

You may have heard the recent report that excavation at the Parman's Place project has opened up a large underground water vein or spring (estimated flow rate of >50 gallons per minute, but no one will really know until it is measured with a pygmy flow meter).

According to reports, "the contractor is de-watering the site (under their de-watering permit related to petroleum contamination of the site) and diverting the flow into the sanitary storm sewer."

Also, according to reports, "the contractor expects that continuous pumping will be required to keep the sub-grade de-watered."

These reports and the possibility of continuous pumping raise numerous ecological and hydrological issues for the watershed, the lake itself, and the wetlands bordering it.

There are many unknowns. For example, scientists don't know with certainty the groundwater flow path, so the major question is how will this new spring opening impact existing ground water discharge rates and flow patterns? Increase them? Decrease them? No impact?

Ken Bradbury of the Geological and Natural History Survey has suggested (according to one source) that Parman's construction might disrupt flow to existing springs and pointed to the nearby Council Spring complex just off Arbor Drive in the Arboretum as a possible candidate for disrupted flow.

We have a record of recent flow rates (gallons per minute) for the past few years for the Council Springs complex and will be able to make some comparison of before and after flow rates.

"Continuous pumping" over many years--sounds like a big waste of energy. Could the groundwater be used for heating and cooling.... or for a beautiful fountain?

Next to Wingra Park behind Jac's restaurant

At this second construction site, there is a lot of groundwater flowing into this excavation, requiring a lot of pumping. As required by law, the flow is being filtered through a large bladder resting next to Arbor Dr.

Water from the bladder is seeping into the storm sewer--hence it's lost from the ground and from the springs.

Another problem is that a lot of sediment is escaping from the bladder, and getting into the gutter. It's only a short distance to the lake. Sediment is the main way that phosphorus gets into lakes, to stimulate noxious weed growth.

Both problems--loss of groundwater and sediment--could be solved if the bladder can be moved to a depression in Wingra Park just across Arbor Dr. In that location (right), the water would return to the water table, and the sediment would be harmless.

This construction site is violating regulations by leaving the streets very dusty and unswept after each working day.

The pumping at both sites is within a 1200 foot distance from the spring--and may therefore be subject to regulation.

Teach-in at the springs

David Liebl led a group to the Council Ring Springs to talk about the issues, according to a post on alder Sue Ellingson's facebook site.

Below: East and west branches of the Council Ring Spring.

More photos of Parman Place construction.

More photos of Wingra Park construction.

If you love the springs, make a donation to Friends of Lake Wingra.

Green gooses: Rain gardens that don't work

2011-12-06T00:13:00.003-06:00

Hardly anyone remembers the Spruce Goose. It was the largest airplane ever built--made entirely of wood, with eight engines and wings longer than a 747’s. It was completed too late for use in WW-II, and flew only once, to an altitude of 70 feet.

For some, it’s a symbol of technology that doesn’t work.

There’s plenty of incentive to make sure planes fly safely. But often, there’s no incentive to make sure rain gardens work. Sometimes, owners don’t go out in the rain to to see if runoff even gets into the garden, before paying the contractor.

One reason why some rain gardens fail is that the runoff simply misses them. In most cases, this could be corrected with a few ridges of asphalt, to redirect the flow.

Metclafe’s Sentry

This is the most ineffective rain garden I've seen. In this large parking lot, there are long rain gardens between rows of parking, with gaps in the curb to admit runoff.

Despite heavy rainfall, no runoff is entering this rain garden, because of improper grading.

During a heavy downpour, almost all the runoff simply failed to enter the gardens. This was partly because the gardens and their openings weren’t much lower than the gutter. And partly because there was nothing in the gutter to deflect the fast-moving gutter flow towards the garden (below). More photos.

Visitor’s Parking area at MG&E

In 2003, the drainage of this large parking lot became a DNR experiment to test how well a chamber with special filters could clean the runoff, before it escaped to Lake Monona.

They tested the runoff before it entered the filters, and after it came out, to see how well the filters worked.

Early on, the researchers noticed a lot less rainwater was coming out of the filter, compared to what fell on the lot. So they watched the parking area during rain, and "drew a red line" around the area that actually drained to the filters.

MG&E parking lot, site of the filter experiment.

The yellow line outlines the whole lot; the red line outlines the area that actually drains to the filter.

Although the parking area was 1.3 acres, they found that only .91 acres of the lot drained to the filters. The rest spilled out into the bordering streets, bypassing the filter. In other words, because the lot wasn't sloped correctly to capture all the water, only 70% of the water falling on the lot actually went to the filter. For the runoff that actually made it to the device, the filters worked well.

More photos during rain. More on the filter. Scientific report.

Sequoya Commons

I'm a big fan of this large rain garden. It's beautiful, and for the most part, very effective. But runoff coming down the north side of the lot misses the garden, and instead flows out the east entrance to the street (below).

Plugged openings

Other rain gardens fail because the openings become plugged with debris.

Clogged opening for a terrace rain garden near West High School.

Later designs by the City have larger openings.

Cement dust is a hazard for children and pedestrians

2011-10-08T17:28:00.163-05:00

...

They trust us to keep them safe.

Children play near masons (behind trees) who are spreading toxic dust.

Portland cement--in its various forms--has countless applications, from driveways to the mortar between bricks.

But a significant hazard to the health of Madisonians comes from the mixing of cement.

Hoppers for mixing cement.

Sidewalk on Mineral Point Rd, near soccer fields and Memorial HS.

There are children's footprints and bike tracks in the toxic dust.

Portland cement is considered a hazardous substance" by many agencies and laws. Hazards include:

alkaline chemicals such as lime--corrosive to tissue
trace amounts of crystalline silica--abrasive to skin and can damage lungs
trace amounts of chromium--can cause allergic reactions.

Both silica and chromium can cause cancer. Probably the main danger to neighbors is from cement dust. When it blows about, it can cause eye and lung irritation, For certain sensitive people, it can be much worse--a trip to the emergency room, gasping for air. Some people are known to be very allergic to the trace levels of chromium VI found in cement.

What they are mixing: "Warning: Injurious to eyes, causes skin irritation. Keep out of reach of children." Click on photo to enlarge.

Madison--as dusty as a big industrial city

Recently, the American Lung Association identified Madison as being one of the most polluted cities in the nation, from the standpoint of short-term particulate pollution. That means dust in the air. Madison's air is nearly as dusty as that of New York City.

Construction next to Kohl Center downtown.

The Lung Association has estimated that Dane County has tens of thousands of people who are at risk from these high levels of air pollution. This means people with asthma and allergies, chronic lung diseases, the elderly, and children. For the young, it translates to days missed from school.

Construction sites are Madison's largest heavy industry. And the way they generate dust is poorly regulated. Construction sites themselves are bare, and generate a LOT of dust on windy days.

Big tires, lots of mud tracked from N. Henry St, downtown. The gravel pad, which is supposed to control muddy tracks, was too short for this vehicle.

Another problem is that construction sites are typically muddy, and the mud clings to tires. We're talking about big tires, with many pounds of mud per tire... and many tires per vehicle. The mud is spread about on streets so thinly that we hardly notice it.

But mud tracked onto the highways is ground into the pavement, where it's mixed with other toxic things--like oil, asbestos, gasoline additives, and illicit dumps into the gutters.
Ground under the tires, this toxic brew adheres to the tiny particles--which then...

wash to the lakes with the next storm
or are blown into the air.

So small particles, inhaled, become a way for toxic things to get into our bodies. We wouldn't eat street dust--so why should we have to breathe it?

Many other sources of dust: Bare ground at dumps, quarries, and industrial yards like this one at MG&E.

The Madison Health Department has authority to regulate these hazards. The Engineering Department also has authority to regulate dust, because when it rains, dust becomes muddy stormwater. The two should team up, with Health focusing on the most toxic issues, such as the location of cement hoppers, and the spilling of concrete slurry to the gutter in neighborhoods.

I thought concrete was safe... It's everywhere, even in my own basement. Should I be concerned about that?

No... solid concrete is safe. That's because everything, including the toxic traces, is locked up in solid form. It's only when the concrete or cement is turned into something mobile--dust or slurry--that it becomes a concern. That's why safe disposal of these mobile wastes is important.

Another answer is: "It's not quite as safe as we thought." By this, I mean that as more and more concrete accumulates in the environment, the toxic things can build up. More and more people mean more construction. Chromium, probably the most dangerous thing in cement, has been found in Madison's tapwater (at very low levels). So the buried cement, and slurry dumped onto the ground, may be slowly making its way into the groundwater. Also, with more time, we're finding out health problems we didn't know about before.

Concrete is made when you add relatively harmless sand and/or gravel to cement. Concrete is only about 15% cement. So pure cement dust (before it becomes concrete) is the most toxic of all.

. . . . . . . . . .

Let them know how you feel about toxic dust next to schools

(Share your call experience by making a comment below.)

Doug Voegeli, Director of Environmental Health Division 243-0360  dvoegeli@publichealthmdc.com

City official responsible for enforcing erosion control at this site
Tim Troester, 267-1995 ttroester@cityofmadison.com
Follow inspections here. This site (as of 10/9) had not been inspected since 9/12.

Alder for this district, Mark Clear, 695-5709, District19@cityofmadison.com

James Madison Memorial High School, Bruce Dahmen, Principal. 663- 5990.

Tri-North Builders  Overall contractor. Tri-North has a history of poor compliance with erosion-control regulations.

Mark Butteris of Tri-North 271-8717 mbutteris@tri-north.com
He did the last erosion control self-inspection of 9/12. He found the gravel tracking pads (which prevent dust on streets) "ineffective" at that time. When I visited the site on 9/27, one of the main pads was still ineffective (missing or buried--see right).  There is much that we like about erosion control at this site, but the dust control (especially cement) at this windy site is a disaster. By 10/9, no additional inspections have been posted here, even though there was rain of 1.09 inches on Sept 26 (Middleton). Inspections are mandated after every storm of 1/2 in or more.

Corner Stone Construction Masonry Contractors, Janesville. 608-758-4005. There's a sign for this firm onsite, but we're not sure if they are the ones operating the mixers.

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Photos: Overview of cement mixing abuse at three locations in Madison.

Complete photos of Tri-North Construction site at Grand Canyon & Mineral Point roads, with commentary.

Photos: Toxic sludge in your neighborhood's gutter.

UW student group cleans up Wingra Creek

2011-09-27T00:41:00.005-05:00

On September 29, a UW student group called "Clean Up Wingra Creek" turned out from 8-10 am.

They assembled under the leadership of Kohldon Boydston, President and Founder. Despite light rain, seven students turned out. They picked up both sides from Fish Hatchery Rd east to the edge of Goodman Park (except for the last 2.5 blocks on the south side).

I worked with a freshman from Los Angeles--we talked about how the Los Angeles River is being rehabilitated. He said it probably has a long ways to go.

I was impressed with the robust prairie vegetation planted several years ago on the banks. The aquatic vegetation planted on submerged "terraces" also seemed healthy. Beavers had cut a few of the planted saplings.

Just after we finished, a group of middle school students came paddling down the creek in canoes. They probably launched from Wright Middle School on Fish Hatchery Rd. There is a landing and stored canoes visible at the school.

So the students benefited from our work, and enjoyed a clean stream along with the fall colors!

Lake Wingra has a "Sister Lake" in Massachusetts

2011-08-24T15:16:00.008-05:00

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What if you had a chance to go back in time, to protect Lake Wingra, or Lake Mendota, before it became polluted? Fantasy? No...

Today, you have a chance to do just that... by protecting a pristine lake that looks like Lake Wingra did in 1850.

Hawksnest Pond today...
prinstine water, because the shore is perfectly preserved.

Lake Wingra has a "sister pond" in Massachusetts. It's called Hawksnest Pond. Hawksnest State Park is so neglected and abused it doesn't even have an official sign.

Lake Wingra and Hawksnest Pond are sisters...

About the same size.
Wingra has many springs... Hawksnest is fed entirely by pure groundwater.
Shorelines of both lakes are mostly public, protected lands.
Land surrounding Wingra is urbanized; lands beyond Hawksnest Park are rapidly urbanizing.
Wingra aspires to some water clarity; Hawksnest is still incredibly pristine.
Lake Wingra has the world-famous UW Arboretum; Hawksnest is home to two endangered species and two species of special concern.

Find hout more about Hawksnest here.

The Power of a Pond

2011-07-07T16:29:00.005-05:00

Henry David Thoreau wrote Walden during his two-year stay in a tiny shack on the shores of the pond. It became a best-seller when his literary friends promoted it after his untimely death. As Thoreau gained a worldwide following for his environmental philosophy, the pond itself became a celebrity.

Now people are loving the pond to death. It receives 700,000 visitors a year, who come to worship Thoreau’s legacy, or just to swim in one of the few freshwater ponds near Boston.

Walden Pond today.

Due to neglect by authorities, along with heavy use, the shores of the pond became severely eroded. Erosion degraded the pond experience, made of mockery of Thoreau’s environmental philosophy, and harmed water quality.

A few years ago, State officials decided to renovate the shores with “bioengineering”--using sophisticated planting techniques to rebuild and the shoreline with living vegetation. Access to the shoreline from a trail around the pond was also strictly controlled with a waist-high wire fence and patrol by rangers. The restoration effort took years, costing millions of dollars.

Walden Pond continues to inspire people today, just as it did Thoreau. Despite the heavy visitation, one can still find quiet nooks to relax or touch the same vein of insight into nature that moved Thoreau.

Walden was the first pond to become an international celebrity. To a person who cares about Madison's environment, Walden offers many lessons.

Ponds can make a splash in the world

The first is that a simple pond, backed by an idea and people who care, can make a difference in the world. Without Thoreau, Walden would have always been just an abused pond. With his writings, Thoreau did the hard work to breathe meaning into Walden.

But the meaning of Dane County's five lakes (and many smaller ponds) is still being shaped. It's up to conservationists, scientists, and artists to bolster the cultural value of our lakes. For example, recently a group of musicians, poets, and storytellers got together at Arboretum Cohousing for a celebration of Lake Wingra.

Perhaps our lakes will never be more than a scenic backdrop to the Capitol, or a place to fish and rev up the muscleboat.  Or, maybe Dane County could be the birthplace of a new movement of local people--who create “communities of caring” around unique neighborhood greenspaces. When people work together for something they care about, relationships and friendships are strengthened. The whole community—not just the lake, becomes a better place.

The opposite is also true. When you neglect and mistreat our lakes, you are setting an example for children. You are saying to them: “We’re using them up as fast as we can. We don’t care about your future enjoying the lake.”

You are saying to kids: “Freedom to toss bottles is more important than responsibility to safeguard a community resource.” So if you--as a construction site manager--allow muddy runoff, don’t expect your children to do their homework. You have already set an example with your actions that their future isn’t important.

Protect shorlines

The second lesson is that the shorelines of ponds are fragile. We haven't done nearly enough in Dane County to protect shorelines. For example, on the vacant property next to the Edgewater Hotel, there is a huge, caving bank, eroding into Lake Mendota. Much of the University's shoreline is not well-protected.

Neglect means loss

The third lesson from Walden is that it takes some planning and effort to protect a pond. In today’s crowded world, you can’t continue to neglect a resource like our lakes, and expect them to be attractive for your children.

At Walden, there’s a large infrastructure and workforce to protect the pond. There are parking lots for hundreds of cars (filled to capacity the day I visited). There are gift shops and garages and rest rooms. There is even a stable for mounted rangers.

When things got bad enough at Walden, Massachusetts spent over a million dollars on restoration. Although our lakes endure visitation on the same scale as Walden's, we have no comperable program to restore shorelines or engage in serious protection.

More than just a pond

A fourth lesson is that a lake is far more than just a place to swim or sail. How we care for our lakes and other special places sets a tone of caring and cooperation for the community.

A coin with two sides

In Thoreau's time, the country was on a fast-track to industrialization. A few years before he built his cabin by the pond, railroad track had already been laid next to the pond.   But nature was still easy to find near most of America's towns and cities.

If Thoreau were to return from the dead for a week, no doubt he’d revisit Walden Pond for the memories. But I don’t think he’d stay there long.   He'd go looking for a place like Walden that hadn't yet been trashed--he'd have to search far and wide.

Today, it's a lot harder to find your Walden. As Thoreau's ghost searched, I think he'd come to realize that what's relevant today is not escaping back to nature, as the Transcendentalists preached, but somehow incorporating nature more into our daily lives.

Today, many small spots around Madison retain some of the qualities that Thoreau immortalized in his writings—greenways, stormwater ponds, and other forgotten spots. You don't have to travel 1000 miles to Walden to find what inspired Thoreau.

Our duty is clear: Protect greenspace and watersheds, AND build community around these places. Yes, protecting greenspace might be a little inconvenient at times.

All things of great value—your home, your children, your love—are coins with two sides. Responsibility is on the other side of the coin. So it is with a simple pond.

Sustainability at the UW in Madison

2011-06-18T01:16:00.031-05:00

When I attended the recent New Urbanism conference at Monona Terrace on June 4, the UW had a display there, boasting about its sustainability.

That was a new one for me... so I decided to look into it.

The Princeton Review sent a questionnaire to over 700 colleges and universities, then gave each a sustainability score. Their list of green colleges was 311 long--but the UW Madison didn't make the list. (The UW-Milwaukee, -Oshkosh, -Eau Claire, and -Stevens Point did make the list.)

Let's take a tour of Campus

to see how the environment is doing

Animals are always treated well on Campus.

Along the shore of beautiful University Bay, a haven for wildlife.

At the Union, come on in... the swimming's fine!

The west side of Campus features acres of playing fields, and wetland habitat.

Campus is close to downtown shopping. Whoops!--watch the splash of toxic waste from the gutter.

We're bike friendly. Access point to SW Commuter bike path.

How's the air? New housing under construction close to the lake, on Mendota Court. Toxic masonry dust requires face masks for workers--students beware. Madison's air was on a list for the worst in the nation.

Construction next to the Kohl Center contributes to Madison's failing grade on air quality.

Rain garden, UW-style. (You won't find many on Campus.)

The UW's three plants withdraw vast quantities of water from Lake Mendota.

In a project to compensate for one of these plants, MG&E is injecting salty water into our aquifer, leading to salt levels in groundwater that exceed legal pollution standards.

Building a bigger future, but not a sustainable future.

Typical regard for erosion regulations at Campus construction projects.

Stormwater runoff from the UW at Lake St.
All mud and litter on Campus flow to the lake.

The Princeton Review's Guide to 311 Green Colleges.
Stanford University's sustainability program.

Glacier under Mt. Walker survives into June

2011-06-18T00:20:00.007-05:00

Mt. Walker hides a remnant of ice, under a mantle of garbage.

Question: Where can you still find winter ice in Madison?

Answer: Under scenic Mt. Walker, on the west end of Campus.

It's a favorite stop for geology field trips, where students can see how things looked at the end of the ice age. The rubble, called "parking lot till," lies strewn about the site. All you have to do, is imagine the pieces of muffler or exhaust pipe are mammoth bones, and it's easy to believe you're viewing the end of the ice age.

The blanket of garbage, containing salt, drippings from engines, and litter, protects the ice from the sun.

Yup... there it is. Ice... in Madison... in June.

Dumping garbage by the lake is an old UW tradition. Years ago, a dump was located where Lot 60 is now situated. What a useful way to cap a landfill! Around the edges, you can see brown fluid seeping out, towards the lake (right).

In the late 1960s, the Charter St. heating plant used to dump fly ash in the Marsh just south of Mt. Walker, until students reported it to DNR. The UW barn also dumped manure into the wetland. Where the trucks had tipped their loads, the area looked like a range of small mountains.

Eventually, it was all bulldozed flat, except for a small portion left unfilled. This is what became the Class of 1918 Wetland--now touted as an environmental achievement.

# # #

First story on Mt. Walker

Second story on Mt. Walker
More photos of ice under Mt. Walker in June.
At the recent New Urbanism conference in Madison on June 4, 2011, the UW had a booth. They claimed "The...UW-Madison is a nationally recognized university for sustainability."

Work on Secret Pond reconstrution begins

2011-06-17T16:14:00.008-05:00

Eroded channel of Manitou Creek, a bit upstream of Secret Pond. More photos

Update 6/21: According to Steve Glass, the project has begun with a misstep. The project's Chapter 30 permit requires that the heavy equipment coming to the project be clean of soil, to avoid introducing invasive species. The first bulldozer to arrive was dirty.

Below is a letter sent to residents by Gary A. Brown, Director, Campus Planning and Landscape Architecture:

"We are writing to let you know that the long planned Secret Pond rehabilitation project will commence this summer. You may have attended our public meetings on this project during 2008. Since this time we have been working to minimize the effect of the project on the Arboretum by reducing its size, and developing a restoration plan for the failed Secret Pond basin (see attached plan).

Now we are ready to begin construction, and wanted to contact you to let you know to expect a change in the view over the project site. We have already moved valuable viburnum and arborvitae specimens to the north of the new pond (along Nakoma Road). We will also be removing several large cottonwood trees within the construction site, and smaller trees along the downstream ditch. These areas will be restored with native plantings.

Construction is to begin in late June and be completed in September 2011 with site restoration continuing into October 2011.

During the construction, there will be heavy equipment operating within the fenced boundary of the construction site. Truck traffic will be limited to Nakoma Road, with site entry and exit at the foot of Huron Hill where there is presently an opening in the stone wall.

We apologize in advance for any inconvenience or disruption that this project may cause you. We hope that you will share with us the expectation that this project will result in an improvement to the landscape and to water quality in the marsh and Lake Wingra. If you have any questions about the project, please contact: Gary Brown via e-mail gbrown@fpm.wisc.edu."

More details

"There will be regular bi-weekly progress meetings in addition to the day to day inspections."

The detailed plans and bid specifications are on the internet, but you will need to get a login from Div. of State Facilities (DSF).

To avoid having the pond overflow from a storm during construction, "runoff will be diverted around the project during construction. The pond will not be filled until it is completed and the drainage channel is stabilized."

Are there plans to prevent spreading the Japanese knotweed infestation which occurs near the pond? "That area will be stripped and graded, and the subsequent restoration has a three year warranty for the removal of invasive species." The answers in quotes, thanks to UW engineer David Liebl.

Project cost

The cost was one of the controversial aspects. The low bidder was Veit Company, Milwaukee, WI. The bid was for $1,019, 414. This was over $600,000 lower than the next lowest bid.

That's a lot of dollars which could have been spent on other watershed improvements, or on a more biological approach to stormwater control. The cost is high, in part because (under the current plan) huge volumes of soil will have to be removed from the Arboretum and trucked away.

# # #

Details of this controversial project, from UW's point of view.
Details from the Arboretum's point of view.
Link showing how construction of stormwater basins can cause erosion and sediment problems, which must be charged against their sediment control benefits.
Link to DOA portal to documents on the project.
Link to DOA portal for all projects. Scroll down 1/3 of way to see Secret Pond details. Project manager is: Jim McMillan, DSF, 101 E Wilson St - 7th Fl (53703), PO Box 7866 , Madison, WI 53707-786.
Office Phone: (608) 266-3855
Fax Number: (608) 267-2710
Email Address: jim.mcmillan@wisconsin.gov

2011 summer solstice bonfire--a perfect evening

2011-06-17T11:55:00.009-05:00

See all the photos here.

It was a perfect balmy summer evening--dew on the air, fireflies coming out. As I approached the park, wood smoke wafted my way.

From the edge of the park on Glenway St., a freshly mulched path plunged into the darkness. There were a few candles along the path, and in the distance, a bonfire flickered. Chords of a guitar hung faintly in the air.

Although it was 10:00 pm, only 10 people remained at the bonfire. A tornado warning had put a dent in attendance.

In Scandinavia, the idea is to have a bonfire to celebrate the midnight sun--then sing, drink, and talk into the small hours of morning. I guess there weren't enough Scandinavians present (despite the memory of Jens Jensen).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

This year's event was organized by Peter Nause and other members of the DMNA Parks Committee.

Comments on City plans to control Japanese knotweed

2011-06-16T14:06:00.004-05:00

The following comments were sent by Steve Glass, Restoration Ecologist at the UW Arboretum. He will soon post additional comments on his blog, WingraSprings.

It's good that the City is planning action against Japanese knotweed and other species.

It's good that the City will be hiring knowledgeable and experienced restoration ecology professionals to tackle the pest species.

It's good that the City has mapped out a target area and drawn a line in the sand beyond which the pest won't be allowed to spread.

The proposal is timely, both in terms of seasonal vulnerability of knotweed and the social and neighborhood interest.

Questions

Clarify what "removal" means.
Does the City aim for eradication, or containment (to a specified area) or control (reduction in density and distribution)?
Does the City plan to dig out the Japanese knotweed?
What does the City envision the site will look like when the pest species have been replaced by desirable vegetation?
What is the plan to replace the pest species with desirable vegetation?
What are the plans for erosion control on steep slopes where knotweed now dominates?
There are existing prairie plantings along the path. These have been planted by neighborhood associations and volunteer groups with the support and approval of City Engineering. What are the plans to protect these areas from pest plant control efforts?

Once established, Japanese knotweed is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to eradicate. Some actions such as repeated mowing or herbicide application can be somewhat effective but these must be carried out consistently and persistently for several years.

Opportunities

Volunteer groups stand ready to help.
Contain the spread by adopting management practices (mowing, snow plowing, excavation) that avoid spreading the plant or making the situation worse.

Not sustainable--the construction industry in Madison

2011-06-14T03:52:00.015-05:00

Recently, the American Lung Association named Madison as one of the most polluted cities in the nation from particle pollution--dust and smoke.

There's construction all over downtown Madison. Dust is being tracked onto streets every day, and is being blown out of construction sites on windy days.

Covering sources of dust

Findorff site before covering, & after. Click to enlarge.

I thank Findorff for covering their piles of bare soil, about a week after my first complaint. To my knowledge, this is a first in Madison*, and very welcome.

Despite the plastic cover, most of the site is still exposed to wind and tires.

However, most of the Findorff site (next to the Kohl Center) is still bare, the gravel pad is still inadequate, and much dust is still being tracked out. The clouds of dust I saw blowing from this site originated from the gravel pad area on the west side of the site, not from the soil now covered with plastic.

Sweeping

Madison could do much more to control dust on the streets. Usually streets aren't swept periodically during the day, or even at the end of the work day (as required by City contracts).

Even when bobcat sweepers are used at the end of the day, they are quite ineffective.

What's needed is for city street sweepers to clean busy streets near construction sites several times a day, during construction. These machines are designed for the task and more effective than bobcats.

Washing tires

Another essential to control the dust is to make tire washing a requirement at construction entrances. Tire washing is already an approved BMP, but never used in Madison (to my knowledge).

Contractors argue there isn't room on most construction sites. They say there would be a problem with the water and mud produced. It's true that some construction sites are very tight.

But at the Findorff site next to the Kohl Center, we have a construction site producing huge quantities of dust in the air--and mud on the streets... but this entrance is IDEAL for tire washing.

There's plenty of room on pavement, outside the entrance and away from traffic, to wash tires.

Stormwater drains or grassy areas nearby could accept filtered effluent.

Most of the muddy water from washing tires could be recycled, to be used again.

This "dumpster filter" was set up by Miron Construction at a very crowded site to filer muddy water.

A similar filter could be used by Findorff to recycle tire-washing water.
When the dumpster fills with mud, it could be dewatered using the bag filter (foreground), then carted off for disposal.

Findorff has a perfect location to wash tires. There really isn't any excuse not be a responsible member of the community at this site.

Construction--still out of control, after 40 years of effort

The construction industry is the last large industry without sufficient control of pollution.

There are good regulations, and progress has been made--but not enough to control the problems of pollution from construction.

Nineteen percent of the phosphorus pollution in Madison's lakes still comes from construction erosion, and you can easily see how construction downtown contributes to our severe air pollution.

The reasons for failure are complex--but in a nutshell:

It IS difficult to control construction pollution, due to cramped and disorganized sites, changing weather, and a multitude of subcontractors.
Byzantine regulations and fuzzy responsibilities.
Lack of political will. The City or State agencies are policing themselves.
Unlike permanent factories, construction sites are dispersed and temporary.

Beyond construction sites

Cattell's illegal dumping**

Construction sites are just one part of a larger industry. To understand the full impact of construction, you have to also consider production of concrete (and other pavements), mud on roads, dumps, quarries, and the recycling or disposal of concrete and other construction rubble.

Careless disposal of concrete slurry and wash water is polluting our lakes via storm sewers (right), polluting the soil around trees (stunting their growth), and adding toxic dust to the air. The chromium in concrete may be getting into our groundwater and drinking water.

I have followed trucks leaking mud for over six miles. The mud tracked from tires onto streets is so widely dispersed as to be almost invisible, yet it sifts onto large areas, and eventually becomes toxic dust or water pollution. The mud tracked from construction sites, collectively, adds up to huge quantities.

Additional construction operations are also tracking mud and blowing dust:

Quarries

Landfills

Concrete production and recycling operations

The home bases of construction firms

The bottom line--health

There are tens of thousands of people in Dane County whose health is threatened by our dusty air. These are the sensitive population--people with heart disease, diabetes, emphysema, chronic obstructive lung disease, asthma, the elderly, and children. These sensitive people are concentrated in the downtown in schools, hospitals, and housing for the elderly. Officials--and responsible contractors--cannot continue to ignore these vulnerable members of our community.

The City (or State) wants to keep costs down for construction projects. For this reason, they are lax in planning and enforcing to reduce erosion and dust from construction.

Contractors feel competitive pressures to bid low on dust and erosion control measures.

So ultimately, it's the responsibility of government to raise the bar and enforce higher standards.

Everyone complains about escalating healthcare costs. Yet construction in Madison is adding to medical costs. When a child is rushed to the emergency room with a severe asthma attack, there's no smoking gun saying a contractor was responsible. But scientifically and statistically, the connection is there--the link has been proven with 50 years of public health data.

How are we going to balance the costs of construction... with the cost in lives and health care dollars? It's time to start the debate.

And what about the image of Madison as one of the most polluted (and unhealthy) cities in the nation? An image like that won't attract the growth that fuels construction.

Our lakes are too dirty to swim, our groundwater is becoming too contaminated to drink (at some wells), and now our air is on the "most polluted" list. Once upon a time, Madison was rated the "most livable" city.

This is not what SUSTAINABILITY looks like.

# # #

* I have seen using fabric to protect steep slopes from water erosion at three sites in Madison, in order of occurrence: Target store at Hilldale, Terra Construction at Library Mall, and Findorff on Dayton St. The Findorff site next to the Kohl Center is the first I am aware of to protect soil from wind erosion. Some progress.

** Raymond P. Cattell, Inc., probably dumped this concrete slurry into the storm sewer on Johnson St. just west of State St. The work was on a block of concrete pavement in the street. There was no Cattell stamp on the concrete work, but since Cattell dumped slurry to the gutter further to the west, and is working to the east near the square, this is likely a Cattell deed. Not only was slurry allowed to run in the gutter to a storm sewer inlet, but waste (possibly leftover concrete) was dumped directly into the upstream inlet. Photo 6/13/11.

City requests proposals for control of invasive plants

2011-06-13T22:01:00.003-05:00

.
On June 3, the City Engineering Division requested proposals from landscapers for control of invasive plants. An informational meeting will be held at the work locations on June 17, to answer contractor's questions, and bids are due on June 28. The project is being managed by Glenn Clark. Details.

The project will cover portions of the Southwest Commuter Bike Path and the Capital City Bike Path, plus a patch of Japanese Knotweed on the west bank of Starkweather Creek.

The project aims to reduce the large infestations of Japanese Knotweed, plus other invasive species: "The goal of the project is to manage or discourage the continued growth of species such as Japanese Knotweed, Garlic Mustard, Japanese Hops, Japanese Hedge Parsley, Cottonwood, and Box Elder."

For the work along the Capital City path, the contractor will remove Japanese Knotweed at five private properties along Sargent Street. (The RFP doesn't state whether removal of Japanese Knotweed will be required on private properties along the SW Bike Path.)

This project does not address the infestations of Japanese Knotweed on a number of City terraces in the Sunset Village Neighborhood, or in the Hillcrest-Upland Greenway.

Also, there is a clone of Japanese Knotweed in the Arboretum near Secret Pond. This clone will have to be eradicated before proposed work on the pond is begun--otherwise, earthmoving equipment will only spread the weed.

It's getting harder to find sites for new city wells

2011-06-11T00:07:00.016-05:00

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During a recent exploration of unseen Madison spots, I had a chance to find out how hard it is to protect groundwater and find new well sites.

As Madison grows, we need more wells. As more areas become contaminated, wells have to be abandoned, and there are fewer places where you can put a new well.

Exploring an old landfill--now home to Terra

Early last spring, when I found myself on the east side of town, I decided to explore the woods by the state offices at the end of Agriculture Rd.

There was a nice path, but I quickly came to a huge dump. Part of it was capped (imperfectly), and part was still receiving construction debris and snow removed from parking lots.

Salvaged concrete blocks were piled into mountains.

Concrete contains chromium--recently found in city tap water.

Deflected by a fence around the property, I turned E and went around the dump. It turned out the be the home base of Terra Engineering & Construction--for offices and storage of equipment.

I descended into a wetland, then continued N along the fence and a small creek.

I found several places where chemicals were seeping out of the ground, and leaking into the stream.

Gobs of green algae in the stream indicated high levels of nitrogen, headed for Mud Lake.

Later I found this had been a landfill site.

Next, I found snow that had been dumped by Terra into the creek from a gate in the fence. The snow contained a lot of debris--I suspect the dumping was illegal.

Reaching the NE corner, I turned E along the tracks, next to a ditch with dirty water and dozens of old tires. Mosquitoes breed in the stagnant water trapped in the tires.

Along the tracks were large stacks of old RR ties. These contain toxic preservatives that can leach out of the wood.

See all the photos.

Looking for a new well location

I filed the photos away, and forgot about the old dump, until today. That's when I stumbled over a report to Madison's water utility, evaluating five possible areas for a new well* on the East side.

I was surprised to find that one of the possible well sites was just to the west of the old dump and Terra headquarters.

What amazed me most was the map included in the report (on p. 16). There are lots of old dumps in and around Madison. There are many potential sources of contamination--marked on the map in a kaleidoscope of colors.

So many areas are already contaminated, or vulnerable to contamination from failures of storage tanks or pipelines, that there aren't many places left for a well. Out of five potential areas for wells, the study ruled out three.

For example, there's an industrial site along I-90 now owned by GE Health. The former owner, Ohmeda, contaminated it with toxic chemicals, which GE is trying to clean from the groundwater.

Putting the map down, an image jumped into my mind. The groundwater of Dane County is like a big lake. The 340,000 inhabitants of the county are like the passenger of a crowd of ships on the lake. They are all throwing their garbage into the lake, and at the same time, lowering buckets to draw their drinking water out of the same lake.

The experts at the Water Utility are doing their best to make sure our buckets miss the worst garbage. But as time passes, it's getting harder and harder to find clean water.

That's why it makes no sense for MG&E to be pumping polluted water into the ground at Odana Hills, as a way of replenishing our groundwater.

# # #

* A new well for Pressure Zone 4.

Groundwater at Odana exceeds standards for salt

2011-06-10T09:57:00.002-05:00

The Cogeneration plant on the west side of the UW campus is allowed to withdraw large amounts of water from Lake Mendota, based on a complicated swap agreement with DNR.

That agreement called for an infiltration field at the Odana Hills Golf Course, where up to 60 million gallons a year of stormwater are pumped into the soil. Background.

One of the problems with this agreement is that the water being pumped into the soil is rather salty, due to overuse of road salt in the area. Several test wells in the area show levels of salt over the Enforcement Standard. In other words, the groundwater is starting to become polluted with salt.

The following is a DNR explanation of what the standards and terms mean (the underlines are mine):

"The preventive action limit represents a lesser concentration of the substance than the Enforcement Standard. The PAL is either 10%, 20%, or 50% of the enforcement standard... based on the health-related characteristics of the particular substance. Ten percent is used for cancer-causing substances, 20% for substances with other health effects and 50% for substances having aesthetic or other public-welfare concerns.

The preventive action limit serves two purposes. First, the PAL must be used in design codes for facilities (e.g., landfill design) and management practices (e.g., pesticide use regulations) so that contamination is prevented through use of stringent designs code regulations to assure that they conform to the PALs to the extent technically and economically feasible.

The second purpose of the PAL is to serve as a "trigger" for remedial actions. Exceeding a preventive action limit creates the possibility that some regulatory response may be necessary. Where a preventive action limit is attained or exceeded, the regulatory agency is required to evaluate the situation and take action necessary to reduce the concentration of the substance below the preventive action limit or at the lowest concentration feasible. When preventive action limits are exceeded, a regulatory agency may prohibit continuation of the activity, which is the source of the problem. However, to do so the agency would be required to meet specific statutory requirements. Preventive action limits are intended to provide regulatory agencies time to take preventive measures to ensure that the enforcement standard is not attained or exceeded.

Enforcement standards define when a violation has occurred. When a substance is detected in the groundwater in concentrations equal to or greater than its enforcement standard, the activity, practice or facility that is the source of the substance is subject to immediate enforcement action. Unlike a PAL, when an enforcement standard has been attained or exceeded, a regulatory agency must prohibit the continuation of the activity from which the substance came, unless it is demonstrated to the agency that an alternative response will achieve compliance with the enforcement standard."

Some quotes from NR 140 Groundwater Quality:

"Although a preventative action limit is not intended to always require remedial action, activities affecting groundwater must be regulated to minimize the level of substances to the extent technically and economically feasible, and to maintain compliance with the preventative action limits unless compliance with the preventative action limits is not technically and economically feasible."

Clearly, through a salt reduction program, reduction of salt in Odana Pond is technically and economically feasible. My observations in March show that salt use on the West Side is excessive and could be reduced.

My reading of these documents is that the PAL is where enforcement activities kick in. If the ES level is reached, then the enforcement is still more severe. One of the key things we have to determine is where (i.e. which well) is the measurement point that has to meet the goundwater standards--the two wells downstream, or the well within the infiltration field.

The full text of Chapter 140. Groundwater Quality
History and explanation of the Odana project

A trek to Secret Pond

2011-06-10T02:07:00.007-05:00

The morning after a storm, three adventurers head into the wetlands of Lake Wingra, looking for the legendary "Secret Pond."

After more than two hours of soggy hiking, Gordon Heingartner said:

"I think my feet are beginning to rot!"

To be continued...

In the meantime, you can see more photos here.

Contractors--one cause of bad air in Dane County

2011-06-07T23:48:00.030-05:00

Dust lofting from Findorff* site in downtown Madison.
Note concrete waste, right center.

The American Lung Association gave the Madison area** a failing grade for particle pollution in the air. That's right, an "F."

Originally reported on WISC-TV, I decided to delve a little deeper. It was hard to believe that little old Madison, the city of blue lakes, could be so polluted.

But it's true. Here's what I found.

Madison's report card

The American Lung Association based their assessment on three years of data from the EPA. They rated counties across the USA based on ozone, short term (8 hrs) particle pollution, and long-term particle pollution. Madison got a "C" for ozone, while most of the Wisconsin counties along the lake got an "F," due to the way lake breezes trap the ozone along the shore.

But the flunking grade Madison received was based on the 8-hour particle levels. The Lung Association created a score based both the severity of periods of particle pollution, and on the number of severe events.

Madison flunked because we had 16 "orange" days over a three year period. An "orange" alert day is unhealthy for sensitive populations, which include the very young, elderly, and people with chronic disease--for example asthma and bronchitis.

That's right, Madison was on the list of the most polluted cities in the US (for short-term particle pollution).

How we compare

The Lung Association's website has a nifty widget allowing comparison of cities:

For 24-hour particle pollution, Madison ranked as the 24th most polluted out of 277 metropolitan areas. We did better (but still poorly) on other measures.

Compared to the New York area, we both flunked on particle pollution. NYC was slightly worse.

Compared to the Los Angeles area, again both flunked on particle pollution--but LA was much worse.

Health effects

Particle pollution ranges from coarse dust and pollen down to extremely microscopic particles--the smallest usually from combustion.

"Lower levels of ozone and particle pollution pose bigger threat than previously thought. A Canadian study showed that levels well below those considered safe for these pollutants triggered asthma attacks and increased the risk of emergency room visits and hospital admissions for children with asthma.6 Another study found that low levels of these pollutants increased the risk of hospital treatment for pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease." Source

There are large numbers of "sensitive people" in Dane County who could be harmed by particles in our air. For example, out of 491,000 people in our area, 39,000 have adult asthma, 16,000 have chronic bronchitis, and 7,000 have emphysema.

I'm nearly 70 years old. That puts me in a sensitive group--the elderly (Yikes!).

It's been windy in Madison the last few days--my voice has been so hoarse people have remarked about it.   I assumed it was the spring pollen--until I saw all the dust going airborne from construction sites downtown (see below). Then, I noticed the air was yellow, even though there were no clouds.   It's possible my voice problems were caused by dust that turned the sky yellow.

As I write, I'm sneezing, with eyes moist. The wind is 16 mph. Less than a mile upwind, is a Findorff* Construction site on Science Drive, surrounded by residential neighborhoods. I've followed this site over the last month or so. It's been very sloppy--a large parking lot caked with mud, and muddy tire tracks heading off-site on residential streets.

Don't assume your red eyes are caused by pollen--you may be allergic to negligent construction firms.

Sources of particles in air

Without much industry in Madison, how did we get so polluted?

Generally speaking, air in the US moves from west to east, so the further east you go, the more polluted.

The particles come from combustion (power plants and autos), pollen, and dust. I'm going to focus on the dust.

Surrounded by agricultural land, windy spring days can kick up lots of dust from bare fields. Wisconsin has a lot of fine soil left over from glacial times. Yet other Midwestern cities don't have as much particle pollution as Madison.

Construction sites are one of the last industries where pollution isn't well-controlled.  Enormous amounts of mud are washed or tracked out of construction sites. Mud on streets soon becomes dust--coated with all kinds of noxious chemicals picked up from the streets. Eventually, the dust rains out to become water pollution.

Madison has only weak enforcement for pollution from construction sites. Inspection staff are overworked, and almost never penalize the contractors they supervise. Some sites are inspected by Madison's Engineering Division. Others on campus are under the control of the State's Dept. of Administration, and inspected by the DNR.   The State is inspecting itself. More.

I"ll close with some photos of dust out of control at Findorff* Construction sites in downtown Madison, taken on 6/3 and 6/7 (click on a photo to enlarge it).

There are large areas of exposed fine soil at the Findorff site W of the Kohl Center, with no apparent controls for dust. "Polymer" is a kind of glue or moistener that is supposed to be applied to sites like this to control dust. I didn't see the telltale signs of polymer--and if it had been applied, it wasn't working.

Findorff* site just W. of the Kohl Center. There is fine dust about 6" deep on top of the gravel pad. This is where I saw large clouds of dust rising. Note grey concrete waste dumped to right--concrete dust is very hazardous. When it rains, the dust will stop, but the mud tracking will begin, starting a new cycle of mud-on-roads-to-dust.

Same location, just outside the gate. Note thick, fine dust. The gravel pad has become so buried in dust that it will be completely ineffective when it rains. To be effective, gravel pads must be maintained, cleaned, or renewed. I see few gravel pads at Findorff sites that are properly maintained.

Another Findorff entrance onto W. Dayton St., thick with dust. This is source of the dust cloud in the first photo. Concrete waste is also being dumped near this spot--perhaps that's why the dust is so grey.

On two corners along W. Johnson St., Findorff is mixing mortar. You can see the mix is getting onto the sidewalk on a windy day. The label on a bag says: "WARNING--INJURIOUS TO EYES, CAUSES SKIN IRRITATION.... In case of eye contact, immediately flush with water for at least 15 min...." Close to the sidewalk, I found an empty bag of the stuff, untied and uncovered, with dust sifting out, rocking in the wind. Workers are advised to wear face masks--what about all the students walking by?

Another dusty site nearby on Lake St. Note leaking fluid, mixing with dust. The white is likely concrete dust from cutting with a saw--very toxic to the lungs.

One of two hoppers on Lake St. containing mortar mix. In the foreground, a nearly empty bag of mix is leaking dust. This bag has the same hazard warning.

# # #

* Am I picking unfairly on Findorff? Findorff is one of many construction firms in the area that often ignore the spirit if not letter of erosion control regulations. I am focusing on Findorff because they are a large local firm, and claim to be a good citizen. But other problem firms are Tri-North, Speedway, Landgraff, and Rawson.

Yet I have observed and documented many Findorff sites with erosion control problems. In particular, Findorff often has inadequate gravel pads at their sites--and gravel pads are important in controlling dust on streets. Today, I observed three different Findorff sites downtown that were creating dust hazard through sloppy practice or omissions.

While I hope Findorff will improve, these dust problems are the final responsibility of DNR.

My grandmother used to say: "What people do when they think no one is watching--that's the true test of character."

** Madison area: The Lung Association broke down the data by several areas. One was Dane County. Another was "Madison-Baraboo." For this short article, I'll just refer to "Madison."

Go here for an area-wide prediction of air quality.

Study finds poor air quality in Madison

2011-06-04T17:00:00.009-05:00

American Lung Association said the Madison area is one of the worst places* in the country for particle pollution in the air, according to a new study.

Dust from Findorff construction site, near Kohl Center, 6/3/11.

Construction sites are a major source of dust in the air. When vehicles leave construction sites, they lay a track of mud that lasts for miles. The mud turns to road dust--soon becoming air pollution.

Many pounds of mud per tire

Defense against dust--gravel pads

A thick pad of gravel at the entrance keeps vehicle tires out of the mud.

But many contractors do not have the required 50' pads of 3"washed gravel.

Three-inch rocks are needed in the pad is to shake the mud off the tires.

Many contractors rely instead on existing pavement--for example an old parking lot next to the construction site--as a substitute for a gravel pad. But the pavement doesn't provide the shaking of the required gravel pad.

Last year, Contractor Report visited many construction sites, and found that the majority had deficient pads. Many pads were too short or covered with mud--and many sites had no pads at all.

Some contractors like Speedway Sand and Gravel (at Edgewood Av in 2010) began work before the pads were installed. Another example was 2010 construction on the Hillcrest-Upland Greenway.

This spring, the percent of construction sites with adequate pads has increased, thanks to better inspection by the City. Nevertheless, I've found deficient pads at Findorff Construction sites in Monona and Madison.

Water tight trucks

Another cause of dust from construction sites is loading wet soil into dump trucks that leave the site. Trucks carrying mud are supposed to be water tight.

Last summer, I tracked a truck dribbling mud for six miles from construction on University Avenue.

This spring, I observed muddy dribbles leaving the Miron Construction site on the UW campus (Lakeshore Residence).

Madison should begin using the "best management practice" of washing tires at construction sites.

# # #

Some contractors who ignore regulations on gravel pads

Rawson Contractors
Findorff Construction sites in Madison, Madison, & Monona
Speedway Sand and Gravel

* A few months ago we learned of Chromium in Madison's water supply. Now it's high levels of particle pollution. Is Madison slowly losing it's place as a healthy place to live?

The Odana infiltration project

2011-06-04T11:51:00.019-05:00

A complicated way of doing a simple thing

A “Rube Goldberg” machine is an impossibly complicated device that does a simple task. Rube himself was an engineer, who celebrated the spirit of invention with his cartoons. There was always some implausible step that guaranteed failure in the real world.

Cartoon by Rube Goldberg. He was an engineer.

In Madison, we are honored to have one of the largest Rube Goldberg machines in the state, hidden away in an out-of-the way corner of Odana Golf Course. But this complex machine sends its strings, pipes, wells, and band aids all over the City and beyond.

While this machine is indeed complex--it sometimes works. And it was conceived with the best intentions--to safeguard the environment and the public water supply.

Getting down to the nuts and bolts, strings and birds

In 1990s, as the University expanded to the west, there arose a need for centralized heating and cooling for the new buildings. Because this would be more efficient if combined with electrical generation, plans for a new power plant were laid.

Although this expansion had long been planned, suddenly the power plant was put on fast track. Built by MG&E on the west side of the UW Campus, it is now known as the Cogen facility, because it combines power production with heating and cooling.

The Cogen plant on the west side of the UW Campus.

The Cogen plants uses a lot of water. Most of it evaporates from the cooling towers. You can see this during cold days in winter, as huge clouds of vapor billow above the plant. All this water into the air is lost from our watershed. Additional water, used to clean filters and purify the lakewater, goes via the sewer to the Nine Springs sewage plant, where it also leaves our watershed.

Where should the water come from? There was a lot of opposition to the plant in the neighborhood. It was decided to withdraw the water from Lake Mendota, as the University had been doing for years for the Charter Street and the Walnut Street plants.

Saving the Yahara

Experts argued that withdrawing water wouldn’t harm Lake Mendota--indeed, the lake had experienced several years of high levels. Only one major consequence of using lakewater was identified. Cogen could cause a problem for the Yahara River below Lake Waubesa, where the river can get very low during drought conditions, threatening fish and ecosystems there.

So it was decided that if the Yahara was ever threatened by low flows, resulting from drought plus water taken for the Cogen plant--then water would be pumped from the ground near the Yahara and used to augment its flow.

Sounds OK so far?

Fortunately, pumping water from the ground into the Yahara would need to occur only when the Yahara got really low. That hasn’t happened since the Cogen plant was built. But the groundwater is like a reservoir, and pumping for Madison’s water supply has drawn down the reservoir. Indeed, towards the center of Madison, the level of the water table has already decreased by 60 feet.

So, to compensate for any pumping into the Yahara that might be required, a “mitigation” deal was worked out between MG&E and DNR. As a result, MG&E is required to replenish the groundwater to the tune of 50 million gallons a year. That replenishment is supposed to increase to 80.4 mgy by 2012, when the Cogen plant reaches full capacity.

This requirement was put in a Water Withdrawal Permit that allowed the plant to be built and operated. This was the first of two essential permits for plant operation.

Are you still with me? That’s just the beginning.

The University and MG&E built the power plant together. All of us use the groundwater reservoir for drinking and cooling and industry. The Madison Metropolitan Sewerage district processes the wastewater and sends it out of the watershed, mostly into Badfish Creek. Madison's Water Utililty has an interest in keeping groundwater pure and plentiful. So many stakeholders are involved--that’s partly why this project grew to Rube Goldberg proportions.

Saving the groundwater

So, how to replenish the groundwater? Acting for MG&E, Montgomery Associates looked for a solution. They evaluated a number of alternative ways for getting water back into the ground:

A system to inject treated sewage water into the ground
A system to inject stormwater into the ground
Settling ponds
Rain gardens

MG&E was in a hurry, even though the need for a West Campus plant had been known for many years. Some say the hurry was to prevent opposition to the plant in nearby University Heights from gathering force.

Because the project was on fast track, they couldn’t dilly-dally with unproven solutions like rain gardens, which take a lot of coordination with the public. There wasn’t time to seriously consider treated water from the sewage plant. The amount of land needed for large settling basins wasn‘t available.

That left the alternative of a mechanical system to inject stormwater into the subsoil. Now they had to find a location. The groundwater is a big reservoir--so it didn’t matter where the stormwater was injected--they just had to find a large supply of storm water and some unused land--with sandy soil--where the water could be injected.

The Odana Hills Golf Course turned out to be a good place--with open land and sandy soil. Nearby was Odana Pond, which receives a lot of stormwater from the Westgate Shopping center, plus neighborhoods south of the beltline.

(Link to satellite photo of recharge field here.

The recharge area is the brown triangle at the center.)

Odana Pond looking SW from a kite--Photo by Craig Wilson.

It was decided they could withdraw no more than a third of the water flowing through the pond, to keep it from drying out and harming habitat.

The Friends of Lake Wingra become involved

In the Odana area, groundwater flows from west to east, from the golf course towards Lake Wingra. Over the years, springs around Lake Wingra have been drying up, due to depletion of the groundwater reservoir. Storm water injected into the ground at Odana would, within a few decades, make its way towards the springs around Lake Wingra.

Before settlement, the low areas of the golf course, near Odana Pond, were a wetland. The pond and wetland didn’t have a surface outlet. Water simply trickled through the sandy soil towards Lake Wingra, as at Indian Lake today. It was like a huge rain garden.

When the golf course was built, they drained marshy soil by building a stormwater pipe leading towards Lake Wingra. Any dirty storm water dumping into Odana Pond now had a direct route to Lake Wingra. The load of phosphorus and sediment to the lake now increased.

But the MG&E plan called for taking water from Odana Pond and injecting it into the sand. Stormwater would would now flow through the ground, filtered all the way--dirty storm water converted to crystalline spring water.* This could help clean up Lake Wingra.

The Friends of Lake Wingra naturally became involved in the issue. The proposal to inject stormwater at Odana divided board members of the group. Most on the board believed that replenishing the groundwater was a good idea--that the lake would benefit. But others felt there was a potential for contamination of the groundwater.

Before they would endorse the project, the Friends negotiated with MG&E. They understood that water would not be injected in early spring, when water in Odana Pond was likely to be most contaminated with salt from roads. Moreover, the quality of groundwater around the injection site would be monitored. Most of the Friends board accepted these safeguards--but one board member could not agree that protections were adequate, and resigned in protest.

The Friends group had a number of experts in water resources on the board and among their advisers. Their approval helped in getting the whole plan to inject water approved. Now construction of the Cogen plant could proceed.

So a second key permit was written by DNR for discharging stormwater into the ground. This permit states that certain levels of contaminants like salt in the test wells around the site cannot be exceeded.

Saving the infiltration field

In 2005, construction began with a large square excavation in the Golf Course, not far from the beltline. The pipes would have to be surrounded by something that admits water, and also keeps the soil from closing off the holes in the injection pipes. Usually, a layer of washed gravel is used.

But MG&E was going to be pumping a lot of water, and they weren’t positive how much water the soil would accept. They were worried that even washed gravel would still have some residual rock dust that would clog up pores in the soil. So they decided instead to use plastic pellets, like the ones used in shipping boxes. The manufacturer did tests, to make sure the plastic pellets wouldn’t be squashed by the weight of the soil.

After the pipes were laid and the soil backfilled--the system didn’t work. They couldn‘t pump enough water! So they excavated the whole thing again, and found the plastic pellets squashed flat. After a lawsuit and the substitution of gravel for plastic, the system now worked. Almost.

Cleaning the filters

The water coming to Odana Pond--like most storm water--is dirty.

Main tributary to Odana Pond emerges from under Beltline. 4/1/11.

Closeup of the water in the top photo.

The same water, further downstream, near Odana project inlet.

Nutrients in the runoff stimulates toxic algae growth. Because the sediment and algae in water from the pond could clog pores in the soil below the infiltration field, the water has to be filtered before injection.

So filters remove the sediment and algae--but they can’t filter out dissolved contaminants like salt.

The filters have to be cleaned periodically. They are flushed with water from the pond (or tapwater?)--and the resulting sludge is sent through sanitary sewers to the Nine Springs plant, and out of the watershed.

This filter cleaning uses 11% of the water withdrawn from the pond, so the sewage plant has to process about 5 mgy from the Odana facility.

Pumping into the ground is limited by two things…

The amount of water the soil will accept.
The amount of water that can be withdrawn from the pond without drawing it lower than a certain level.

Given these, MG&E is reluctant to accept further limitations on pumping, such as a halt when salt levels are high in springtime.

80 million becomes 60 million

With 80.4 mgy as the permit requirement for groundwater recharge when Cogen reached full capacity, the project design aimed for that. But reality intervened. There were questions at Odana about the area needed and numbers of trees that would be cut. So the design objective was whittled down to 50 or 60 mgy.

For whatever reason, the project is having trouble pumping enough water into the ground. You can see the decline in the graph of daily volume below.

Pumping is trending downward. Soil pores are clogged?

Pumping cannot occur if the Pond falls below a certain level--to protect pond life.

The first permit requires they eventually reach 80.4 mgy, but they are only pumping about 60 mgy now. And that’s with pumping all the time. Those last three words are important…

Salt contamination in the groundwater

Early this winter, Jim Lorman was burning the night oil, checking some data from Lake Wingra. He’s on the faculty at Edgewood College, and a founding member of the Friends of Lake Wingra.

On the internet, he looked at data from the test wells, located around the Odana injection field. He saw, as expected, that salt levels peak in spring, when runoff carries road salt from the beltline and Westgate parking lots.

Chloride levels peak in winter/spring, when road salt runs off.

To avoid contaminating groundwater, FOLW wants pumping stopped when salt levels peak.

Regulatory limits are shown as horizontal lines--blue is the Enforcement Standard (250 mg/l), and black is the Preventative Action Limit (125 mg/l). Salt (blue) in the recharge field peaks high above the upper limit in the spring of three years. Lower levels of salt, still sometimes exceeding the PAL, are found at test wells (purple & green) beyond the infiltration zone.**

But more disturbing, he noticed that salt levels (measured as chloride) at two test wells, at some distance from the injection site, had exceeded the DNR's Enforcement Standard of 250 milligrams per liter (mg/l). In fact, one well had exceeded the Preventative Action Limit from the very beginning, in May of 2006.

Wisconsin’s Groundwater Quality regulations identify two important levels for each pollutant:

The Preventative Action Level (PAL). When test wells show groundwater reaches this level, DNR must be notified, and corrective action is supposed to be taken.
The Enforcement Standard (ES). This is the level not to be exceeded. More.

For periods lasting months during the last three years, levels for salt had exceeded not only the PAL, but the ES level at which the groundwater is considered polluted. Once in the groundwater, the salt will be there for decades. Salt has widespread and harmful effects on ecosystems. For humans, low levels of salt are a problem for people on low-salt diets, and there is evidence that elevated salt in the diet leads to hypertension in certain sensitive individuals--although there is still some uncertainty. Elevated salt can also affect the taste of tap water.

There's more at stake here than whether salt is harmful to humans. For one, the salt is an indicator--a sort of canary in the mine. If salt is increasing, then other, harder-to-detect substances are increasing also. And, the aquifer is the last great free resource we received from the Winnebago. If DNR regulators allow it to become degraded even by salt--that sets a precedent.

Once groundwater is contaminated, it means all the springs and streams are saltier to begin with, making aquatic life more vulnerable to the “flush” of road salt that comes at first thaw.

For three years, the groundwater near the injection field had reached contaminated levels in the spring, and neither MG&E, nor the permit guardians at DNR, had said anything to Jim. Nitrates and arsenic were also briefly spiking above PAL levels, though less consistently.

Fixing the problem

Jim got the ball rolling towards a solution--the Friends met with MG&E, and then with the DNR regulators. Jim said to the DNR that MG&E was apparently in violation of both permits. Not enough water is being pumped, and it’s too contaminated with salt.

Jim feels MG&E violated things he had been told during the earlier discussions, that they wouldn’t pump in the spring, when chloride levels are high.

MG&E responds that they have to keep pumping all the time--otherwise, they can’t meet their volume targets. In addition, if they stop pumping, the infiltration bed seems to clog up, so that when they resume pumping, for a while it won’t accept as much water.

DNR has the power to require MG&E to meet their permit obligations, but they can’t dictate exactly how MG&E meets the obligations. Early in 2011, MG&E sent a draft plan (dated Jan. 21) to DNR, for how they would deal with the problem of contamination of groundwater:

Monitor salt levels of water in the intake pipe.
Stop pumping whenever the salt levels reach the protective action limit of 125 mg/l.
But, pump for a minimum of an hour each day (regardless of salt levels, and even if over the PAL). This pumping of an hour every day, when pond water is salty, is presumably to help keep the pores in the soil open.

The board of Friends of Lake Wingra hasn't yet formulated an overall response to the Jan. 21 plan, except to ask for more information.

However, this writer believes the plan is inadequate:

It omits important details, such as why MG&E needs to pump water (regardless of salt levels) for a minimum of an hour a day.
Once in the groundwater, the salt will be there for decades. There’s no way to remove it.
The PAL is the level at which you take preventative action, not the OK level to pump--especially when you are pumping extremely large volumes.
Pumping for an hour a day, no mater how contaminated, is simply a violation of regulations
The plan does nothing to solve the root cause of the problem, which is spreading too much road salt.

MG&E has not explained why their offer to investigate a salt-reduction program was not included in the draft plan. When the Friends met with MG&E in January, officials agreed to look into a campaign to reduce salt use in the basin of Odana Pond--at places like Westgate mall.

Everyone agrees--the Friends, MG&E, and DNR--that overuse of salt on the West Side is the root cause of the problem. West Towne photo, 3/14/11.

Onwards… towards 80 million gallons a year

And--looming in the background--is the question of pumping enough water to meet the second permit--the 80.4 mgy. To reach that, MG&E will have to revisit all alternative methods to get water into the ground, including a large rain garden program in the neighborhood.

In thinking about how to get more water into the ground, do we really want more of Rube Goldberg’s approach? The more complicated a plan, the more likely it is to fail. Perhaps, in comparison, the rain garden alternative isn’t so complicated.

The first infiltration facility at Odana cost about $2 million for equipment and construction. Yearly operation costs some tens of thousands of dollars each year. Maintenance includes electric pumping costs, which are substantial and likely to rise, and includes the sewer bill (paid by who?).

A waste of energy and water

The Odana project's basic goal is water conservation. It's a deal to prevent harmful effects to the lower Yahara River by swapping water. But the project does nothing to replace the 76 mgy*** lost from the basin as vapor. The project accepts the idea that there will be less water overall in the Yahara. It just tries to prevent very low flows by "borrowing" water from the ground during droughts. That's OK.

But the scheme uses a lot of electricity at Odana, where pumps are running most of the year to send water uphill to the infiltration zone. And if it's necessary to replenish the Yahara during a drought, the high-capacity pumps will be running there. Generating the electricity for those pumps requires more water withdrawals from Lake Mendota, and in turn, more pumping at Odana. And so on. Add to that the 11% (about 5 mgy) of water just required to clean the filters at Odana. That's water from Odana pond (or the City?) that doesn't go into the ground, but instead goes out of the watershed.

And if the goal is water conservation, why are we pumping polluted water into the ground? We've made a Faustian bargain to temporarily improve water quality in Lake Wingra, in exchange for polluting the groundwater (and the long-term health of the lake).

There are three tools available to fix the problem--to use singly or in combination:

Create programs to reduce use of salt in the Odana basin.
Create new infiltration areas or projects (including rain gardens) that infiltrate water from neighborhoods with less salt.
Pump water at the Odana project only when salt levels in the pond are below the PAL.

There's a possible fourth solution--to send some of the saltiest runoff in early spring to the storm sewer. A fifth alternative, removing the salt from salty pondwater, isn't economically feasible.

MG&E, and the people at DNR who negotiated the "swap agreement" deserve a lot of credit. They were exploring new ways to allow development in Madison, and at the same time protect the environment. The Odana facility looked good on paper, but in the real world, it's not performing as hoped. The time has come for hard choices. Some of the remedial actions may still allow the Odana facility to continue operating.

Simply finding a "technicality" that will allow continued pumping of salty water isn't an honest or real solution. Delay isn't a solution either.

Future steps

DNR and MG&E discuss the plan. If DNR finds it provisionally acceptable, it’s sent to DNR permit writer, who begin the process of drafting the permit. This has already happened
The Friends present their position to the DNR.
Public hearings follow. According to emails from DNR, they expect the new permit to be ready in the first quarter of 2012 (they cite a back load of permits and overload of staff)
If there is sufficient opposition or evidence against the plan, it will be revised.
The new permit will last for 5 years, but...
If test wells continue to spike over the PAL (at the test wells), MG&E will have to take corrective action before 5 years are up.

If the Odana Project looks rather complicated… that’s because it is. What could be more simple than just letting rainwater from low-salt neighborhoods sink into the ground?

It's ironic. To do the job of the natural Odana Basin, essentially a giant rain garden--Madison Gas and Electric built a costly, complicated machine that wastes energy and water, and will degrade our children's drinking water.

They are going to have to build more infiltration--to reach their required goals. It's time to get back to the rain garden idea.

# # #

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

* Filtration by the soil does not work for salt--because it is soluble.

** A third test well, located next to the beltline and upstream (as groundwater flows) from the other two test wells and injection area, shows elevated levels of salt. This is to be expected, as the beltline is a major source of salt. This well shows the groundwater in this area was perhaps already partly contaminated. But this is not a good argument for the status quo. For example, you wouldn't allow Waunakee to dump sewage into Lake Mendota, if they could argue that the lake was already polluted. If MG&E were to argue (as they have implied, in conversation) that this test well makes it OK to pump salt, then they are trying to keep pumping on a technicality, and not to seriously address the cause of the problem.

*** mgy=million gallons per year. This figure of 76 mgy is for the Cogen plant. The Charter Street heating plant sends a staggering 137 mgy out of the basin, and the Walnut Street plant sends 75.5 mgy out of basin. These two older plants are covered by the license, but the Odana mitigation figures compensate just for Cogen, because the water used by the older plants was "grandfathered" into the agreement.

Further reading

"Why the Odana project is so complicated"

Documents and sources

Request for Building Commission action on Cogeneration
Study of harmful effects of salt on key aquatic species.
Risk study of salt in Australia
This powerpoint presentation by Steve Gaffield, May 11, 2011, presents data and photos about the Odana Project.

# # #

Link to the only Rube Goldberg machine more complicated than Odana Project.

Japanese knotweed invades the bike path

2011-06-03T02:44:00.017-05:00

Madison has a BIG problem with Japanese knotweed along the Southwest Bike Path. It's a big weed--standing up to 9 feet tall--and a big patch, extending over a mile along the bikeway. It's an invader from eastern Asia, and very aggressive. It forms dense stands that crowd out most other vegetation.

Left: Large knotweed plants. Center: re sprouting quickly after being mowed.

A sinister plant...

A recent article in Science describes the plant as "sinister"and "a Goliath"--strong words for the usually staid magazine. "What makes this plant so menacing is its ability to grow through solid concrete foundations, forcing contractors to abandon infested building sites. In England alone, about a half-million homes are uninsurable, and in the UK, damages and removal cost $288 million a year."

In Japan, the weed is seldom a problem "thanks to 168 insects and 40 fungi that keep it in check." But in Wisconsin without any enemies, knotweed has already become established in most counties.

According to DNR, knotweed defies control: "The rhizomes (horizontal roots that send up shoots) grow out to 60 feet. In Bayfield, rhizomes have grown under streets to infest neighboring properties.

A business in the United Kingdom spent over $600,000 to replace its parking lot after extensive damage from rhizomes, and one Welsh family even found the plant invading its living room as it pushed up from beneath the floor!"

This knotweed shoot, a few inches tall, is resprouting from a dead-looking fragment of rhizome.

Biological controls--maybe

The Brits have been experimenting with a tiny plant louse* that eats knotweed--and only knotweed. After a successful test last year, they plan to release the louse at eight sites in the UK this year. The US may follow with tests of the louse in northeastern states in 2012. But it will be years before we know if this biological control really works.

Spread by construction projects

In Madison, knotweed infests 1.4 miles of the SW Bike Path between Allen St and Parman Terrace. The biggest patch is just east of Glenway St., where it extends for .4 miles along the golf course woods and cemetery. It's mostly on public property, but is starting to invade back yards.

Knotweed is also found in the Westmorland Greenway (between Gately & Chatham), and in the Hillcrest-Upland Greenway, where it was spread by the recent sewer work.

When the bike path was constructed, knotweed already present in a few yards was spread all along the path by construction equipment.

Then, when the watercourse below the woods was riprapped, knotweed was spread further along the ravine. Seeding of native plants done by the contractor barely took, because the seed matting kept rolling back up and was never monitored or replaced.

When the City performed maintenance (using a bobcat) on the channel perpendicular to the bike path last summer, the weed was spread again.

Now the weed grows for a substantial distance along the stormwater channel, which could become an invasion route to Lake Wingra.

Left foreground: Knotweed patch in front of stormwater inlet, leading to L. Wingra.

The Bike Path Committee

Sandy Stark, Chair of the DMNA Bike Path Committee, says they have been working on the problem: "We have one small test patch going with 2+ volunteers, on a two-year schedule of timed cutting (by hand) and herbiciding, well off the path area where dogs and folks and kids wander."

"We're experimenting on knotweed control, based on the advice of Arboretum research staff--we follow their advice on when to cut and when to apply herbicide to the cut stalks. It allows a small number of folks to do the work, including hauling, and keeps a low profile until we gather results we can then take back to the city for a larger proposal."

Sandy says the DMNA Path Committee will meet later in June and come up with some strategies for selecting projects and getting city approval for knotweed projects.

The Westmorland Greenspace Committee is aware of the problem, but too busy with other projects this summer to deal with the sinister weed. The Friends of Lake Wingra would also like to see the weed eradicated before it spreads to the lake.

Control methods vary...

...depending on the size of the patch and what other plants are nearby.

If you have just a few plants in your yard, you can probably eradicate by frequently cutting it back and applying Roundup, or covering it with a tarp. Mowing or trying to dig out the rhizomes is ineffective, because remaining root fragments simply resprout.

For dense stands, Mark Horn advocates cutting the stalks in early summer. The plant regrows, but in a shorter, more compact form that's easier to spray. Then herbicide is applied in late summer. Finally, erosion control mats have to be applied, to protect the steep slopes of the bike path from erosion while new plants take root.

For areas where knotweed is just getting established, spraying would kill existing plants like lilacs, so another method is needed.

Larger stands along the bike path will be very difficult to eradicate. It will take a serious, coordinated, and professional effort--lasting 3-5 years.

The City needs to take Japanese knotweed seriously. The bike path--along with parallel stormwater channels--is a corridor for the spread of this destructive weed. So far, City projects and maintenance have only contributed to its spread. It's time to come up with a professional plan.

The role of volunteers

Because this infestation large and the weed is so aggressive, the City needs to provide the backbone for a strong attack on this Goliath weed.

Once the weed has been knocked back by professional eradication, volunteers can watch for re sprouting, and do the final mop up, which will require several years of vigilance.

# # #

Knotweed (left) is growing all along the stormwater channel. It was spread by construction that built the sediment filter (under the manholes).

Knotweed grows to 9 feet tall. By mid-may, it was half grown. Some people mistake it for bamboo, since it's hollow and has segments.

Knotweed is mostly on City land on the N side of the bikeway, but it is invading some back yards next to the bike path.

Slide show of the knotweed infestation on the SW Bike Path.
DNR pamphlet on Japanese knotweed and its control.
Good description of a variety of control techniques, including tarps, here.

* The 2-millimeter-long plant louse is also called Aphalara itadori.

Find out about "Take a Stake in the Lakes"

2011-06-02T21:55:00.001-05:00

"Join your friends and neighbors in helping Dane County lakes, rivers, and streams now and for future generations by being a part of the Take a Stake in the Lakes Days 2011. Clean up a shoreline, plant a rain garden, paddle to work, congratulate a Waters Champion.

With just a click here, you can learn more about important and exciting activities awaiting you and your family."

Free paddling event for kids on Lake Wingra

2011-06-02T16:38:00.003-05:00

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Voyageur canoe (left) on Monona Bay, 2010.

Parents--bring your kids for a paddle on Lake Wingra. We'll paddle twin 11-passenger Voyageur canoes that are very stable for young participants.

Children must be accompanied by a parent and be at least 5 years old. The free event will be lead by Sue Josheff from DNR. Floatation vests and paddles will be provided.

There are two departure times--you may register for the first or second departure by sending the parent and child paddlers' names to:
susan.josheff@wisconsin.gov. Please indicate child's age. You will receive an email confirmation, or notification if the event is canceled due to weather.

Schedule of events

9:00 am - First Voyage paddlers meet
9:15 - 10:15 am (or until kids lose interest) - First voyage
10:15 am Second voyage paddlers meet
10:30 - 11:30 am (or until kids lose interest) - Second voyage

Meet at the Wingra Park Boat Landing, at the end of Knickerbocker St. Map.

Thanks to Sue Josheff

A ramble down Nautilus Point Park greenway

2011-05-20T23:57:00.004-05:00

A greenway runs north from Nautilus Point Park, opposite Oakwood Village on Madison's West Side. It surrounds and protects a small stream that runs between Island Drive and Nautilus Drive.
There's a sign saying it's a "Conservation Park," but it's not listed on the City's website as any of the conservation parks.

On May 17, I took a short ramble down the greenway, along the stream. It's tough going--there's no path, sometimes the banks to the stream are steep, and you have to climb over fallen logs.

But I was rewarded with many wild animal tracks.

...and a few woodland wild flowers, like this trillium.

Coyote track, the size of a mid-sized dog's. Coyotes use greenways, streams, and lakeshores to travel about town unseen.

This stream suffers from the ills of most urban streams--too little flow when it's not raining, and too much when it does rain. This causes bank erosion during rain, plus lack of vegetation and wildlife from the dry times.

Hiking back to my car parked on Masthead Dr, I could see some magnificent oaks bordering the greenway.

# # #

This greenway has infestations of garlic mustard and buckthorn.
See all the photos here.

Trillium spectacle west of Madison !

2011-05-20T23:23:00.004-05:00

About 5 miles SW of Cross Plains, there's an amazing spectacle of wild trillium flowers in the woods. It's located on the south side of Moen Valley Rd. Map. I've never seen so many trillium in my life!

The flowers are visible from the road, for several miles.

A few miles further from Madison, you can visit a lovely restored oak savanna and prairie at the Pleasant Valley Conservancy.

Pleasant Valley Conservancy--View from top of the ridge.

Directions to the Conservancy.

Fish Kill observed at Odana Pond, vultures feast

2011-04-02T03:25:00.019-05:00

Spring runoff from urban areas is so salty that it's toxic to fish.

On April 1, six carp were found dead next to one of the ponds in Odana Hills Golf Course. Eleven vultures were loitering about, having finished with all the carp reachable from shore (vultures don't swim).

A likely cause of death for the carp was the "first flush" of spring. That's when all the dirt and salt spread during winter runs off from the streets and parking lots. From there the filth runs into our stormsewers, streams, and lakes.

The large Odana Pond, visible from the beltline, is the first destination for much of the runoff from the west side. From there, the water has had three alternate paths.

The historic path was to filter through a ridge of sand dunes along the east edge of the golf course. Originally, there was no surface outlet for the pond. The Odana basin, including lower parts of the golf course, was a wetland.
Then the City partially drained the wetlands, by creating a storm sewer outlet to the East, through a pipe under the dunes. The big Odana Pond flows east by a short creek to two smaller ponds, and then to the storm sewer.
Finally, Madison Gas and Electric created a third pathway for water from Odana Pond. They pump about 50 million gallons a year into the sand. This two-million-dollar facility represents a mitigation deal with DNR to compensate for water the West Campus CoGen plant withdraws from Lake Mendota.

Yes, MG&E pumps this same water that killed the fish... 50 million gallons of it a year... into the groundwater. Into your drinking water.

Now, it turns out, their permit to discharge this water has expired. They have applied to renew it. But, it turns out that test wells near where the dirty water is being pumped into the ground, have revealed high levels of salt, above levels which require DNR and MG&E to take preventative action.

But the plan they have come up with continues the pumping, for at least an hour a day even during the highest salt levels of spring, and so will be inadequate to solve the salt problem.

Springtime picnic at the golf course.

Since many Madisonians will be drinking that same water as those fish, when it reaches the aquifer, the vultures might as well hang around.

# # #

* Kurt Welke of the DNR said fish kills are common this time of year. He attributed the cause to low oxygen levels, brought on by the heavy snow cover of last winter, which inhibited oxygen production by algae, plus depletion of oxygen from decomposition of organic matter. But since salt is also toxic to fish, and because this kill occurred during the salt flush period, the fish kill may have been due to salt, or to both causes together.

Prairie burns set for Westmorland Area in April

2011-04-01T16:33:00.001-05:00

During the first half of April, volunteers helped burn several small prairies on the West Side of Madison:

Bikepath at Odana Road

Bikepath at Glenway Street

Tokay prairie at Westmorland Park

If you are interested in participating next year, please contact:
Bonnie McMullin-Lawton
tagatzcreek@att.net

Overuse of de-icing salt by Madison business

2011-03-30T00:11:00.011-05:00

.
Contamination by salt has been steadily increasing in our lakes, groundwater, and drinking water. Several of Madison's wells already show levels of salt that cause concern. The levels of salt we're already seeing in lakes and streams are enough to kill aquatic life.

West Washington Av.

By salt, I mean rock salt used on streets and sidewalks--NaCl. When refined, we call it "table salt."

Since 1973, the City has been working hard to reduce the amount of salt used on city streets--but despite improvements in equipment and methods, salt use has increased significantly.

Salt overuse is hard to control, because on the pavement of private malls and businesses, there are no legal limits to salt. And if a little seems like a good idea, why not spread more?!

Madison's Committee on the Environment made a rough estimate of amounts of salt used by business. Their conclusion: Salt was being spread at about twice the amount spread on city streets, in terms of pounds per acre. Studies from other cities likewise show that private areas contribute a significant portion of the salt that winds up in lakes and wells.

A drive-through survey of Madison's West Side

I surveyed mostly within an area bounded on three sides by Sequoya Commons, Hilldale Mall, and West Towne Mall. Driving through them, I could quickly determine whether excess salt had been spread--and I took photos where I saw substantial amounts of salt. I surveyed after two storms:

Storm 1: A wet, sticky snowfall of several inches. Some of the wet snow turned to ice that lasted for a few days. I surveyed a few days later (March 14), after it warmed and the snow melted, leaving the salt easy to see.
Storm 2: There was light snow, followed by a minor ice storm overnight. There was thin ice on the pavement next morning, but temperatures rose above freezing and it rapidly melted by about 9:00 am. I surveyed on March 24.

Between Storms 1 and 2, there were several days of substantial rain, at least 1.5 inches. This was enough to wash away most or all of the salt from the first storm, so that it wasn't counted with the salt spread after Storm 2.

Results of the survey

You can get a meaningful impression from a drive-through. There is always the chance for one accidental spill of salt--but where I saw overuse of salt, it was consistent. If a business was overusing salt, the excess was repeated throughout their area.

After seeing quite a few parking areas, I could classify parking areas or sidewalks into light, moderate, and heavy users.

Generally speaking, the malls were not among the most wasteful users, although a few businesses within the malls might show heavy use.

For example, Associated Bank, at the edge of West Towne Mall, was one of the most wasteful users.

In contrast, the rest of West Towne Mall (as a whole, with a few exceptions) showed light use.

Midvale Plaza showed moderate-to-heavy use on both days. Westgate Mall showed light-to-moderate use on both days.

The heavy users tend to be organizations with a lot of foot traffic--places that want to appear "customer friendly." Banks are a good example. Associated Bank, M&I Bank Hilldale, World Council of Credit Unions, and UW Credit Union all showed heavy and excessive use.

The Red Cross was the most wasteful user of all.

While driving around, I found two areas where salt was stored. In both instances, substantial salt was being spilled onto the pavement, from where it would be flushed during the next rainstorm. The Best Management Practice for storage of salt is zero loss from storage.

Poor storage of salt at World Council of Credit Unions. Click to enlarge.

Storm 2 occurred after the end of winter. The overnight ice was thin, and rapid warming was predicted in the morning. There was really no good reason to spread salt--and certainly not to spread it heavily, as some businesses did. Heavy use might be justified early in winter--when the salt could do its work later. But not at the end of March!

This shows that many businesses do not take weather forecasts into account when spreading salt.

Conclusions for Madison's west side

Consistent with other studies, many businesses spread salt too heavily
In some cases, salt was stored improperly
Application was not consistent with predicted weather
Excess salt is not removed at the end of winter

# # #

Photos of overuse of salt, Madison's west side:

March 14, 2011
March 24, 2011

More info and use and impacts of salt in Madison

Article -- "A Fresh Look at Road Salt: Aquatic Toxicity and Water-Quality Impacts on Local, Regional, and National Scales" (September 2010)
Article -- "Salt: No Easy Answers" (October 2009)
Madison-Dane County Public Health Road Salt Report 2008-09
Committee on the Environment Road Salt Use Subcommittee Report 2006

UW lake scientist receives world's top water prize

2011-03-25T14:01:00.002-05:00

"Noted University of Wisconsin-Madison limnologist Stephen Carpenter has been awarded the 2011 Stockholm Water Prize, the world's most prestigious award for water-related activities...."

The announcement was made in Stockholm on March 22.

More

Algae bloom slowed recovery from mass extinction, aeons ago

2011-03-24T20:33:00.008-05:00

Most people around Madison are familiar with the idea that when you "over fertilize" our lakes with nutrients like phosphorus, it causes an algae bloom. First the lake turns green-- then the algae run out of food and die. Often fish die, because all the oxygen gets used up when the algae rots.

I've reported before how you can get algae blooms in the ocean. These, too, sometimes cause die-offs. For example, there's the "infamous dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico created by farm runoff carried down the Mississippi River."

The mother of all algae blooms

A scientist at Stanford University, Katja Meyer, has been studying the Earth's largest period of extinction, which happened 250,000 years ago. It's cause hasn't been pinned down for sure, but it may have been caused by a period of massive lava flows, which belched poisonous gasses and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Dr. Meyer's research explains why it took life millions of years for larger forms of sea life to recover from the extinction. Basically, larger forms like fish couldn't live in the ocean, because oxygen was depleted by an algae bloom lasting millions of years.

"The driver of the ongoing population boom appears to have been the massive amounts of carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere during the volcanism, Meyer said, which caused the world to warm.

'More warmth means... more rain and this rain is also more acidic because there is more carbon dioxide dissolved in the rain,' Meyer said.

The increased amounts of more acidic rain increased weathering of the land surface, which sent more nutrients into the ocean, which fueled explosions of life such as algae blooms.

'It is kind of counter intuitive that high productivity on the part of algae and bacteria would likely be generating these toxic geochemical conditions that prevent most of animal life from recovering from mass extinction,' Meyer said."

But the process, she said, is basically the same as when excess runoff from fertilizers goes into a body of water...."

Source

Restore funds in State budget for recycling

2011-03-24T14:05:00.006-05:00

More trash in dumps? Not a good idea.

Governor Walker's budget bill aims to eliminate state recycling requirements and cut funding for recycling to local municipalities. But that's a really bad idea.

"Currently, Wisconsin's recycling programs support 97,000 jobs in our state and contribute $5.4 billion to our economy. They also keep nearly 2 million tons of trash out of Wisconsin landfills.

Everyone knows that more trash means more dumps, and it costs more to build new landfills than to recycle. Recycling programs keep Wisconsin clean and earn money for our state.

We can 'Stop the Madness' and restore Wisconsin's mandatory recycling program, if we act now. Donate to Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters Today."

Friends of Lake Wingra wins stewardship award

2011-03-21T13:47:00.001-05:00

A Madison group, Friends of Lake Wingra, is the winner of the 2011 Wisconsin Lake Stewardship Award, in the Group category.

The award will be given at the Wisconsin Lakes Convention, at a banquet on the evening of Wed. April 13.

Meeting on Parman Place Development draws up to 100

2011-03-18T12:56:00.016-05:00

On March 17 at 6:30 pm, an informal meeting of residents in the area was convened by Alder Brian Solomon at Edgewood College. The meeting focused on the proposed “Parman Place” Development at the corner of Glenway and Monroe Streets.

The meeting ran for two hours, attended by 75-100 residents from the area immediately surrounding the development, within District 10. They had been notified by a mailing from Alder Solomon, and by internet media.

The purpose of the meeting was to present the plans, with an opportunity for feedback from residents of the area. The comments will be considered by the developer and the plan modified to take them into account. A “straw poll” decided that this would be the first of three neighborhood meetings on the development. The slides from the presentation will be made available to the public. The best way to stay informed is to watch the DMNA website.

Solomon introduced, followed by Heather Stouder, a planner from the City’s Planning Division, who spoke briefly about the zoning laws. The development will necessitate a change in the zoning from C1 (Limited Commercial) to PUDSIP. This means Planned Unit Development with a Specific Implementation Plan.

The reason for the zoning change was explained mostly during questions and answers later. C1 allows for mostly commercial development with some residential, and only 2 stories or 40 feet in height. There are open space and setback (from curb) requirements that the planned development couldn’t meet.

The zoning laws are old and haven’t been changed since 1966, so C1 is no longer very relevant. The laws are currently being updated. But most developments of this type now are PUD. The SIP part allows for specific requirements for the development to be built in to the plan. There are three stages of public approval. The final step is approval by the Common Council, which might happen two months after the final plan is proposed by the developer.

The site for Parman Place is called the “Glenway Node” of the Monroe Street Design District. That, and the neighborhood plan, call for redevelopment of this site “up to four stories.”

Apparently, when the plan left neighborhood hands, it listed the site for redevelopment “up to 2 stories.” Later, Brian Solomon explained that this change probably happened because it is City policy to favor “urban infill,” where the city builds upward (to greater density), rather than outward (urban sprawl).

Under the Planned Unit Development zoning, both the Plan Commission and ordinances will push for

Compatibility with the physical nature of the site
Aesthetic desirability and economic stability
Will consider effects on schools and municipal services
Will consider traffic and parking demands
Preservation and maintenance of open space

The Development team presents

Randy Bruce--Lead Architect (right) began, describing the plan.

Located on a major artery, the building will make a statement about the neighborhood, and create a sort of introduction to the city. It will establish the lifestyle of the area, about jobs, environment, business, and safety. Quality materials are planned.

The basement will house parking space for 19 cars.

The ground floor will house 3300 sq ft of commercial space, plus an entrance on Monroe St. for residents, and stairs. Facing the rear will be a parking area for 6 cars, for people visiting the commercial areas.

The second floor will have 15? apartments.

The Third floor houses 8 apartments, with a step back.

The Fourth floor will house 5 apartments, with a ten-foot further setback.

The total is 22 apartments, with parking available for 19 cars. Three apartments are efficiencies, 15 are one bedroom, and four are two bedrooms.

As for appearance, I’d say it will look much like Sequoia Commons--the same height, although the overall footprint is smaller. Similar to Sequoia, the appearance will be broken down into smaller subunits, with setbacks. I’ll post a photo of the drawing when I receive one.

There will be landscaping by Peter Nause.

Fred Rouse (center) stressed that he is a longtime resident of the area, and that all the properties he owns and manages are very hands-on, with extremely low turnover, and carefully managed.

Questions and answers (paraphrased)

Questions received before and during this session revealed the following concerns

Appearance--four stories are too high for character of nationhood
Lack of buffer--project very close to residents located behind it
Impact on parking in area. Some people working downtown already use the area as “park and ride”
Impact on traffic congestion and safety
Impact on Lake Wingra from construction site erosion

Q: Numerous traffic concerns, such as left turns and getting rear-ended while turning onto Wyota.

A: The development will aggravate problems that already exist, but the Traffic Dept. will definitely be involved, to help solve these problems.

Mark Landgraft (left) was one of the three speakers for the project.
He is Representative of the Owner, and General Contractor.

Q: Can you assure us that during construction, all the laws about erosion control will be scrupulously followed, so there isn’t a repeat of the disaster of sediment spills that happened during Edgewood Avenue reconstruction? The City doesn‘t police construction sites, and has never handed out fines.”

A: by Landgraft: “We’ve never been issued a citation.” Laughs. “Yes, we will follow all requirements.”

It quickly became evident that the majority of people present were opposed to the development, at least in its present form. Although a few people made statements with obvious emotion, discussion remained polite and considerate.

Q: Can you really build a big basement for parking successfully, in such a wet area? During storms, floods of water come down Glenway and Monroe Streets.

A: We will have sump pumps, and a rain garden. We’ve built in other areas, with basements below the lake level. (Our comment: Note the continuing energy requirement for pumping.)

Q: One neighbor said the area was dark and quiet an night, and was very concerned about light pollution.

A: There will be security lights on all night.

Q: Is sale of the property a done deal, or contingent?

A: Sale is contingent on passing all the regulatory hurdles for this project.

Statement by one resident: “We shouldn’t even be having this conversation about the height of the project, because the plan we sent out from the neighborhood said that there shouldn’t be a development this high.” (Much applause from the audience.)

Alder Solomon made a strong argument for infill development, saying that it was good for the City as a whole. It was an issue of building up or building out (sprawl). Sprawl leads to more commuting traffic, loss of the rural surrounds of the city, energy waste, and pollution. He implied that many residents of the district were environmentalists, and might be in favor of infill. One resident replied, with fervor: “Don’t tell us what we want or what to do!” (Solomon denied that he was.)

Q: Tiny, curbless Wyota Street can’t handle the traffic.

A: Some wanted the entrance to parking far from the intersection, and others wanted it close to the intersection, to benefit from the traffic light. We’ve done a compromise between the two.

Q: About the location of the rain garden.

A: It hasn’t been determined yet. Water will leave the site at a slower rate than the current property, which is entirely paved, due to the rain garden and cisterns we will build.

One resident said: “I don’t have a problem with the fourth floor--but I DO have a problem with the first through the third floors.” Many laughs.

A show of hands revealed that about a quarter of the people present had a problem with the fourth story and/or the density of the project.

Q: Will there be pollution problems with removal of the fuel tanks at Parman’s Service Station?

A: The tanks have already been removed, the cleanup is done and certified.

Q: How will the commercial space compare to areas I am familiar with?

A: Mallatt’s Pharmacy has about 1000 square feet, so this development at 3300 squ ft will be more than 3 times Mallatt’s.

Q: This development will change what the neighborhood’s like. What good things can this bring other than dollars to the developer?

A: Considerable discussion, but the boildown is this: There are citywide benefits from “infill.” There will be less through traffic in the neighborhood (due to commuting), and there will be amenities from the commercial space, such as restaurants. There will be stability and job creation (from the property management, commercial use, and construction jobs). It will be a livable corner.

Lynne Asked: The development seems out of scale with the neighborhood. How does this relate to the change in zoning?

A: We want to change to PUD zoning for two reasons. The intensity will exceed the current zoning. There are other details, such as parking, closeness to the curb, which C1 doesn’t allow, but PUD does. PUD give the project flexibility, because the details are customized and built in to the approval.

The Architect stated that Mallatt’s has decided not to become part of the development now. But the whole block will eventually be renovated. This project is planned to be compatible with whatever the rest of the block becomes.

Statement by Sam, whose property abuts on the rear: The row of tall spruce trees on my property edge will certainly be killed during construction by root damage. So don’t depend on the trees hiding the new development. They won’t be there.

Statement: “My family operates a bakery. Any restaurant in this development will have to have food delivered by SYSCO, they deliver in semi trucks, and there is no room for semi’s here. So that precludes any restaurants in the commercial space.

A: by Fred Rouse: We also operate a restaurant, and our deliveries from SYSCO do not come in semi’s. This is not an issue.

The meeting concluded with a straw vote: Sixty to seventy percent want another meeting on the development, after traffic and safety issues are addressed. One person asked that alders from neighboring districts, and residents from further away be invited.

My comments after the meeting

There's a rumor that a "green roof" is being considered for Parman Place. This would be consitent with the high standards of "green infrastructure" being planned by City Engineering for the Monroe Street reconstruction, planned for 2013. The reconstruction of Monroe St. will be the test bed for a new policy of green streets for Madison.

If Parman Place really gets a green roof, this might help with marketing of the Glenway Node and Parman Place apartments as an innovative development, consistent with the beautiful Arboretum setting and the green street around it.

Note: If there are any errors, let me know, and I'll correct them.

More on green roofs.

University snow dump could threaten Madison's aquifer

2011-03-15T00:30:00.013-05:00

The University's snow dump is located close to an old dump.

The huge pile of melting snow on University property, near Picnic Point, is a potential threat to Madison's aquifer and water supply.

A portion of the 500-750 tons of salt that the University spreads each winter on roads and parking lots ends up in this pile. This unrefined road salt is contaminated with trace heavy metals and ferrocyanide.

Update 3/29/11: Samples taken in former years by Madison's Health Department show high levels of salt flowing into Lake Mendota from this site.

In addition, in the 1960s, the University Farms used to dump manure here from the nearby barn. And, the Ecology Students' Association caught the University Power Plant dumping many truckloads of fly ash here. Fly ash also contains toxic heavy metals. The students found the University didn't have a permit from the DNR, so the UW was forced to stop.

A pump and a dump

Nevertheless, as the current pile of snow melts and floods the ground with water, it may push that water through the previous deposits of manure and fly ash, pumping contaminants deeper into the aquifer.

The pile of snow is a dump for trash, salt, and heavy metals--but it's also a source for water leaching into the ground. Most dumps are supposed to be protected by a clay liner that prevents the leachate from reaching the aquifer.

But this dump isn't so protected. The DNR has required the University to build a berm and some puny stone spillways around it, but these minimal safeguards have been breached by today's pile. Reaching three stories hight, the pile exceeds the capacity of these protections many fold. Water that doesn't leach into the ground or flow to the Class of 1918 wetland is pumped right to Lake Mendota.

Incredible. Pumping the leachate from a dump into the lake!

Growing contamination of our aquifer

Madison has two aquifers, a shallow and a deep one, separated in most places by a layer of impervious shale. Madison gets most of it's drinking water from the deep aquifer. But the shale which protects the deep aquifer is absent in some places, especially around the lakes. So perhaps there is no shale to protect the deep aquifer under the pile of snow.

One of Madison's most active wells, #15 on the east side, is showing increasing levels of salt, proving that salt is a concern for our drinking supply. Since water moves very slowly through the ground, it takes many decades for groundwater problems to show up. But once contaminated, it takes even longer to clear.

Out at the Odana Golf Course, MG&E is pumping salty water into the ground. That project is part of a plan to compensate for the millions of gallons of cooling water that the West Campus Cogeneration Facility withdraws from Lake Mendota. Yet that project, also, is contaminating Madison's aquifer. The levels of salt in test wells near the Odana pumping site have already reached actionable levels. And, MG&E's 5-year permit to pump has expired.*

The University (and MG&E) is playing fast and loose with Madison's water supply. You can't have a healthy economy, without ample supplies of clean water. It costs millions to drill and equip new wells for the City.

# # #

Why doesn't the CoGen Facility collect water from the melting snow dump, clean it, and use it instead of water from Lake Mendota? Sure, it would be expensive to purify that filthy water from the snow pile, but shouldn't the University be cleaning up after itself, rather than using the lake or groundwater to do their cleaning?

* I'll be writing more about the Odana CoGen pumping project soon.

More photos and details in this previous story.
Salt problems in Wisconsin.
Salt problems in Minneapolis.
History and management of the Class of 1918 Marsh.

Yahara Watershed Celebration--March 31

2011-03-12T11:29:00.004-06:00

March 31, 2011, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Lussier Family Heritage Center,

3101 Lake Farm Road, Madison

COME CELEBRATE the lakes. Join us in thanking those that have worked to develop the Yahara CLEAN Report.

Learn how the lakes got to where they are, what’s been done and the many projects that are in the works to help the lakes.

We want to hear from you. Be a part of this special initiative to protect and improve the lakes that make Dane County such a special place.

Sponsored by the Dane County Lakes & Watershed Commission
Reception sponsored by the Clean Lakes Alliance

Map of location.

Meeting for Pickford Street reconstruction

2011-03-12T01:27:00.015-06:00

The City is planning to reconstruct Pickford Street from Gregory to Monroe streets during the summer and fall of 2011. There will be a public meeting to discuss the plans:

Thursday March 17, 2011

6:30-7:30 PM

Predolin Humanities Center, Room #116

Edgewood College

All residents and occupants within the project limits have been invited. The City has also invited the Friends of Lake Wingra, the Dudgeon Monroe Neighborhood Association, and Arboretum groups.

If you have questions, contact City Engineer Janet Dailey at 261-9688 or at jdailey@cityofmadison.com .

Recent street projects in the area

Because Pickford Street is steep and slopes towards nearby Lake Wingra, erosion during construction is an important issue. If construction isn't managed properly, muddy runoff could fertilize Lake Wingra, leading to toxic algae blooms and beach closures. Recent reconstruction projects in the area have a mixed record for erosion control...

Edgewood Ave reconstruction by Speedway Sand and Gravel was a disaster, with several major spills of sediment to Lake Wingra. A environmental lawsuit was filed by citizens. We can't let something like this happen again!

The Gilmore Street reconstruction (Parisi Construction) went well, showing that good planning, innovative techniques, and attention to detail can make a big difference.

Lower Pickford St stormwater project. There were some problems, including two 5-gallon buckets of sealing tar dumped in Lake Wingra, again by Speedway Sand and Gravel. If Speedway isn't decertified from bidding, they may be the low bidder on this new project--and then we'd be stuck with a mess.

Find out about rain garden opportunities

Usually, when streets are reconstructed, the city will build a rain garden on your terrace if you volunteer, and share costs with you. Find out at the meeting if your terrace may be suitable.

Link to map of project area.

Mountain of dirty snow threatens Lake Mendota

2011-03-11T16:15:00.075-06:00

Dubbed "Mt. Walker," a glacier of garbage threatens nearby waters.

Out by Picnic Point on the UW Campus, there's a mountain of dirty snow 3 stories high. The snow is trucked there from parking lots around the UW Campus, after major storms.

It's filthy--loaded with "salt, nutrients, oil, sand, silt, litter, heavy metals and toxic chemicals."

This UW site doesn't conform with the best practices for dumping snow. Best sites allow for containment of the litter and slow release of the waters. Sites should be "on lands that drain to detention basins, which capture... pollutants that otherwise might reach... surface waters or soak into groundwater." Source.

There is no sediment fence separating it from the wetland.

The dirty runoff is pumped from the ditch directly into Lake Mendota.

Salt can be very harmful to aquatic life. Salty water is more dense, so it sinks to the bottom and remains concentrated, where it can affect the balance and health of a lake.

Use of salt by the UW

In the winter of 2009-10, the University planned to use approximately 500 tons* of road salt. It's "not the same as table salt. It comes unpurified straight out of the salt mines and it contains heavy metals such as mercury, lead, arsenic in trace minerals and then ferryocyanide, a carcinogen, is cut in to act as an anti-caking agent...." Source

According to a 1999 UW report, "...the University has made significant progress in some areas of salt reduction. Since 1995, "No Plow, No Salt" areas have been designated, removal equipment has been improved, Physical Plant’s sand mixture has been reformulated, and salt alternatives have been tried. In addition, a low berm was constructed between the 1918 Marsh and the snow storage area to prevent salt-contaminated runoff from entering the Marsh."

What I saw calls into question the accuracy of that report. If a berm was present, it was buried under the snow--totally inadequate for the amount of snow dumped this year.

A long history of dumping--former students report

In the late 1960s, the University Farms used to dump manure here from the nearby barn. The Ecology Student's Association caught the University Power Plant dumping many truckloads of fly ash here. The students found the University didn't have a permit from the DNR, so the UW was forced to stop.

Dumping of snow here has been going on for at least 20 years.

More photos here:
The face on Mt. Walker here.

# # #

* A UW contract specified they might use as much as 750 tons.

Gov. Walker's budget bill--bad for the environment

2011-03-03T00:24:00.002-06:00

In the standoff over the budget bill, most people have focused on the part that strips public employees of their rights to collective bargaining. But the 144-page bill contains many other bad ideas. Here are two that would degrade our environment:

Power plant privatization

"The same budget bill calls for a rapid no-bid “firesale” of all state-owned power plants. One progressive blogger called the proposal “a highlight reel of all of the tomahawk dunks of neo-Gilded Age corporatism: privatization, no-bid contracts, deregulation, and naked cronyism” and suggested that the provision will open the way for large, politically connected corporations to buy up the state’s power plants on the cheap. While it’s unclear whether corporations would be interested in buying the plants, a similar proposal was vetoed six years ago by Gov. Jim Doyle (D), who called the plan fiscally and environmentally irresponsible. Many of Wisconsin’s power plants are in violation of federal clean air regulations and desperately need to be upgraded and cleaned up — not dumped into the private sector."

Destroying wetlands

"In January, Walker’s proposed regulatory reform bill exempted a parcel of wetland owned by a Republican donor from water quality standards. But the exemption was more than just an embarrassing giveaway to a GOP ally: environmental groups believe the bill’s special provision would actually affect the entire county, eliminating public hearings on proposed wetland development, short-circuiting approval of development projects, and disrupting the region’s water system."

Read the whole article by Kevin Donohoe here.

More bad ideas in the bill

"The budget proposed by Governor Walker yesterday decimates a number of key conservation programs that help to drive Wisconsin’s economy."

"Eliminates state recycling requirements and all funding for municipality and county-run recycling programs;
Eliminates the grant programs that develop new renewable energy projects, encourage energy efficiency for businesses and green products for manufacturers;
Slashes general revenue funding to the Department of Natural Resources by 56% and 15.8% overall;
Eliminates the program to preserve farmland;
Allows for greater polluted runoff, including phosphorous, into waterways;
Slashes support for local transit by 10% while dramatically increasing funding for road-building;
Creates new restrictions for how the Stewardship Fund can be used that will undercut efforts to protect recreational and wildlife habitat from development."

From Anne Sayers, Program Director for the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters.

Huge algae bloom in Atlantic off coast of Argentina

2011-02-16T00:47:00.015-06:00

The "dust-->algae-->penguin" connection

View from space of the massive growth of red, green, and blue single-celled plants, in the currents flowing north.

Growth may be fed by iron in the brown dust cloud, lower left.

In the ocean, iron feeds the algae, like phosphorus does in our lakes.

"Stirring Up a Bloom Off Patagonia

Off the coast of Argentina, two strong ocean currents recently stirred up a colorful brew of floating nutrients and microscopic plant life just in time for the Southern Hemisphere's summer solstice

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of a massive phytoplankton bloom off of the Atlantic coast of Patagonia on Dec. 21, 2010.

Scientists used seven separate spectral bands to highlight the differences in the plankton communities across this swath of ocean."

This bloom of algae helps sustain penguins. The famous Punta Tombo colony of Magellanic Penguins is found on the coast just below the odd peninsula (upper center of photo). With half a million of these birds, it's the largest breeding area for Magellanic Penguins in the world.

Alaska

The North Pacific, west of Alaska, is extremely fertile. That's where the Humpback Whales come to fatten for the summer, and probably where your fish dinner comes from. This photo (below) of the Alaskan panhandle shows strong winds blowing dust into the ocean, towards the lower left.

Click to enlarge. NASA photo.

In Dane County, dust contributes nutrients to our lakes, especially during strong winds of early spring when the ground is bare. Urban dust, some from muddy tires, adds to airbourne nutrients.

Clouds of ash from distant forest fires can also deliver phosphorus to the lakes.

While windblown dust may be good for penguins and whales, it's bad for our lakes. It helps create toxic, smelly algae blooms--and ruins recreational values. A major source of windblown dust in Madison is mud tracked out of construction sites.

Quotes and photos thanks to NASA

Public Information Meeting for Arboretum Pond 3

2011-02-15T13:33:00.005-06:00

"City Engineering is proposing to reconstruct Arboretum Pond 3 which is located on UW Arboretum property at 2164 W Beltline Highway (just to the northeast of the Steinhafels furniture store on the Beltline).

Link to map

This project is being proposed to address an ongoing channel erosion issue and to provide improved flood mitigation and stormwater quality to areas downstream.

The City’s design consultant, Held Engineering Associates, Inc. has progressed to a point in the analysis and design phase that we would like to hold a public informational meeting to present and take comments on the proposed design."

DATE: Tuesday February 15, 2011, 6:00 PM
LOCATION: 1600 Emil Street – City of Madison
Larry D. Nelson Engineering Operations Facility

# # #

From a Jan. 24 letter from Robert F. Phillips, P.E., City Engineer

Special favors for a single developer

2011-01-28T23:56:00.014-06:00

. . .

"I'm sure you hear plenty about special interests and campaign donors receiving favors from elected officials. Well, this week brought us what may be one of the most blatant examples of that we've ever seen.

In a move that puts all of Brown County wetlands at risk, Special Session Assembly Bill 10 is an exemption from statewide wetlands protections for one developer–a developer who happens to be a major campaign contributor to Governor Scott Walker.

As hunters, anglers, birders, hikers and more, you know all too well that wetlands are critical for flood prevention, water purification, and wildlife habitat."

The bill is on a fast track at the request of Gov. Walker's office. "The full Assembly will take up SS AB 10 next Wednesday. Call your Representative and let them know you don't want to see a Wisconsin wetland destroyed for a single developer!

There will also be a Senate hearing on the bill Tuesday Feb. 1 at 11:00 am in room 330 SW of the State Capitol Building, so please come and testify!"

At the hearing room, you can register to testify for/against the bill, or you can simply fill out a slip to indicate your objection to the bill, and hand the slip to the clerk. It's best to arrive a few minutes early to fill out your slip.

Proposed site, to lower right of interchange.Lambeau Field, far right. Click to enlarge.

# # #

The above quotes are from the League for Conservation Voters.
Their testimony at the last hearing.
Sierra Club's position on the issue.
News story, Jan. 28: A business intended for the wetland site pulls out (to avoid environmental damage), but Republicans still want to ram the "special earmark" bill through.
Blog post about this issue: "The car dealer's wetland scam."
Map showing location of proposed wetland fill

Meeting on groundwater tonight, 6:30 PM, 1/27/11

2011-01-27T12:20:00.009-06:00

Groundwater is an important issue for Madison. You cannot have economic growth without abundant sources of clean water. Our groundwater is becoming contaminated--several wells have been shut down. Recently, chromium 6, a cancer causing substance, was found in Madison's tapwater (although at extremely low levels).

In addition, the water table is being depleted, primarily because impervious surfaces prevent rain from getting into the ground.

* * *

"Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD), the City of Fitchburg and its residents, and UW- Madison Water Resources Management (WRM) graduate students are working together on a project to evaluate the potential for using recycled treated water from the Nine Springs Wastewater Treatment Plant to recharge groundwater in the City of Fitchburg."

"The project is following up on concerns throughout Dane County that the groundwater table has dropped significantly over the past few decades following increased population growth and demand for water. Water recycling and subsequent recharge is one potential practice that could be used to address groundwater quantity issues."

"Please join us in a public discussion on Thursday, January 27th, 2011 from 6:30-8:30PM in the Fitchburg Room of the Community Center, 5510 Lacy Rd., to learn more about this important issue and to voice your comments, concerns, and ideas in small discussion groups facilitated by the WRM graduate students."

The Agenda

During the first hour, three speakers will present about groundwater problems in the area, the current groundwater infiltration project at Odana Hills Golf Course, and other Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District projects related to groundwater. More

Important questions to ask about this project

Will the recycled water from the Nine Springs Plant be clean enough to protect the groundwater resource? At Odana Hills, water being pumped into the ground during spring runoff is too salty, with resulting contamination of the groundwater there. Monitoring wells show that the groundwater near Odana has now exceeded standards for chloride levels--so MG&E is in violation of their permit to pump.

Is there another, more cost-effective way to recharge groundwater, such as many rain gardens? Pumping water into the ground is costly--for construction, and because it's a long-term commitment to the energy costs of pumping.

The importance of shore protection in the Watershed Plan

2011-01-10T13:00:00.032-06:00

The Engineering Dept. has already committed to a three-year study of the Lake Wingra basin, with the aim of improved planning and coordination of management. The Plan should include shore protection.

Shore protection--essential for water quality

One essential for water quality has long been recognized in Madison--reducing the input of nutrients and mud to the lake. More recently, it's been recognized that controlling stormwater is also essential. This boils down to infiltrating most of the rain where it falls--with rain gardens or pervious pavement.

But there's a third essential that's mostly been forgotten, because we live in a city where much of the shore is privately owned. And that's protection of the shoreline itself, including the banks of streams that feed the lake.

Shoreline protection is vital because it's an area under assault--from wave action, wildlife, and intense human activity. At the shore, any erosion feeds sediment directly to the lake. Once started on the busy shore, erosion is very hard to stop.

The natural buffer

I first became aware of the importance of the natural ring of vegetation when I volunteered to help protect Hawksnest Pond in Massachusetts. At this pristine pond, the water is crystal clear, thanks to a buffer of vegetation that's intact around the entire pond. Not a drop gets into the pond unless it falls on the surface, seeps in through the sandy soil, or is filtered through a thick mat of shore vegetation.

Click to enlarge photos

Hawksnest Pond is like LakeWingra 150 years ago. But in Madison, there are few areas of natural shoreline left to remind us of the importance of this buffer.

Shoreline vegetation not only prevents erosion--shade also helps keep the water oxygenated, provides wildlife habitat, and presents a more pleasing view from the water.

Once invasive species get established on eroded banks, they can easily spread via the water.

In Madison--more effective shore protection is needed

Here are some recent examples, showing that current policies don't protect shorelines and waterways:

North shore of Lake Wingra, 1/3/11. Some native shrubs were cut.

This strip is owned and managed by owner of the house.

Riprapped channel below Glenway Golf Course. A complaint about erosion nearby caused City to cut vegetation along waterway.

Left: Before; right: during cutting (Credit: L. Coleman).

Caving bank 25 feet high, on Lake Mendota at future site of Edgewater Hotel reconstruction. Summer, 2010.

Erosion along creek feeding L. Wingra, near Nakoma Rd and Cherokee Dr, 6/9/08.

Because the Lake Wingra's shore is mostly protected by parks and wetlands, shore protection is a minor issue here. Nevertheless, because the Watershed Management Plan will be a model for other watersheds where shore protection is a bigger problem, we need to start with Lake Wingra.

Hazardous waste washed into Lake Wingra

2011-01-04T00:59:00.014-06:00

Misdeeds are sometimes revealed when bodies float to the surface... as happened recently at Lake Wingra.

On January 2, 2011, I found this bucket frozen in Lake Wingra. Google research revealed the bucket had contained pipe joint mastic, a tarry compound used to seal box culverts--large pipes that carry stormwater.

Two days later, I found a second 5-gallon can nearby--

and this one was almost full.

Evidently, the two cans were left from construction of the Pickford Street stormwater project of 2009. You can see where the culvert empties into the lake in the photo above.

But why were the cans now revealed, over a year after the project was finished? Joints between the segments of the box culvert had been sealed inside the culvert. Probably the cans were left inside. Later, when there was enough flow in the culvert, the cans washed out. If true, this means the inside of the culvert wasn't carefully inspected by the City when the work was finished.

The joint sealer in the cans is listed by the Feds as an "acute health hazard" and a "chronic health hazard." California considers it to cause cancer. The EPA says this material is "subject to hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal requirements." Source

Who is responsible

Speedway Sand and Gravel was the contractor. In 2010, their sloppy work on Edgewood Ave resulted in numerous spills of sediment into Lake Wingra. Later, their work on Segoe Ave involved dumping of concrete wastewater, and stormwater inlet protection that failed during a heavy rain.
Stewart Mael was the City inspector for this project.
The City Council and the Mayor need to devote more resources to inspection. Ordinances and rules don't work without inspection.

More photos from this project.

Solstice celebration in Glenwood Children's Park

2010-12-21T21:33:00.018-06:00

The council ring by Jens Jensen

On Sunday night from 6:00 to 10:00 pm, neighbors celebrated the solstice with a bonfire, music and poetry in Glenwood Children's Park. The event was organized by the Dudgeon-Monroe Neighborhood Association, with Peter Nause as Chair.

A glorious bonfire lit the council ring on a mound in the park.
Sparks rose to mingle with the stars, under the light of a full moon.

About half the wood was from storm-damaged trees, provided by the City of Madison Forestry Division. Gere Tree Care helped Peter bring the wood to the council ring on a sledge.

Glenwood Childrens Park was designed by the famous landscape architect Jens Jensen, one of his last projects. Except for the council ring, his plans were never finished, and the tiny stream was later buried in pipes.

Jensen is known for designing many parks on the west side of Chicago, and for the Garfield Park Conservatory building in Chicago. Jensen promoted the idea of parks as place to bring people together for democratic action. So many of them have council rings like the one at Glenwood. His work built appreciation for natural landscapes and native plants.

Before the Europeans arrived, the park hosted a small rocky gorge with a trickle of water, lined with ferns, arched over by ancient trees.

Once looked like this?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Now it's dry and eroded

There's potential for a lovely restoration here.

Early Madisonians took blocks of sandstone from a small quarry there. Next, tracks were laid along the upstream end--now you can see the council ring from the bike trail.

Until the last few years, the park was neglected. But it's getting more attention and use. In recent years, it's been the location for Madison's Weed Feed (a potluck picnic) in the spring, and also a summer solstice celebration.

Neighborhood parks with community events offer a chance for neighbors to come together, get to know one another, and work together on projects. Perhaps the Hillcrest-Upland Greenway can likewise offer a focus for the neighborhood.

Lanterns thanks to Dorie Sundquist and Percy Mather.

See all the photos here.

Progress on greenway--Dec. 10, 2010

2010-12-10T18:29:00.011-06:00

The greenway construction is almost entirely finished, except for a little cleanup. It was finished on schedule.

I have been quite impressed that, despite the large size of the equipment used, there has been almost no tree damage above ground level.

Let's go on a tour down the greenway, starting at Owen Drive, walking down on the right side, and then back on the other side.

This is the access road, seen from Owen Drive. The tan material is the erosion control mat. Soil and seeds are underneath.

You can see on the left, a bit of cleanup is needed.

Looking back uphill, past a newly-planted sapling.

Looking downstream, the riprap begins. Towards the rear, you can see the first "dam," really rather small.

Several planted saplings in the foreground.

It's good that some of the curves in the channel were preserved.

View east from Midvale Blvd. The saplings here (on right) are a bit larger, to block the view of the street.

Unfortunately, by late Friday afternoon, the street was left very dirty, in violation of specs in the contract for contractors. Mud left on the streets runs off into the lakes, carrying a lot of phosphorus that "fertilizes" the lakes.

Previously when the street was left dirty, I emailed City inspector Tim Troester, and it was cleaned immediately. But this time, I didn't notify him--it shows that residents have to be vigilant to get good results.

See all the photos here.

The view from above

2010-12-01T02:35:00.003-06:00

A view of our fragile home from the space station.

Water is the source of all life on Earth. Protect it!

Click on photo to enlarge.
About the photo

Progress on greenway--Nov. 28, 2010

2010-11-28T18:35:00.043-06:00

The lower half is finished. Looking upstream from near Midvale Blvd.

The greenway project--replacing the sewer and creating a riprap channel for floodwaters--is about half finished. The lateral sewer for 4322 Upland Dr is under construction.

Working in a tight spot, 11/18. No damage to trees on left.

I've been amazed at how careful the contractor--S&L Underground and Trucking--has been with the trees. Last week, I watched as they dug a trench for a lateral line with a large power shovel. Both an overhead wire, plus a large tree, were in the way. But the shovel carefully avoided the obstacles while working quickly.

So far, only one tree (#9) with damage-->

The half-completed riprap channel will go a long way towards preventing a major sediment spill, should heavy rain occur before the job is finished.

We've been lucky that no heavy rains have occurred since October 24. The gravel road laid down in the ravine seems quite effective in protecting against erosion during light rain. However, I'm concerned that if heavy rain occurs, floodwaters will erode the banks of the ravine that are now unprotected. Where the gravel road tilts to one side or the other, berms of gravel are needed to protect the banks.

A few problems

Despite a good job overall, I did spot a few problems on Nov. 28:

The new soil placed on either side of the riprap channel--hidden under the erosion control mat--is uneven. Next spring, soil is going to collapse into the spaces between riprap boulders, making holes. Footing here will be treacherous (See above, 11/18).

A metal hopper was parked closer than 5 feet to a tree (right). To prevent soil compaction around roots, equipment must be parked more than 5 feet from trees.

There's an unprotected pile of soil beside the gravel road in the ravine. The erosion control plan requires that all stockpiles be protected against erosion.

In some places, soil has been spilled onto the riprap. Next spring, some of this is going to wash into the lake. I'd like to see more attention given to keeping the riprap channel clean.

Concrete under the manhole is cracked. Acceptable quality? Click on photos to enlarge.

See all the photos here.