| "It's not just reducing nonpoint source pollution, but it has habitat value, too." | |
| Joe Exl, Lake Michigan Coastal Program |
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There have been songs about paving over paradise to put up a parking lot. In Indiana, they took out a parking lot and restored a natural area with a goal of improving water quality in an adjacent swimming beach. The fact that the area is turning into a paradise of native plants surrounding a meandering creek with burgeoning fish and birds is almost a bonus.
"To the best of our knowledge," says Mike Molnar, program manager for the Lake Michigan Coastal Program in the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, "this is the first time a creek has been daylighted in a dune environment."
Daylighting refers to restoring a portion of the creek's natural ecosystem and exposing the water to sunlight, helping to lower E. coli levels.
In addition to its environmental and habitat benefits, the award-winning project is being used for outreach and education for beachgoers and homeowners.
Built to Last
The parking lot was constructed in the late 1920s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). "The first photo of it we have is circa 1930, and on top of the parking lot are the CCC barracks," notes Molnar.
Before paving the lot, which was used soon after its construction to provide auxiliary parking for visitors to beaches at Indiana Dunes State Park, the CCC routed a 1,300-foot section of Dunes Creek through an 84-inch diameter concrete and steel pipe.
"It was built to last," quips Molnar.
Beach Closed
In recent years, swimming beaches at the park, located in northwestern Indiana on the shore of Lake Michigan, often had to be closed because of high bacteria levels.
It was determined the parking lot was contributing to high levels of E. coli.
"In the Dunes Creek watershed," explains Joe Exl, coastal nonpoint coordinator for the Lake Michigan Coastal Program, "the soil types are unsuitable for septic tank systems, but older homes don't have access to sewers. We found out that about 40 percent of the septic systems are in a state of failure. That's a major contributing factor [to the closures], as well as the fact that there's a lot of natural E. coli in the watershed."
Exl adds, "Sediment and excessive nutrients also are coming from a variety of sources, including home construction, agriculture, and erosion."
Dunes Creek being routed through a culvert eliminated the natural filtering effects of the stream.
"When it was culverted, it became like a giant petri dish," says Molnar. "It created a dark, warm environment that E. coli likes."
Obstacles
The idea for the project had been around since 2003, says Molnar. "At that time, Dunes State Park was reworking its campground facility and other infrastructure in an attempt to reduce impacts on the environment."
The parking lot only served its purpose once or twice a year and was in disrepair.
"It just made sense that this seldom-used area could be used to do some good ecological restoration," Molnar explains. "This was one of the projects discussed at the time, but it was a big ticket item, and the state being the state didn't have a lot of extra cash lying around."
Because the parking lot was situated between two large dunes, engineers also had worries that if the lot were removed, it would destabilize the system.
In 2004, two private firms were hired to evaluate the feasibility of the project. After a green light, and a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the project was begun in 2005.
Just a Phase
The project was broken into three phases: a design phase; the actual removal of the lot and culvert, and rough grading work; and the final grading and planting.
A little over two-and-a-half acres of concrete had to be broken up and removed, Molnar says. Removing the reinforced steel and concrete culvert turned out to be much more onerous than the contractors had anticipated.
While the removal work was done, the stream was temporarily rerouted. A new meandering channel was constructed along the stream's original path, and the floodplain was restored to hold water during heavy rains.
When work was completed in spring of 2006, the area was planted with a mix of native plants and seeds.
The total cost of the project was almost $700,000, with $425,000 coming from federal coastal zone funds.
Life Returns
Since constructed wetlands require one to three years for the ecosystem to become functional, it is too early to tell the amount of E. coli the restoration will ultimately remove, but water quality testing is already showing signs of improvement, says Exl.
Fish, including reproducing trout and salmon, and birdlife have returned to the creek. Within the floodplain, fine silts and sediments have been deposited, indicating that sediment reduction is occurring.
"It's already helping," says Exl. "It's evident when you look at the site. It's not just reducing nonpoint source pollution, but it has habitat value, too."
A bonus of the project has been education of beachgoers and outreach to homeowners on the importance of septic system maintenance and preserving natural areas.
Recognition
Because of the uniqueness and success of the project, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources received a Carl Anderson Conservation Project of the Year award from the Association of Conservation Engineers (ACE) in 2006.
The project also has been nominated for the 2007 Governor's Awards for Environmental Excellence in Indiana.
The best reward for Molnar, however, was seeing the project through to fruition.
"The big thing I learned," he says, "is that nothing is impossible. Bureaucratically, nothing is impossible."
For more information on the Dunes Creek daylighting project, contact Mike Molnar at (317) 233-0132, or mmolnar@dnr.in.gov. You may also contact Joe Exl at (219) 921-0863, or jexl@dnr.in.gov.
