2006 Annual Report

Prepared by: Spicer Group, Inc.

230 S. Washington Avenue Saginaw, Michigan

October 15, 2006

Table of Contents

Saginaw Area Storm Water Authority (SASWA) 2006 Annual Report Appendix A – Public Education Brochures Appendix B – Spill Response Reports Appendix C – Sediment Removal Documentation Appendix D – Website Statistics – October 2005 to September 2006 Appendix E – Community Newsletters & News Articles Appendix F – Annual Budgets 2006 & 2007 Appendix G – Attorney General’s Opinion

Saginaw Area Storm Water Authority (SASWA)

October 15, 2006 2006 Annual Report for the following NDPES Storm Water Discharge Permits:

MEMBER NPDES Permit Number

Birch Run Township MIG 610168 Bridgeport Charter Township MIG 610181 Bridgeport Spaulding Community Schools MIG 610180 Buena Vista Charter Twp MIG 610167 Carrollton Township & School District MIG 610165 James Township MIG 610164 Kochville Township MIG 610162 Saginaw – City of MIG 610161 Saginaw County Road Commission MIG 610178 Saginaw County MIG 610171 Saginaw Charter Twp MIG 610166 Saginaw Township Community Schools MIG 610176 Saginaw Intermediate School District MIG 610183 Saginaw Valley State University MIG 610179 Spaulding Township MIG 610169 Swan Valley School District MIG 610175 Thomas Township MIG 610174 Tittabawassee Township MIG 610172 Zilwaukee – City of MIG 610159

This report will follow the annual progress report guidelines as set forth in the NPDES permit number MIG619000, section B, Watershed Management, Part 3 Annual Progress Report. The report will be submitted to the MDEQ’s Saginaw Bay District Office by October 15, 2006, as stated in each of the permits listed above.

a. Illicit Discharge Elimination Plan (IDEP) The IDEP program has been implemented in Saginaw County. The dry weather screening began during mid July of 2005 after the ground water level was down. Since this time screening has taken place throughout the year, as permitted by weather, vegetation condition, and groundwater table elevation. The goal is to screen 25% of the drainage districts in the SASWA watershed area in a year. The following drainage districts have been completed to date:

• Bebee • Br. No. 1 of Trickey • Brown & Mills • Chapman • Garey • Hagerl Tile • Lentz • Liskow • Liskow Tile • Metzler • Oldenburg • Parker Swamp & Branches

• Scholtz & O’Hern • Hatch Run • Wiltse • Wolgast • Wurtzel • Wurtzel Tile • Dice • Alney • Union • Otto • Page • Shattuck Road

The following drainage districts are partially completed, and will be finished as soon as weather permits;

• Williams Creek • Amanda • Bishop • McCarty Road

• New Freeland • Shattuck Outlet • Winterstein

The reports for the drains and point sources are being processed at this time and will be sent to Saginaw Bay District Office when the technical aspects have been completed. Preliminary maps, necessary for IDEP screening, for each of the drainage districts have been prepared. These maps are used as a basis for dry weather screening, and have been prepared in order to allow progress whenever conditions permit. The Strieter Subdivision was investigated on 13 June 2006 with representatives from the Saginaw County Department of Public Health present. The subdivision was identified by the IDEP program when sewage odors were detected. While sampling, residents reported the smell of sewage was present from the storm system. Sampling revealed two catch basins that exceed 100 col./100 ML, though odor was present at many locations. The basins exceeding the limit were in the middle of the system; the outfall tested clean. No further action has been taken to date. At this time it is felt

that the problem may be failing septic systems instead of the illicit connections as originally thought. One more test will be done to determine what the problem could be. The acceptance of the IDEP included the contingency that a Strategy for Minimizing the Seepage from On Site Sewage Disposal Systems be developed and submitted for approval by November 1st, 2007. No work has begun on this plan. The SASWA intends to develop the plan and submit by the required date. Additionally, SASWA must address any references to the county wide ordinance in this plan to reflect the recent Attorney General’s opinion. The IDEP has been effective in locating areas of concern within the SASWA’s defined watershed area of responsibility. The program is utilized by the Saginaw County Public Works Commissioner to gage the status of each drain inspected. Suspicious outfalls or drain maintenance issues are identified and summarized in a quarterly report to the Public Works Commissioner’s engineer. The program is helping to develop accurate records of the MS4 in Saginaw County’s urbanized area. IDEP maps and reports will be submitted with the completion of the CMI Grant obtained by the SASWA in 2005. IDEP education: The SASWA website’s home page provides the general public with the opportunity to report any spills or dumping in the SASWA watershed or the county as a whole. The website provides the public that uses this form of communication and information transfer with the ability to view information on what comprises illicit discharges and how to report them. The ability to report spills or discharges by the website will be communicated to the public during the implementation of the IDEP. To date no reports of spills or illicit discharges have occurred via the website. Brochures distributed to school systems, from CVT offices or as information in Township newsletters provide the public with a more conventional form of communication about spill reporting. To augment this form of education SASWA has been begun preparation of refresher training for the member’s staff and personnel on spill reporting procedures. The SASWA has determined that it will begin annual refresher training for spill reporting. The SASWA website now includes a map of IDEP progress and planned future inspections. This allows SASWA members and the general public to stay appraised of IDEP activity. The map is updated monthly. Proposed County wide Storm Water Quality Ordinance: The SASWA developed a County wide Storm Water Quality Ordinance and approved the document. The ordinance was sent to the County’s attorney for review and comment. The SASWA was made aware of a decision made by an opinion letter

issued to Grand Traverse County from Michigan’s Assistant Attorney General stating that a county does not have the authority to regulate storm water quality unless specifically empowered to do so by legislation enacted in this state. A copy of the opinion is included as Appendix G . At this time the SASWA has asked their project manager to approach Saginaw County’s Public Health Department to determine if this ordinance can be enforced through the county’s public health enforcement. If not at that level then the municipalities have the option of implementing the ordinance individually. However, the communities do not wish to pursue this option yet. The meeting with the Saginaw County Public Health Department took place on October 10, 2006. Bryant Wilke will review and report to the SASWA executive committee in it November 22, 2006 meeting. He will be reviewing it for adaptability for adoption as an enforcement ordinance for the Health Department to address illicit sanitary connections and failing on-site disposal systems.

Spill Response Reports: To date there have been three (3) spill reports. Each incident was discussed in a SASWA executive committee meeting to provide for a sharing of information and to determine if procedure was followed properly. Each report is briefly described below, more detailed information is provided in Appendix B.

1. Garner Subdivision, Tittabawassee Township. The Garner Subdivision is located at the corner of Garner and Webster streets. A complaint of excessive sediment due to construction site runoff was reported to Keith Noble at the MDEQ. It is estimated that 0.5 yd3 of sediment entered the MS4. The incident was reported to the Saginaw County Public Works Commissioner, the local CEA.

2. Waldo Street, City of Saginaw. A report of sewage being pumped into the street from a flooded basement was reported to Jim Koski, the Saginaw County Public Works Commissioner. The pumping was in a combined sewer district; no action was taken and investigated by the City of Saginaw’s environmental staff.

3. Home Depot, Kochville Township. An individual was reported to have dumped approximately 0.25 – 0.5 gallons of gasoline into a storm drain at the Home Depot located at 3132 Bueker Drive. The report was made via 9-1-1, prompting police and fire departments to respond. The gasoline was never located in the on-site detention pond; no cleanup was performed as the spill was never located.

4. Olive Garden, Kochville Township. An individual spilled about 1 gallon of gasoline in the parking lot. The fire department responded to a 9-1-1 call and cleaned the site. It is believed any pollutant not cleaned by the fire department evaporated due to the heat of the day.

The county has enacted an ordinance to deal with Soil Erosion and Sediment Control issues as civil infractions in 2004. Authorized members of the Saginaw County Public Works Commissioner’s office will continue to enforce the ordinance. b. Public Education Plan (PEP) The SASWA began implementing its PEP during its formation in 2002. The following section overviews activities related to the PEP, progress, and their perceived effectiveness. Activities 1 and 2: Brochures have been developed relating to a number of watershed education topics. These have been submitted previously. SASWA members continue to distribute educational materials, and they are also available through the website. The website, www.saswa.org, has continued to be a multifaceted resource that can be used by the general public and SASWA membership. The site is used by members to provide:

• watershed education by video streaming the MWEA Watershed Education CD to residents on the website,

• information on storm water regulations, • information on storm water pollution prevention, • a method to report illicit discharges / connections, • educational materials for children, • educational materials for adults, • resources related to NPDES compliance, • resources related to administration of SASWA, • progress map on IDEP program, • watershed maps, • drainage district maps, • existing storm sewer map, • access to the watershed management plans for the Upper Saginaw,

Lower Cass and Lower Tittabawassee The website also provides the members with the opportunity to measure the effectiveness of the World Wide Web as a public education venue. The SASWA keeps track of all hits to the website, pages accessed, survey results. The results of the cumulative summary of statistics on the SASWA website from October 1st, 2005 to September 30th, 2006 are available in Appendix D. To view the website and its contents one can visit www.saswa.org. The following members have linked their websites to the SASWA website to provide the public with education related to storm water and stormwater activities:

• Carrollton Township, • Saginaw Charter Township,

• Saginaw County, • Saginaw Valley State University, • Thomas Township.

A summary of the statistics for the SASWA website are in the following Table: TABLE 1. Hits Total Hits 20,142 Average Hits per Day 55 Average Hits per visitor 7.00 Cached requests 3,967 Failed requests 1,088 Page Views Total Page Views 5,409 Average Page Views per Day 14 Average Page Views per Visitor 1.88 Visitors Total Visitors 2,878 Average Visitors per Day 7 Total Unique IPs 1,045 Bandwidth Total Bandwidth 2.33 GB Average Bandwidth per Day 6.54 MB Average Bandwidth per Hit 121.37 KB Average Bandwidth per Visitor 849.33 KB

The website and brochures appear to be the most effective public education tools utilized thus far. The website is a source of a wide range of informational tools and resources, and is slated for revision in 2007. The SASWA believes this web-based tool is one of the most effective means of education, both in terms of cost and accessibility. SASWA brochures continue to be developed, as discussed below, and are distributed by members in their offices. These brochures provide a tangible Informational Articles developed related to Activity Number 3 were published in 2006. An article in the NMWEA outlined the SASWA’s progress. Pipeline magazine published an article outlining the IDEP program in their 2nd quarter 2006 edition. See Appendix E for copies of these publications. Inclusion of newsletter articles is an effective means to communicate the SASWA’s message to the general public. The SASWA hopes to increase the use of this forum in the future.

Activity number 4 related to watershed education is providing access to the Michigan Water Environment Association’s educational CD on watersheds. This CD was finalized and made available to the public in late Fall of 2004. The video is available as a streaming file or download from the SASWA website. No additional showings of the video took place during the reporting period. The MWEA educational program is an effective introduction to watersheds and watershed management. This video is not utilized often, with the exception of initial public briefings on the subject. Activity number 5 was to complete a database of riparian landowners in the Saginaw Urbanized Area. This task was completed with the assistance of the Saginaw Area GIS Authority (SAGA). This database of addresses has been completed and a mailing done to all riparian owners. This activity was effective. The database has been developed. Activity number 6 is to develop a series of messages on watershed hygiene. The SASWA’s various activities are all designed to revolve around this theme. Additionally, brochures highlighting pumping stations for RV and marine sewage were distributed at the SVSU boat show. Effectiveness of these messages is reflected by the general health of the watershed and public awareness. The SASWA believes its efforts have been effective in increasing public knowledge. Activity number 7 is to sponsor three (3) informational workshops or seminars for area contractors, developers, builders, landscapers, and engineering firms has been delayed because of funding issues. SASWA has submitted a grant application to the Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network. This grant is currently under revision and will be pursued further in 2007. The SASWA has arranged to speak with the Tri-County Contractors’ Association (TCCA) and Home Builders’ Association of Saginaw in 2007 regarding construction site stormwater management, and general watershed information. These seminars will take place in February of 2007. Contact with construction and development industries is an import part of the SASWA’s watershed message. It is expected these seminars and educational sessions will be effective in improving watershed health. Activity number 8 is related to development of signage indicating where storm drains discharge. The SASWA will not pursue stenciling, as this is a liability concern. SASWA members are encouraged to revise their storm water management plans / ordinances and will require all new construction catch basin castings to have forged lettering “DUMP NO WASTE – DRAINS TO RIVER” which will last the

lifetime of the product. Additionally, SWMPs developed as a required part of the SWPPI document will include this requirement. To date, Thomas Township, Kochville Township, and the City of Saginaw have updated their storm water management plans to include this feature. Plans have been reviewed for over 18 new developments and redevelopments in these communities and these castings are on the construction specifications The requests for installation of the castings have been effective. The zero-cost premium incurred by developers is encouraging the acceptance of these simple devices. The constant reminder that the storm drains reach natural waters with no treatment is hoped to be an effective reminder of watershed health. Activity number 9 has not yet started. Contact was made with MMWA but no calendar was planned for 2006. The SASWA will make further contact in 2007. Activity number 10: the SASWA distributes a brochure on proper disposal of sanitary waste water from recreational vehicles and marine craft. This brochure provides information on proper disposal and locations in Saginaw, Bay, and Midland counties, where sanitary wastes can be pumped out. Phone numbers, addresses, and any associated fees are provided. This brochure was printed in early 2005 for distribution at area recreational vehicle and boat shows. Over 2000 have been distributed to area RV and Marine Dealers and at the RV and Boat shows in the Spring of 2006. The document has been updated on the SASWA website to reflect an additional marine pump out facility added by the request of the facilities owner. Also, the US Coast Guard Auxiliary is handing out this brochure during their Boating Safety Courses. The brochure has been previously submitted, and is available on the SASWA’s website. This brochure has been distributed by the SASWA for 2 years. The fact that a cleanout station has been added, per a business’ request, indicates the brochure has reached a wide audience. This brochure includes directions to and contact information for sanitary pump-out stations, and is a convenient reference for RV and boat owners. This brochure is effective in the delivery of its message. Activities number 11, 12, and 13 have had their respective messages on watershed hygiene, application, and disposal of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers and procedures for residential car washing developed into brochure formats for distribution to the general public. The MWEA watershed education CD also delivers a message related to this information. The SASWA website provides the public with additional links for more education related to these topics. Brochures are widely distributed by the SASWA’s membership, and are available as downloads from the website. Brochures are believed to be an effective tool in communicating the watershed message. The SASWA promotes brochures as a jumping-off point for watershed education, with each brochure providing resources where additional information can be obtained.

Activities 14 and 15 have been covered in the IDEP portion of this report. Activity number 16. The SASWA has a PowerPoint presentation on Soil Erosion and Sediment Control. It has been utilized to teach in area schools and 62 fourth grade students from List Elementary in Frankenmuth and 20 third graders of Hemlock’s Ling Elementary have partaken in this program this year. The students had to write letters to the instructor on what they learned in this program. Spicer Group hosted a training session for participants to achieve the status of Construction Site Storm Water Operation. 26 participants attended, including 14 representing SASWA members. Training sessions for building professionals and administrators are effective, as the decision makers and administrator must be educated to help further the message of watershed health. c. New Point Sources of Storm Water Discharges: The following subdivisions have been approved to discharge storm water in the SASWA watershed area: Name of Subdivision Township and Section # Outlet Drain

Mackinaw Meadows Condo Saginaw Charter Twp - 10 Universal Drain Ponds at Thomas Village Thomas Twp - 26 Wolgast Drain Tuscany Villas Saginaw Charter Twp - 3 McCarty Road Branch of

Universal Drain To date, not all of these storm water conveyance systems have been built, they have been approved through the storm water management plans and ordinances instituted in the respective townships. Once the systems have been built, they will be added to the developing storm water conveyance system GIS layer for the SASWA. The outlets will be positioned appropriately on the developing GIS map with coordinates supplied by GPS during the IDEP program implementation. During the summer of 2006, 4 new point sources were added to the storm sewer map and 18 storm sewer networks were added to existing systems. Some of these were private systems, however, because of their size (Wal Mart Supercenter’s with regional detention areas) they were added to the GIS layers being developed by SASWA.

d. Storm Water Pollution Prevention Initiative (SWPPI) SWPPIs for each SASWA permittee’s were developed through a collaborative process. The SWPPIs for Birch Run Township and Saginaw County Road Commission (SCRC) were based upon proposed goals and objectives for the Lower Flint River watershed, obtained from the Genesee County Drain Commissioner. The SCRC also uses goals and objectives from the 3 WMPs of Saginaw County in

conjunction with the Lower Flint. The remaining SWPPIs were based upon the Upper Saginaw, Lower Cass, and Lower Tittabawassee Watershed Management Plans. SASWA members attended a SWPPI training session prior to development of the documents. With the exception of the City of Saginaw, all SASWA Members submitted their SWPPI to MDEQ for review on April 14, 2006. The City of Saginaw is still reviewing their SWPPI and is awaiting final approval and signature of the cover sheet from municipal government. Tracking of SWPPI-related activities is managed through the SASWA’s website. This is accessible only to members, and is used to track progress throughout the year. It is expected that this will assist with more accurate and regular documentation of watershed related actions. As a result of the SWPPI activities, several actions have begun to take place. The Saginaw County Road Commission has documented approximately 490 cubic yards (approximately 761 tons) of sediment collected through their sweeping program. This includes approximately 24 cubic yards (37 tons) in the Lower Tittabawasse watershed and 466 cubic yards (724 tons) in the Upper Saginaw watershed. Bridgeport Charter Township has reported approximately 4 cubic yards of sediment removed from MS4 catch basins on township property Documentation is located in Appendix C. SASWA members have ordered 30 gallon spill kits for facilities that were otherwise without. A total of 24 kits were ordered by 10 members in the Fall of 2006. Kits include materials to detain and remediate small spills of oils, chemicals, and other pollutants that are regularly encountered in municipal and educational facilities.

e. Nested Drainage System Agreements – None reported for 2006, all known within the Saginaw Urbanized Area are accounted for. f. Public Participation Plans The SASWA has submitted the Swan Creek Watershed PPP to MDEQ for review and comment. Planning for this watershed is slated to begin in October 2006. g. Watershed Management Plans Watershed Management Plans for the Upper Saginaw, Lower Cass, and Lower Tittabawassee watersheds were submitted to MDEQ for review and comment on November 1st, 2005. The completion of these WMPs indicates significant progress

for the SASWA, as these plans are the result of effective public education, public participation, and sustainable leadership from the SASWA’s organizational structure. Review and comment were received from MDEQ and revisions to the WMPs have been made. Per this process, the plans have been updated and the Upper Saginaw WMP was submitted to the MDEQ for further review. h. Other Actions Monthly Education sessions are held at general meetings of the SASWA. Each month a short presentation is made regarding watershed management in some aspect, or a discussion of SASWA policy is held. Presentations have been made by both the SASWA’s consultant and outside speakers (including David Russell of the Saginaw Conservation District. To ensure completeness of this report and to assure that no items were missed the Agendas and Minutes for the Executive Committee and General Board meetings of SASWA are available on our website: www.saswa.org. The SASWA has taken the position that the website is the format that they will communicate information from the public meetings. The annual budgets for the SASWA’s fiscal years 2006 and 2007 are in Appendix G. These annual budgets are approved by the trustees representing the municipal membership’s governing bodies. Each member has a specified or apportioned share of these costs for the project. The apportionment must be approved by a two thirds majority of the CVT’s before acceptance for application to the approved 2007 budget.

Sustainability of SASWA and its programs is guaranteed by the commitments of its membership to meeting the requirements of the general permit and by the organization of SASWA. SASWA was formed as a legal authority under PA 233 of 1955 and has publicly printed its Articles of Incorporation and subsequent amendments to these Articles. Each member municipality has passed a resolution supporting the formation of the SASWA. The authority has developed its 6th annual budget and 5th annual apportionment. The apportionment must be annually approved by resolution of each member municipality. This assures that communities and non municipal members are on-board with the actions of the authority. To date there is no question of the sustainability of this authority. Also, SASWA has been working with and fielding questions from other parts of the state of Michigan to assist with sustainability issues with other NPDES Phase II groups.

APPENDIX A

Public Education Brochures

Want to Know More?Michigan State University Saginaw County Extension

989-758-2500msue73@msu.edu

Michigan Groundwater Stewardship Program,Michigan Department of

Agriculture Environmental Stewardship Division517-241-0236

Center for Watershed Protectionwww.cwp.org

Michigan Water and EnvironmentAssociation

www.mi-wea.org

Saginaw County Public WorksCommissioner989-790-5258

Mid Michigan Waste Authoritywww.ggg3.org

SAGINAW AREA STORM WATER AUTHORITY

A Riparian Landowner’s Guide

Tips to Protect and PreserveYour Watershed

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Why did you receive thisbrochure?This brochure has been sent to you becauseyou are a riparian landowner in SaginawCounty. This means you own property that isadjacent to some type of waterway, such as adrain, stream, creek, river, or drainage ditch.

What does Riparianmean?Riparian means those areas located betweenwaterways and upland areas. Riparian areasare important because they provide wildlifeand aquatic habitat, erosion protection, andserve as a natural filter for storm waterrunoff.

What is the purpose of thisbrochure?The waterway you live or own property on di-rectly affects the health of the Saginaw BayWatershed - the largest watershed in Michi-gan. As a riparian landowner, it is importantfor you to know how you can protect, pro-mote, and preserve the watershed by imple-menting practical and environmentally safepractices that reduce the negative impacts toyour waterway. Use this brochure as a guideto understanding actions that impact the wa-terway near you.

Important Tips for Riparian Landowners

Buffer It Up

Developing a buffer strip out of natural vegetation be-tween your lawn and adjacent waterway will help sta-bilize banks, filter storm water, and create important

natural habitat. More importantly,it will reduce the amount of lawnyou have to mow and water.

A great way to start is by plantingnative vegetation such as prairieor wildflower seed mix in the

buffer zones. This is one of the best ways to stabilizebanks and filter runoff.

Let It Grow

Mow grass to a minimum of three inches. The longergrass helps clean storm water before it reaches thewaterway you live near. Longer grass also grows moreslowly and actually helps prevent weeds from grow-ing by shading them out.

Cover Up The Bare Spots

Bare soil is easily eroded by storm water runoff. Byestablishing vegetation on bare areas of your prop-erty, you will help keep sediment out of the water-ways. This will prevent erosion, which can severelyimpact your property.

Look For Outfalls

Inspect your propertyalong the waterway andlook for any outfalls in theform of pipes or ditchesentering the waterway. Doyou know what is comingout of them and what theyare transferring into the water? Outfalls are a majorsource of erosion to the banks of waterfront propertyand are sometimes responsible for contributing pol-lutants to the watershed.

Fertilize Wisely

Save money and the environment by using only thefertilizer and weed killer your lawn really needs. Keep-ing fertilizer away from waterways will reduce algaeand promote the health of aquatic life. Reducing theamount of fertilizer used will also help protect drink-ing water supplies.

Dumping Yardwaste

Don’t dump yardwaste (grass clippings, leaves) intoyour waterway. Yardwaste can clog the normal flowof the waterway and damage the natural environment.Use the waste management services available.

Learn more by visiting www.saswa.org

APPENDIX B

Spill Response Reports - 2006

APPENDIX C

Sediment Removal Documentation

APPENDIX D

Website Statistics October 2005 to September 2006

Daily Visitors

Daily Hits

Activity By Month

Activity By Month

Daily Page Access

Most Popular Pages

Daily File Access

Most Downloaded Files

APPENDIX E

Newsletters / News Articles for 2005/06

APPENDIX F

Annual Budget 2006

Annual Budget 2007

APPENDIX G

Attorney General’s Opinion