|
Grant Could Help Grand Lake St. Marys |
|
|
|
Monday, 13 July 2009 |
By ANGELA WEAVER
Staff Writer
CELINA — An area organization is rewriting a grant to benefit Grand Lake St. Marys, a local official told the organization’s board on Saturday.
Watershed Coordinator Laura Walker told members of the Grand Lake Wabash/Watershed Alliance’s Public Advisory Board that the organization’s 319 grant, originally for the watershed, could benefit the lake.
“We still have to rewrite it, figure out the match,” Walker said, noting that the grant is worth $191,000 and will mainly focus on sewer system replacement. “There has to be a ranking system, we have to have the grant signed before we can tell people the money is there.”
Once the grant is approved, Walker said the organization will send out news releases, use radio advertising and send out focused mailings.
“We’re partnering with Mercer County Health Department,” she said, adding that they are hoping to partner with the Auglaize County Health Department as well.
“The health department has a list of people who need their system replaced but haven’t done it yet.”
She said those who would qualify for the replacement will receive mailings and a phone call from the health department.
“There are probably a lot of systems out there that need replaced,” she said.
Walker said the grant money would go toward repairs and total replacement of sewer systems — which can range from $10,000 per system — around the lake.
“People may have to provide a match,” Walker said, adding the 319 grant will also be used for education.
“Things like homeowners’ manuals — ‘What to expect when living in the country,’ ‘How to care for septic systems.’”
She said she was not sure if the grant would be applicable toward manpower.
“Like manpower to do inventory and things like that,” Walker said, adding the 319 grant application is due in May.
Also during the meeting, Grand Lake St. Marys State Park Assistant Manager Brian Miller said park officials are tracking dissolved oxygen (D.O.) levels at the fish hatchery.
“Low D.O. can lead to fish kills,” Miller said, adding that the number is constantly changing and can be attributed to the algae blocking sunlight to the water.
Michael Sudman with the Celina Water Treatment Plant said the plant will set up a D.O. tracker on its side of the lake along West Bank to see if the levels correlate on each bank.
Following the public advisory meeting, attendees toured the Celina Water Treatment Plant.
The next GLWWA meeting will be a Joint Board Meeting at 4 p.m. July 22 at the Mercer County Central Services Building. |
|
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 01 September 2009 )
|
