COMBINED SEWERS

Studies of combined sewer systems have indicated that the combined overflow contains from 3 to 5 percent of the average annual untreated domestic sewage. During storms, as much as 95 percent of the sewage flow is discharged with the storm water runoff. Storm water alone has been shown to carry significant amounts of the pollutional load, particularly in the early portions of storms when a flushing action occurs resuspending the deposited sludge in the

sewers.

The need for solutions to the problems caused by overflows of combined sewer systems is pressing and is receiving much current attention. The Water Quality Act of 1965 established a four-year program of grants and contract authority to demonstrate new or improved methods to eradicate the problems of combined sewer overflows. Combined sewers should be prohibited in all newly developed areas and in urban renewal projects.

REDUCTION OF NUTRIENTS

Nutrients and the effect they have on producing algal growths have been considered earlier in this report. There is an immediate and continuing need for the reduction of the nutrient loads to the Maumee Basin. The suggested critical phosphate (PO.) concentration of 0.03 mg/1 was exceeded in almost every sample collected throughout the Maumee Basin. Exceeding the discharges from the City of Toledo, the Maumee River discharges approximately 24 million pounds per year of total phosphates (of which 9 million pounds per year are soluble phosphates) into Lake Erie. It is estimated that the City of Toledo's treatment plant discharges over 3 million pounds of soluble phosphates per year.

The degree of phosphate removal obtained by the municipal and industrial treatment plants in the Maumee River Basin is not yet known; however, the removal of phosphates is known to vary among plants of similar design for reasons that are not always evident. Research in progress shows promise of accomplishing substantial removals at nominal costs.

From the conditions found in the Maumee Basin and in Lake Erie, it is evident that it is of the utmost importance to remove as much phosphate as possible as soon as possible in the Basin. Phosphates from all sources must be reduced or eliminated. The need to reduce phosphates from agricultural uses through soil conservation practices is equally as important as removing the phosphates from domestic sewage.

PLANT OPERATION

Proper plant operation must follow proper plant design in order to efficiently reach the goals of water pollution control. The importance and value of proper plant operation must be emphasized at all levels of public authority. Effective operation can be encouraged by means of a routine inspection program. Inspections should be conducted by the appropriate State agencies on at least an annual basis for the small and medium-sized plants, and at least bi-annually for the larger plants.

A mandatory sewage treatment plant operators' certification program should be adopted in Indiana. The Ohio Department of Health should have stronger enforcement powers to carry out present regulations requiring operator certification. The State of Michigan already has a satisfactorily operating mandatory program.

Monthly operation reports should be submitted to the States' water pollution control agencies from each municipal and industrial waste treatment facility. These reports should contain sufficient information to describe waste treatment efficiency and the quality and quantity of the effluent discharged to the water of the Maumee River Basin. Monthly operational reports would provide the State with more current information and would enable it to take much quicker action concerning needed improvements. This information should be reported in terms of both concentrations and load rates, and should be maintained in open files by the State agencies for use by those having a legitimate interest in the information.

MONITORING

The maintenance of desirable water quality on a continuing basis calls for a routine monitoring program covering the significant water quality parameters at strategic points. The State of Indiana has an exemplary monitoring program

in its portion of the Maumee River Basin. Since 1957 it has collected bi-weekly samples from one station each on the St. Joseph, St. Marys, and Maumee Rivers, and published this material in an annual tabulation of the water quality of the State.

The water quality monitoring program of the Ohio Water Pollution Control Agencies in the Maumee River Basin needs to be strengthened. At present the State of Ohio has a limited routine sampling program for the Ohio portion of the Maumee River Basin. A monitoring program should be geared to indicate any changes or trends in water quality and the need for additional quality improvement measures.

The total water pollution control activities in Indiana and particularly in Ohio should be strengthened in terms of staffing and budget. With additional resources and the support available from the FWPCA, the implementation of the program outlined in this report and similar programs in other basins throughout the States can be accelerated to meet the growing needs for clean water.

The industries, municipalities, and other agencies discharging wastes within the study area should submit reports to the appropriate State agency concerning the quality and quantity of waste discharged. These reports should be combined with the monthly operating reports discussed in the previous section. The overall monitoring program in the Maumee River Basin should be geared to provide an adequate picture of all wastes being discharged to the waters of the area and serve to indicate trends in water quality or the need for additional quality improvement measures.

FLOW REGULATION

As discussed in Chapter 4, the Maumee River Basin suffers from extreme low flow during periods of the year. With the lack of reservoir sites it is unlikely that a source of flow augmentation will be found within the Basin. In a study conducted by the State of Ohio's Development Department, a pipeline to distribute Lake Erie water throughout the Maumee Basin was proposed (28). This water would be used for both domestic and industrial water supply and possibly for flow augmentation. It is not recommended that flow augmentation be used as a substitute for treatment measures recommended in this report, but it is recognized that flow regulation may still be required even after a high degree of treatment is obtained.

STATE WATER POLLUTION CONTROL PROGRAM

The Federal Water Pollution Control Act recognizes the primary responsibility of the States in the control and prevention of water pollution. The effectiveness of a State program, however, is dependent upon adequate funds and personnel with which to accomplish this mission.

The States of Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio have achieved commendable success in the control of water pollution with the staff and funds available. However, though much has been accomplished by the States in controlling conditions, much remains to be done. In 1964, the Public Administration Service prepared a report, "Staffing and Budgetary Guidelines for State Water Pollution Control Agencies". The guidelines given in that report include the following:

For states in the population group of Indiana, desirable staff of about 100 people and an annual budget of a million dollars; for states such as Ohio, in a much larger population group, approximately twice the numbers, i.e., 200 people and 2 million dollars a year; for states intermediate in population comparable guideline numbers are 170 people and 1.6 million dollars. (64)

CHAPTER 9.-BENEFITS

Implementation of the recommendations which comprise the above action program will result in substantial improvement in the quality of the waters in the Maumee River Basin. The program objectives, however, are more specific and have been developed to provide water of satisfactory quality for both present and planned uses as shown in Table 5-2. Accomplishment of program objectives will result in both tangible and intangible benefits to the people of the Maumee River Basin in particular, and to the people of the States of Indiana. Michigan, Ohio, and the Nation as a whole. As the waters of Lake Erie serve many states and are of national importance, all will share in the benefits re

sulting from the enhancement and protection of these waters for both present and future needs.

The 1.2 million people who will reside in the Basin by 1980 will benefit from the assurance of a safer, more palatable water supplied to their homes, business establishments, industries, schools, and public buildings Owners of property adjacent to and near bodies of water will derive increased esthetic enjoyment and enhanced property values from the elimination of ugliness and unsightly conditions resulting from water pollution, including nuisance algal blooms stimulated by over-fertilization.

Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio residents and visitors from out-of-state who use the Basin's streams and lakes for swimming, water skiing, boating, and other water-oriented sports will be protected against infectious diseases which can be spread as a result of water pollution. The sports fisherman will find again the once vast fishing areas to challenge his skill.

In addition to these immediate and direct benefits resulting from the control of pollution, the preservation and protection of the quality of the waters of Lake Erie and the Great Lakes is essential to the Nation's continued growth and prosperity. This immense fresh water resource, the greatest in the world, is beginning to show the effects of man's carelessness. Lake Erie is a clear demonstration that size is no protection against pollution and that man has the capability of destroying the usefulness of even a major water resource. As this Lake is serving as an example of what will happen to the other Great Lakes if pollution remains unchecked, it may also serve as an example of what man can do to restore the quality of his environment and provide more useful benefits to the total population.

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