Creek Pollution (1966)

for worry little Cedar Narrows to a small Bay at the South End the water spills over a plank Dam and suddenly it's Cedar Creek it's now a bit of a stream but with a big responsibility just out of town a swamp drains into the creek adding to its burden the swamp and the creek are necessary to each other Wetlands such as these must be preserved as reservoirs on it flows past Fields pastures and barn yards each contributing its share of fertilizers and pollutants on past private dumps and faulty septic systems near the city the struggle increases the crisis is reached in the city of cedarberg more businesses more Street runoffs more drainage from oil soaked parking areas cedarberg owes its very existence to Cedar Creek Four Mills at one time were powered by its water at the second sewage treatment plant the Creek picks up more affluent now with a full load it completes its 32m journey to its Confluence with the Milwaukee River early in the cleanup battle a front page newspaper cartoon portrayed the sorry condition of Cedar Creek posters showing the cartoon were displayed in Main Street Windows the pollution fight made more Front Page News a series of eight articles Beed the ugliness of the problem the Articles told of hidden sewers and forgotten trash they revealed practices of industry and attit udes of people they presented the side of those who were dumping into the creek and the side of those who were intent on cleaning it up they explained the difficulties faced by local Health officers and the laws that should prevent this massacre the views of resource Engineers were spelled out and the methods used to control water quality themes by students and efforts of teachers were put into print they all proved the size importance and urgency of the small fight in the big war the war that got bigger as the burden of the stream grew the creek fights for its life as it struggles through trash in its bed along the banks below the dams crates tin cans oil drums pipes bottles tires tables bathtubs even a car body rocks left by many winter ice flows slow down the flow they catch floating trash they're build up with silt fronts of buildings face the public their backs hunch away a of the creek and its dirt junk lines the banks weeds flourish it's a sorry sight but who cares scum and debris Gather in quiet spots like this Mill Race the screens in the race are long gone mck covers the bottom the time had come the public stirred cedarberg Civic leaders decided to save the city's greatest natural asset the city council and the park board joined forces with the Cedar Creek restoration Council to survey the situation an inspection was made of its entire length in the city in the tail race below a mill the bottom was coated with slime the combination of Street runoff Industrial Waste and silt from Upstream choked off life a few years ago one could swim here stretches of Shoreline need major repairs retaining walls are crumbling stones are missing from arches under bridges rubbish and fill Cascades into the stream junk is strewn everywhere the algae is ripe blankets of algae cover the surface parasitic plant life matures on richly fertilized water precious sunlight is cut off needed oxygen is wasted life comes to a standstill the handling of sewage is a big problem the waste is carried by sewers to treatment plants here solids are removed by settling processes any that are left are discharged into the creek heavy rains bring overloads from basement gutters streets and illegal connections the overloads often cause sewage to bypass the treatment plant adding more pollution to the stream sewage that has been treated enters Cedar Creek from two plants chlorination of the effluent would destroy harmful bacteria neither plant has chlorinating equipment today new plants must have this equipment it costs money taxpayer money in the spring of 1965 and again in 1966 a survey of Cedar Creek was made by Scouts 4 club members conservationists and Civic leaders to pinpoint trouble spots plans were developed with help from state and local agencies the finding started a chain reaction the governor was pleased to proclaim the second week in May as clean water week in Wisconsin he urged schools and communities to take steps to protect our precious water supply Governor noes decided to meet with the Cedar Creek restoration Council to get an on thepot report of the survey he wanted to know how the group functioned what its objectives were and what it it accomplished representatives of local and state government and leaders of Civic and service organizations attended the three-hour exchange of IDE both indoors and along the creek the governor presented the state's views on the pollution battle he emphasized that the fight cannot be won without active citizen participation along the creek he was shown examples of stream reconstruction hopes for canoe trail were discussed he visited the last covered bridge in Wisconsin here the creek wanders through a beautiful oaki County Park the governor made a stop at one of the dams and saw the old swimming hole behind the cedarberg Scout house in Cedar Creek Park mayor fiser outlined plans for restoration of the creek and its banks he pointed out the recreational Potentials in the Park area with Summer the work began in Earnest Boy Scouts followed plans of the Wisconsin conservation department forming stone brigades they took rocks from the creek for RI wrapping the banks the soil is held in place and creates a good footing for future vegetation rocks were taken from the bottom pools were deepened creating hiding places for fish below the dams thousands of rocks were removed to deepen the channel Ripple beds were built to stir up oxygen as the current moved faster the water grew cleaner foot by foot sections of the Creek showed obvious Improvement high water and ice took their tolls along Banks and in Midstream Banks washed in silk built up to form Islands weeds and brush slowed the current signs were posted at all public access points to warn the public of penalties for throwing trash into the creek after a year of work much pollution had been eliminated again posters reported the progress in the city of cedarberg plans were going forward for the cleanup the mayor stressed the need for restoring Cedar Creek Local leaders met with State and Regional representatives and all out attack on pollution and trash was planned the regional engineer of the Department of resource development pointed out sources of pollution he presented data on water quality measurements at regular checkpoints along the creek recommendations for restoring the stream were offered by the Wisconsin conservation department help available from the Southeastern Wisconson Regional Planning Commission was outlined a report was given on water quality along Cedar Creek since 1964 finding showed that in the year and a half of work progress was being made plans were finalized for Cedar Creek cleanup day in cedarberg the call went out cedarberg needs you newspapers and radio stations spread the word posters in store Windows echoed the battlecry September 17th cleanup day this was it Cedar Creek Park in the heart of cedarberg is the assembly area the volunteers reported for Duty 4 club members Boy Scouts explorers Scout leaders eighth graders high schoolers faculty members and adults from every service Club in town all these and more came to join the fight by 900 hours over 350 volunteers registered for active duty the eight area supervisors and the 40 team captains having previously Rec anointed the combat Zone briefed the cleanup Crews fire department first aid team stood by ready to cope with emergencies with all teams ready to go the cleanup leaders urge the volunteers on the victory area by area the cleanup progressed up and down the creek trash of every description was dragged from the creek bottom and Banks cans bottles tires Wheels license plates lampshades seves bicycles the accumul of years all were hauled to Shore and sent to the dump there was glamour too in fact the girls outnumbered the boys civil defense volunteers coordinated operations by shortwave radio from field stations a weed cutter was loan for the task so heavy duty equipment went into action to build in a ramp the shredding of the blankets of algae by the paddle wheels and the surrender of heavy weeds to the sharp teeth of the cutter was dramatic growth above the surface and tough roots below were sheared off cuting were caught in a snow fence trapped Downstream and from there hauled to the dump the current flowed faster Cedar Creek was on the move the weed cutter carved its way through thick beds of weeds near the shore care was taken to preserve vegetation on the banks in Shallow places the paddle wheels churned up silt to depths of 2 ft opening new channels letting wall water flow weed control is a never-ending battle being impressed by the weed cutting demonstration the city council bought the weed cutter an island was bulldozed out of existence a new channel was dug the current swerved away from Shore reducing Bank wash outs rubble from the creek was moved to rebuild eroded Banks another stretch was taking shape below one of the dams rocks were removed from Midstream to permit the water to flow more freely these rocks were then put to use around tree roots and along Banks to prevent wash outs another Channel clogged with silt and slime was dug clean the water ran faster and cleaner power saws added their snarl to the noise of battle broken bottles and tin cans came out by the basket full 20 truckloads of trash removed from the creek that morning at noon a siren sounded mess call the wet muddy tired but cheerful troops assembled for Chow in a tend directed by the American Legion the food furnished by the city was prepared and served by the women of the Legion auxiliary the creek Cleanup in cedarberg was a fair fight over 400 pitched in the battle the action was reported in all the news media a special tabloid section praised the citizen participation the Articles complemented the hundreds of teenagers on their turnout and accomplishments the city was thanked for its cooperation alt together it proved that the job could be done these four tests made it 16 checkpoints along Cedar Creek determine conditions and progress High coliform counts below sewage treatment plants indicate the need for further Improvement to create water safe for human use many sections of the stream are reported as being safe State Engineers regularly test water for its quality one test measures dissolved oxygen necessary for Aquatic Life another measures the oxygen required to decompose any organic matter present the third determines whether the water is acid neutral or alkaline the fourth estimates the bacteria population the resource engineer first withdraws a grab sample from the stream and takes the temperature of the water two measurements to determine quality are made at the sampling point one is the do test this determines the amount of dissolved oxygen available to sustain Aquatic Life and to be used in the process of waste decomposition the other test made on the spot is for the pH value which determines whether the water is alkaline or acid the other two basic tests are made at the state laboratory one of these is to estimate the bacteria count referred to as the mfcc or the membrane filter coliform count for this test a sample is sent in in a sterile bottle in the bacteria analysis greatest consideration is given to types of bacteria traceable to the intestinal tracks of warm-blooded animals and man a coliform count of 2400 per 100 millit would indicate conditions unsafe for total body contact as in swimming and Diving a count of 5,000 or more would signal danger for partial body contact as in Waiting or water skiing the other Laboratory test is for bod or the biochemical oxygen demand this indicates the amount of dissolved oxygen required to decompose any organic matter present in the water now back again to Streamside tests chemicals are added to the grab sample to fix the dissolved oxygen and causing a so-called flock to form while the flock settles in the bottle a small sample is taken in a glass tube for the pH test the color of this tube sample is compared with control colors in the sampling kit by matching the colors the pH value is determined then acid is added to the bottle sample to dissolve the flock as it dissolves it will develop a color and the deeper the color the higher the dissolved oxygen content water quality testing is done through the year at 16 or more checkpoints along Cedar Creek and particularly above and below known or suspected sources of pollution such as sewage treatment plants the cleanup attack is also aimed at eliminating carp carp Thrive best in water of poor quality they churn up the bottom they destroy plant life and the spawn of game fish in 1966 a SHP Derby was held which ran for 6 weeks and brought in over 500 of the rough fish many local Merchants donated prizes and three of them sponsored weighing in stations to determine the largest the longest and the greatest number of carp taken each week there are still tons of carp in Cedar Creek but as the water gets cleaner the game Fish will return and the carp will go this one will never spawn again in the winter when ice covered the creek tree and brush removal which would have been impossible in summer was accomplished chainsaws and axes roared and barked limbs hanging in the Stream were cut dead and broken trees were dismembered brush and trash exposed now was hauled out huge piles were ready for burning the heavy stuff went out on trucks loan by the city about 40 volunteers pitched in one way or another the stuff came out on shoulders by winch by truck and by sled tree after tree load after load the Boy Scouts got a Bonus loads of wood for the fireplace in the Scout house on frosty nights it was cold blustery at noon break hot chocolate and hot dogs in a shelter revived the work Crews after lunch more sawing more piling of brush more burning more loading after 6 hours a/4 mile of Shoreline had been cleaned up again City Crews and citizens had cooperated on the job of Creek restoration dams and Dam gates are in need of repair some gates are rusted shut and parts are missing one dam is crumbling its lip is gone reinforcing rods are exposed as water flows on through in 1939 one Dam Upstream washed out how long will this one last many old homes along the creek require new septic tanks and adequate filter beds the law is clear no suage or waste shall be permitted to enter surface waters Cedar Creek is recognized as a navigable stream fences and dams require permits from the Public Service Commission there are many illegal fences and dams on the creek barbed wire fences are used to keep livestock from wandering but they're a great Hazard to people people traveling the creek and they must be approached with Extreme Caution ordinarily they're unexpected and difficult to see cuts from Rusty barbed wire can be fatal electric fences across the creek are in violation of the industrial commission code Farmers have their problems too cows that roam freely break down Banks valuable land washes away to become silt silk clogs the creek and a clog Creek can't work somewhere there must be a solution homemade dams also cross Cedar Creek not only are they an obstruction to navigation but they also cause accumulation of silt and stoppage of current furthermore they are illegal the water level rises and falls in Cedar Creek after the ice moves out and usually through April and often into may there's plenty of water for canoeing channels should be deepened Dam and fence obstruction should be considered the land under the creek is usually privately owned the water in the creek is public property the Cedar Creek restoration council is trying to work out a common solution so that everyone benefits [Music] a committee representing farmers and conservationists proposed the marking of fences with a warning sign placed above high water marks the plan also provides for covering of the barbs to avoid personal injury colored tell Tales the length of the wire also warn of the dangers bringing a stream back to its natural glory is not a simple job but on Cedar Creek Fishing is coming back already there are good catches of Northerns and panish the clean water and plenty of natural food are a help [Music] the creek is alive with minnows and other forms of Aquatic Life a fish count made by the state showed that the creek abounded with at least 13 varieties of fish they found plent plenty of natural food for fish too game fish stocking was assured victory was in sight even the lowly crab a scavenger has his place in the life of the [Music] creek there are game fish in the creek give them a little time give them a place to grow game fish need clean water plenty of oxygen and natural food remember a few years ago many of them were killed off by [Music] pollution now this fell needs a little more time to grow but what's this looks like a keeper right out of Cedar Creek and plenty of fight too how would you like him french fried broiled well there will be more someday yes someday the creek will be clean again and restored to its natural beauty it can be done whatever dream you may have of your favorite dream or Pond or lake that dream can come true if you do something about it it's up to you