With all of the current and potential future development in western Licking County, Raccoon Creek has become a popular waterway in the region – mainly for studies.
The Licking County Soil and Water Conservation District will host a public meeting on Thursday, May 1, to explain the results of studies done during the past year of water quality and the potential for flooding.
The open house will be from 5-8 p.m. at the Church of Christ at Alexandria, 5380 Moots Run Road, with presentations at 6 p.m. featuring researchers and consultants talking about water quality, aquatic life, issues related to flooding and mapping of the geology in the creek’s watershed – much of which is in the fast-growing area between New Albany and Granville.
One of the studies sought to quantify flood risks by looking at rainfall amounts, debris-induced flooding, and sediment erosion. The goal was to find solutions to reduce the impact and consequences of flooding.
“Last July, we had an open house to kick off the flood study,” said Kristy Hawthorne, program administrator for the Soil and Water Conservation District. “This one on May 1 is to provide the results of the flood study.”
| Read more: Environmental agencies looking for ways to maintain water quality and reduce flooding in Raccoon Creek watershed
And she said the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency water-quality assessment team will be there to talk about testing the agency will do this summer – “which is exciting, because this water-quality testing was set for 2029, and I was pretty vocal that we needed that sooner.”
The reason?
“All of this information will be important for the determination about the siting of wastewater treatment plants – especially the Raccoon treatment plant (proposed by the Licking Regional Water District), where the total output could be 10 million gallons a day, and the Pet Run plant (also proposed by Licking Regional Water District), with a maximum output of 1 million gallons, and Johnstown is looking at an additional capacity of 2.4 million gallons.
| Read more: Ohio EPA approves renewed permit for wastewater treatment plant along small stream near Alexandria
“What does all of that look like in correlation to where we are now,” she asked?
The flood study takes into consideration all of that additional treated wastewater flowing into Raccoon Creek or its tributaries, potentially exacerbating the potential for flooding during extreme weather events.
“It’s a legitimate concern,” Hawthorne said. “The Raccoon Creek treatment facility application has been resubmitted and deemed complete by the EPA. The EPA will open up comments and is expected to host a public meeting about it in May. We thought it would be helpful for residents and local officials to have all of this information for that discussion.”
She said the May 1 information session should be of interest to anyone who lives in the watershed.
“In our rapidly developing watershed, it’s important for everyone to know that we’re collecting data and providing that benchmarking as we move forward to protect our natural resources. Anyone in the Raccoon Creek area who experiences flooding should be interested in ways to mitigate flooding in the villages and cities.
Alan Miller writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.