Our Department lost an invaluable team member on August 1st, 2020 when Eric Fehlhaber decided, after 42 years, to begin a new chapter in his life…retirement.

Eric’s experience and responsibilities were vast. He was the County Conservationist for the past 10 years while the previous 32 years were spent primarily in the County Conservation Engineering Technician role. He has big shoes to fill as he oversaw the Conservation Division’s water quality improvement efforts and pertinent staff, the County tree sale program, the Nonmetallic Mining Ordinance, the Wildlife Damage Program, the Deer Donation Program, the Animal Waste Ordinance, and the County Stormwater/Erosion Control Ordinance. He managed the activities of the County’s Abler/Schneiter Wetland Mitigation Property and helped manage six State Nonpoint Source Priority Watershed efforts in the 1980’s and 1990’s. He helped in the effort to secure the 328-acre Amsterdam Dunes Preservation Area property, and has helped manage the County’s Aquatic Invasive Species efforts since 2014. From 2011-2016 Eric was heavily involved in implementing a six-year paired watershed comparison study that was a partnership with a $1.6 million local donor, the Nature Conservancy, and the US Geological Survey. Most recently, Eric was tasked with thinking outside the proverbial toolbox to reduce phosphorus flows into Elkhart Lake, Sheboygan County’s (and perhaps the region’s) most popular inland lake. As such, he helped design and implement the State’s first phosphorus filter on an agricultural tile line as well as on a lakeside home’s septic system. It could be easily argued there is a not an individual who has seen more, been-there-done-that, and done it with passion, fortitude, accuracy, and acumen in the entire realm of the State’s current conservation community. We truly wish Eric the best of luck in retirement, and if you had the privilege to work with Eric over the years, we encourage you to reach out and wish him the best as well!

TIME TO SAY GOODBYE…

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

2019 - Aerial Photography 2

COVID-19 and the 3 Impacts on Septic Systems

Sheboygan River Basin 4 TMDL Project

New Septic Phosphorus 5 Filter Shows Promise

SHEBOYGAN COUNTYPLANNING & CONSERVATION DEPT.

508 New York Ave. Sheboygan WI 53081

PLANCONPLANNING & CONSERVATION CHRONICLE

The Sheboygan County Planning & Conservation Department utilizes aerial photography for a multitude of daily office duties. It’s used to figure the area of buffer zones or impervious surfaces on a lot. It’s also used for the background on many of the maps and plans the office produces. We will also view the history of an area by comparing the different years of photographs against each other.

Since 1990, Sheboygan County has had aerial photographs of the County flown every 5 years. The 1990, 1995, & 2000 aerial photos were printed at a scale of 1” = 400’ in black and white on mylar. In 2003, the County had it’s first digital orthophotograph flown with a resolution of 12” per pixel. An orthophoto differs from an aerial photograph. The orthophoto is processed and rectified to have a uniform scale across the image by removing the effects of surface relief and curvature. The County has had orthophotos flown again in 2009, 2014, and 2019. The last 3 orthophoto flights were captured at 6” (rural areas) and 3” resolutions (urbanized areas).

Below are 4 images of the Blue Harbor area to show how you could use the orthophoto to view the history of an area. What can you see that has changed year after year?

2019 - AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

2 Sheboygan County Planning & Conservation Department | October 2020

2003 Orthophoto

2019 Orthophoto

2009 Orthophoto

2014 Orthophoto

A new tool in the battle against surface and groundwater pollution is being tested on near-shore Elkhart Lake. A septic phosphorus filter installed on a home septic system along Elkhart Lake has shown promising results after the first two months of testing. Phosphorus is typically the limiting nutrient in plant growth and when present in the dissolved form plants can readily utilize it for growth. Phosphorus attached to particles such as soil and plant material can be easier to remove from the environment but phosphorus in the dissolved form is harder to capture. The septic phosphorus filter is designed to capture dissolved phosphorus which is utilized by algae in surface waters and is the primary cause for severe toxic blue-green algae outbreaks over the last several years throughout the Great Lakes region. Both agricultural runoff and older septic systems have been tied to phosphorus pollution throughout the United States. The septic filter which was installed late last year is the counterpart to an agricultural tile line phosphorus filter that was installed in a nearby crop field in the summer of 2017. The two phosphorus filter projects are a culmination of several years of planning with the Elkhart Lake Improvement Association, consultants, Elkhart Lake area landowners, and the Sheboygan County Planning and Conservation Department (PCD).

The septic phosphorus filter, installed in a septic system owned by the lakeshore homeowner has shown an average dissolved phosphorus reduction of 26% after two months of testing. Additionally, the first two months of testing have shown a 36% average reduction in total phosphorus. The septic filter, which was installed through a grant provided by the Great Lake Commission, utilizes slag material from the steel making industry to capture dissolved phosphorus. After leaving the main septic tank the liquid waste enters a two -compartment filter tank containing the slag material. As the liquid waste flows downward through the slag material, elements such as iron and calcium on the surface of the slag form a bond with the phosphorus and form iron and calcium phosphate on the surface of the slag. The liquid flows through holes in a baffle into the second compartment and upward through more slag and finally through a pH adjusting material. The reaction of forming the calcium and iron phosphates raises the pH so the pH adjusting material lowers the pH back near a pH of 8 which is slightly basic. Eventually the surface of the slag gets saturated with the calcium and iron phosphate and the slag will have to be replaced. It is estimated that the slag will have to be replaced every seven years.

The counterpart to the septic phosphorus filter, an agricultural tile line phosphorus filter, was installed at the edge of a crop field in 2017. The tile line carries subsurface water and dissolved nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen. This filter was also installed to capture dissolved phosphorus. After seeing some dissolved phosphorus reductions early on in the monitoring of this filter it appeared that the filter media in this system solidified and was no longer allowing tile water to flow through the filter material. This filter media in this system was replaced with new media on July 28, 2020. The new material is a slag

media that is larger in size and is lower in iron and higher in calcium than the previous material used at this site. We have taken a water sample after the new media was installed and are so far pleased it seems to be doing what it was designed to do. We will continue sampling once per week for the first month of operation and twice a month thereafter.

With the agricultural tile phosphorus filter having been retrofitted and the septic phosphorus filter up and running the PCD will continue sampling these systems and is looking forward to continued positive results in dissolved phosphorus reductions over the next several years.

The Planning and Conservation Department would like to thank landowners Mike Dobrynio and Jon Jens as well as the Elkhart Lake Improvement Association for all their efforts in making these two phosphorus filter projects a reality.

NEW SEPTIC PHOSPHORUS FILTER SHOWS PROMISE

5Sheboygan County Planning & Conservation Department | October 2020

Do you know what happens to your wastewater after you take a shower, wash dishes, or flush the toilet? Where exactly does it go? How does it affect the environment? And why should you care? If you are like most people, you never give much thought to what happens to the wastewater from your home and community. But whether you think about it much or not, wastewater continues to affect your life even after it disappears down the drain. The water we use never really goes away. In fact, all of the wastewater we generate eventually returns to the environment – after it has been properly treated at a public wastewater treatment plant in a community or through the soil in a Private Onsite Wastewater Treatment System (POWTS or septic system). A properly installed and

managed septic system uses soil to treat viruses and other disease-causing organisms so that by the time the treated wastewater enters the water table, there is no harm to drinking water supplies. While we are working through this Safer-At-Home time during the COVID-19 crisis, we are putting added pressure on septic systems that otherwise got some down time while parents were at work and the kids were at school. We might be using more disinfectants and bleach or washing clothes and showering more often. Along with that, while we are at home we are making more meals and washing more dishes. All of this has an impact on the septic system. With all of the other unknowns that we are surrounded by during this COVID-19 crisis, we surely don’t want to have an issue with our septic system! Here are a few tips on why and how to keep your septic system in good working condition through this COVID-19 crisis and beyond.

1) Be sure the septic system is properly treating the wastewater. If the septic system has a pipe or hose that is discharging wastewater to the ground surface, viruses (like COVID-19) are not being treated and can be present in the sewage that is surfacing on the ground. Viruses and other disease-causing organisms can be spread to other humans in the community by flies, dogs, birds, mice or other vectors that might come into contact with contaminated sewage. In addition, if there isn’t proper separation from your septic system to high groundwater or bedrock (usually older systems or steel tanks >20 years old), bacteria, nutrients and disease-causing organisms will not be properly treated in the soil and can easily move into the drinking water or surrounding surface waters.

2) Be sure your septic system is being well managed. Septic systems use naturally occurring bacteria to help decompose and treat the wastewater we put into them. They cannot function properly when they receive large amounts of bleach, disinfectants or other chemical products. Keep this in mind when you dump cleaning products down the drain or flush them down your toilet and limit their use. Along with that, because of a toilet paper shortage, some people are using other products for wipes. Baby wipes, tissues, paper towels and flushable wipes do not break down in the septic tank and can lead to backups into the house. These should not be flushed at all - even on a community system. Other helpful system management techniques include:

• Use liquid laundry and dishwashing detergent – powder detergents can cause clogging in the drainfield • No need to use anti-bacterial soap – regular soap does the same job and does not stress the good bacteria needed in the septic tank • Reduce water usage by limiting showers, repairing leaks, and reducing number of wash loads • Avoid stressing your system by spreading laundry wash loads throughout the week instead of one day • Don’t use a garbage disposal – this increases the organic load on the septic system • Have the septic system pumped and/or inspected every three years by a professional. This professional inspection may help reveal issues that might be occurring with your system before it becomes imminent.

3) Be sure any above grade manholes are LOCKED at all times. With schools closed and kidsplaying in the yard more - be sure that the manhole lid(s) on a septic or holding tank cannot be easily lifted. Every year we hear of children – and even adults – falling into septic tanks and causing death. These accidents are easily preventable.

If you have questions or concerns about your septic system, contact the local governmental unit responsible for the POWTS program in your county. In Wisconsin, this is generally the county zoning, planning or environmental health office. This factsheet brought to you by:

Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services - POWTS Program POWTS Contacts can be found here: https://dsps.wi.gov/Documents/Programs/Maps/Wastewater.pdf

COVID-19 AND THE IMPACTS ON SEPTIC SYSTEMS

3 Sheboygan County Planning & Conservation Department | October 2020

620 sq. mi watershed

22 WWTFs | 9 permitted MS4s

1 WDNR State of the Basin Report, 2001 2 WDNR 2016

Sheboygan River Basin TMDL Project Part of the NE Lakeshore TMDL

Water quality monitoring indicates the Sheboygan River is not meeting water quality standards and is delivering pollutants to Lake Michigan. Efforts are underway to study where pollutants are coming from in the watershed, specifically sediment and phosphorus. This project consists of: planning, coordinating, and developing Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for the Sheboygan River Watersheds, located in the Lake Michigan Basin.

Sheboygan River watersheds include the following : • Sheboygan River• Pigeon River• Mullet River• Onion River• Black River• Sauk/Sucker Creeks

Collectively the six watersheds contain about 400 miles of perennial streams, 400 miles of intermittent streams, 35 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, 21 named lakes and many

small lakes and ponds.

What is a TMDL? A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) is the maximum amount of a pollutant that a body of water can receive while still meeting water quality standards. A waterway that exceeds water quality standards is often no longer suitable for its designated uses, such as wildlife habitat, fishing, or other recreational activities.

Large river comparison of the Sheboygan River to other large rivers discharging to Lake Michigan2

River Name

Approx. Distance from mouth

(miles) Average TP (mg/l)

# of samples (2010-2015)

Manitowoc River 6.5 0.188 132 Kewaunee River 0.6 0.144 19 Sheboygan River 3.7 0.131 145 Lower Fox River 6.2 0.113 69

Oconto River 3.4 0.039 23 Menominee River 0.5 0.031 125

Peshtigo River 11.9 0.028 25

Why are we developing a Sheboygan River TMDL? The Sheboygan River is a large contributor of Phosphorus in the Western Lake Michigan Drainages. Creating a TMDL for the river will provide the means for community members, government agencies, and agricultural professionals to assess and address the runoff issues , both rural and urban, that supply the vast majority of the Phosphorus inputs.

• Municipal Wastewater

• Industrial Wastewater

• Stormwater (MS4s)

Runoff from the landscape

Naturally occurring from wetlands

and forests Typical Pollutant Sources

4Sheboygan County Planning & Conservation Department | October 2020

SHEBOYGAN COUNTYPLANNING & CONSERVATION DEPT.

508 New York Ave. Sheboygan WI 53081

PLANCON PLANNING & CONSERVATIONCHRONICLEPRSRT STD

U.S. POSTAGEPAID

SHEBOYGAN, WIPERMIT NO. 116

If you wish to remove your address from this mailing list, please contact Karsen at (920) 459-1370.

Designed & Printed by Sun Graphics

Wish to receive it electronically? Sign up for the email distribution list by calling the Planning & Conservation Department at (920) 459-1370 or email Karsen at: karsen.gosh@sheboygancounty.com

ENJOY READING OUR NEWSLETTER?