Plan-It-Allen

Please Fort Wayne, put this plan into action immediately...YOU wrote it, lets stick to it!

Understanding the Planning Process and Engaging Planning Officials

                                                                     By: Abigail Frost

The comprehensive plan for our entire county is called “Plan-it Allen.” The first draft came around on June 2006. The final copy was put up for review in January 2007 and by September 2007, all of the 30 stakeholder groups including the councils of all the townships had accepted the plan. By the first week of November, the plan was distributed to the public. The last county plan was 30 years old and the last city plan was 20 years old, so our community was ready to redefine and map out the new directions that Fort Wayne/Allen County need to take. This plan also marked the beginning of consolidating programs and offices of Allen County and the City of Fort Wayne.  The Plan’s purpose is to lay out a path to sustainability, to preserve and enhance our quality of life and natural environment, and to position Allen County and Fort Wayne as regionally strong and competitive in the global economy. It is found at,
PlanYourCommunity.Org

The comprehensive plan is 145 pages long and contains 10 chapters. In order the chapters are listed as: 1)Land Use, 2)Economic Development, 3)Housing and Neighborhoods, 4)Transportation, 5)Environmental Stewardship, 6)Community Identity and Appearance, 7)Community Facilities, 8)Utilities, 9)Townships “Grabill, Huntertown, Monroeville, and Woodburn,” 10) Implementation – Still to Come?. 

Creating the first joint plan for land and living in Allen County/Fort Wayne, included a Comprehensive Plan Committee, the Element Work Groups, the Vision Work Group, the Stakeholder Groups, elected and appointed officials, professional consultants, and Allen County and City of Fort Wayne staff members, as well as individual citizens.  Official signatures included: Former Mayor Graham A. Richard, Mark D. Becker (Deputy Mayor), Linda K. Bloom & Councilman Bill Brown (Plan-It Allen Co-Chairs), and F. Nelson Peters (Allen County Commissioner).  The Plan says it had 150 people in the planning process.

Co-chairs and members of the Plan-It Allen study with contributions to the Plan

Co-Chairs
Mark Becker - Director, City of Fort Wayne Division of Community Development
Nelson Peters- Allen County Commissioner

Members
Chuck Bodenhafer, Mike Bynum, Steve Corona, Dan Ernst, Allan D. Frisinger, Mark Hoeppner, Maye Johnson, Wilbur Knipstein, Gonzalee Martin, James Owen, John Shoaff, Tom Smith, Jeff Thomas Judi Wire

Primary Staff
Pam Holocher, AICP Director, City of Fort Wayne Planning Department & Kim Bowman, AICP 
Director, Allen County Department of Planning Services

Plan-It Allen will be used by the community as a public policy guideline by providing support, assistance, recommendations and counsel to decision makers.  This will preserve our community character, enhance the quality of life of all the living things and advance actions that will be in the long-term best interests of the community, as well as growing Fort Wayne into a more welcoming community. 

In the Plan-It Allen executive summary, there is a list of main points the plan addresses and seeks to accomplish. For this paper, we have chosen to focus on ways to help accomplish this city/county plan!

Plan-It Allen describes some features of our land/river areas and goals:

• Most of the forested river corridors in the county have been removed, exposing vast amounts of riverbank which is a contributor to erosion and sediment.

• Allen County’s three rivers are its primary character defining feature, the one item that ties city and county together. The City and County however, are separately funded entities and have their own departments and employees and rarely interact with one another, even though there are several matching departments between the two.

• Utility availability, especially sanitary sewer service, is the key driver for new land development. “No more CSO’s.”

• Water quality, storm water drainage and sewage issues recognize no political boundaries and need regional coordination.

• By 2025, Allen County/Fort Wayne will need 1,223 more acres of parkland.

• The visual character, historic features and natural assets inherent within the community should be retained and enhanced, according to the plan.

•Preservation of our community character.

•An enhanced quality of life.

•Advancement of actions that will be in the long-term best interests of the community.

•Encourage the retention of the natural and visual character derived from areas such as woodlands, wetlands and the riparian corridor.

In this same vein then, Save Maumee has also added some ideas on top of the Plan-It Allen Comprehensive Plan.  Below are a handful of supplemental ideas to correspond with the already existing Plan-It Allen.

To contribute to this comprehensive plan Save Maumee has devised ways to incorporate an integrated approach to planning and development.  For example, each project will be examined through the filter of all of the Plan’s elements, principles and goals. This next section is how these suggested elements interconnect and relate, not just to Save Maumee’s projects, but to our greater community.  It is necessary to allocate land for education programs for community schools and community service, incorporated with preservation and restoration.  Collaborating with other organizations like Yoder Farm, ACRES Land Trust and Isaac Walton League can also yield alternate programs for education and outreach and incorporation in an Upper-Maumee Watershed Management Plan.

To adhere to the Plan, we as a community need to allocate land for kids and families, while at the same time utilizing community corrections to work allocated lands and streambanks with designed programs.  Within this there should also be a type of “river janitor” position. Currently there are River Greenway sponsors that pledge a mile or two of cleaning up garbage along the sidewalks.  These groups only are required to clean up garbage 9 feet on either side of the sidewalk areas, therefore all of the garbage remains on the streambanks.  Our suggestions could also yield more fish for fishermen in the river with our release program.  We could help with the community identity and appearance through revitalization of our rivers.  The following ideas can provide community service requirements for different programs.

3 phases for community schools outside education - We need to bring the fun and being outside back into education!  Much of Plan-It-Allen coincides with all of the following ideas.
                       
Phase 1 (Getting acquainted with nature)
We would take a classroom into the woods / riverbank / greenhouse  (depending on the day).  During this first stage, programs would focus on identifications of outdoor items. They would include tree and edibles identification, the value and purpose to each of the natural elements would also be addressed through a hands-on program. There would be hands on learning programs in this phase, perhaps including litter pickup, recycling, waste reduction and plant growth needs.

Phase 2 (Classroom Hands-On Education)
There would be education in the classroom and discussion about what they learned and how they can apply it to their own households, so they can carry the    
stewardship forward into the world.  Of course we do not want to “reinvent the wheel,” there are plenty of programs already developed that are ready to educate youth about the outdoor environment, we will simply provide the staff to bring the educational programs to them!  Classroom would also include hands-on projects. (enviroscape)

Phase 3 (Applying what you have learned while you enjoy nature)
Take the children back to the allocated land/riverbank/greenhouse and reinforce the classroom education and bring it back into the wild again on-in site! A Master Naturalist/Master Gardener/other expert could lead the kids outside to the allocated area where they can do clean-up, plantings, composting, aquaculture etc., all while explaining what they are doing and how it is improving  our area and our water. This three phase system will ensure that the upcoming generations, who will eventually replace us in our positions, are ahead of the learning curve by having a demonstrable working knowledge of these tools.

Community Service – (through Community Corrections and volunteer groups) We can help people to fulfill their required hours of service and learn, while they are actively involved through this call of action!  For example, Master Naturalists, Master Gardeners and some school projects MUST provide a given number of hours of community service, which upon completion could allow for certification possibilities. By arming “at-risk” adults and youth that are required to fulfill community service hours, it allows them to be part of a larger community and allow them to have pride in decisions they make for their own futures. In this way, correction can be an inclusive entity instead of an exclusive removal of persons, thus ensuring that people are welcome, needed and very much more likely to not become re-offenders in the future. 

Family Volunteers – For example: One Saturday per month have family day on the river!  There would be a community volunteer calendar that could give the location (because location would move) of where to meet at a specific time. This activity allows these families to get some exercise together, bond, learn responsibility and hopefully spur others to community interactions through cleaning up garbage, plantings and greenhouse work.  A map would have different areas of “where to be” that day. In the future, a pontoon boat could be borrowed from Hall’s Restaurants or purchased/donated along the way for weather permitting use (used of course).

Agriculture Land Use – Moratorium needs to be developed for zoning changes from agriculture to anything else.  Use what we HAVE instead of more urban sprawl. This theme has been found throughout the entire Plan.

 

All this would be accomplished through:

• Focus placed on identification of plants, animals, conservation of water, current home practices, invasive species removal, water testing, wetlands or a plentitude of other topics could be covered while working on an appropriated piece of land.
• Rain dates would include indoor activities including: working in the greenhouse that will (hopefully) break ground in September 2009 pending the rest of approvals!  Greenhouse work would include nurturing plant plugs for the riverbanks, fish farming for food and release (potential for income) farming on the property of native fruits, nuts, veggies (potential for income) learning about horticulture, composting, restoration practices, to arm volunteers with information they can carry out into their own communities. 
• Make everyone an environmental activist through education and new how-to-it-tive-ness, while making them a part of their community through service. Altruism should be brought back to life!
• Participants could earn “garbage points,”  whoever brings back the most trash gets a gift; take a tree, a shovel, a rake, seeds, fish for eating or returning to wild for a “prize for their individual efforts.”
• Allocated land resources for this work has to be obtained and we must have the community involved for these projects to be successful
• I have been teaching children in a learning environment outside my home and for private schools since 2001, and have the qualifications to make this program move forward. 

Below are some tools to implement, provided through the Sewage Overflow Reduction and Long Term Control Plan, Executive Summary for the City Utilities of Fort Wayne.

There is now a document called Fort Wayne City Utilities – “Sewage Overflow Reduction and Long Term Control Plan,” in print.  This Executive Summary outlines how and why they are spending almost 240 million dollars over the next 18 years for separating the storm sewer from the sanitary sewers. This infrastructure improvement is in conjunction with the Plan-It Allen comprehensive plan and EPA federal mandates.

Another development occurred in the first week of February 2008 at the Sewer Advisory Board meeting, there was an announcement pertaining to land use and Best Management Practices (BMP's). The announcement was basically that the city of Fort Wayne will now handle all plans when it comes to review, approval, and enforcement, not the SWCD which the duties were previously bestowed. What that means is that any construction project that is over 1 acre has to submit their plans that deal with Soil and Erosion control and address at least 80% of suspended solids through the combination of BMPs that are charted and listed in the new policy and procedure publication. The Soil and Water Conservation District will still play a part in their old duties when the City or County has a construction development that includes more then 1 acre or public/private collaboration like the North River Now development. These plans enforced use of BMPs will greatly reduce the sedimentation that affects our rivers. Save Maumee would like to help this comprehensive plan be realized through tangible programs and development of an Upper-Maumee Watershed Plan.  Here are some sections directly relating to watershed groups and work quoted directly from Plan-It-Allen

Our suggestions go hand in hand with the Environmental Stewardship section of The Plan and large other sections throughout.  Plan-It Allen states in colored text, Save Maumee [SM] states in black:

Environmental Stewardship  A healthy, sustainable, and enjoyable environment with clean air and water, greenways and open spaces for residents, habitats for wildlife, protection from flooding, utilization of rivers, protection of other environmental assets (farmland, woodlands and wetlands), and promotion of a strong ethic among residents and businesses to control pollution and support environmental stewardship efforts.

OBJECTIVE ES1.
ENSURE THE CONSERVATION OF SIGNIFICANT LAND RESOURCES,
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, AGRICULTURAL LANDS, WOODLANDS AND WETLANDS. Current development trends have demonstrated the need to protect open spaces in Allen County and Fort Wayne, with particular attention to valuable agricultural and natural resources. Adoption of the following strategies will help to ensure the conservation of agricultural landscapes, woodlands, wetlands and other natural greenspace.

SM - To preserve our distinct and diverse community character, protecting green open spaces can be accomplished WHILE improving riparian areas. 

 ES1.A Coordinate and combine existing maps and inventories of agricultural, woodland and wetland areas. Identify areas of contiguous prime soil, significant agricultural heritage and prime lands for targeted conservation efforts. Efforts to conserve agricultural lands should be pursued in a strategic manner, in part because maintaining contiguous agricultural lands is important to the health of an agricultural economy. Contiguous farmlands can support a critical mass of readily available agricultural infrastructure, such as equipment sale and repair, seeds and fertilizer suppliers, without which an agricultural community can become increasingly difficult to sustain. Continuity of farmland also minimizes conflicts between farming and nonfarming neighbors. Agricultural, woodland and wetland areas should be surveyed, mapped, analyzed, noted for agricultural heritage issues and classified in order to identify critical lands for targeted conservation efforts.

 SM – A moratorium needs to be developed for zoning changes from agriculture to anything else.  Use what we HAVE instead of more urban sprawl. This theme has been found throughout the entire Plan.
 

ES1.B Continue stewardship efforts and identify areas for possible expansion of contiguous forested and natural areas (such as the Cedar Creek corridor, Fox Island Park, Eagle Marsh, Little Wabash River Corridor, Black Marsh, and other environmentally significant areas).The Cedar Creek watershed represents an important natural corridor, and is designated as an Indiana Natural, Scenic and Recreational waterway. Fox Island County Park contains a nature preserve with diverse marshes, wetlands, deciduous forests and important wildlife habitats. Allen County should continue to work with local environmental groups like the Fox Island Alliance, ACRES Land Trust, St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative and the Cedar Creek Wildlife Project to continue to protect these important natural areas.

SM - The Upper Maumee Watershed Headwaters begins at the Fort Wayne Water Filtration Plant.  Up to 80% of a streams quality is inherited in its headwaters.  Citizens are concerned about the industrial area from the Maumee’s headwaters to New Haven.  More research is needed in this area to offset historic land use for industry, large impervious surfaced lots and roads, Mercury storage, landfills, underground leaking storage facilities, superfund sites. We need to coordinate with other agencies, nonprofit organizations and landowners to promote the continued viability of uses and lifestyles in Allen County while minimizing land use conflicts with assets.

ES1.C Investigate the value of adopting local wetland protection ordinances and regulations. Allen County and Fort Wayne should consider the value of adopting local wetland protection ordinances and regulations in order to preserve and mitigate wetlands. These regulations may St. Mary’s Rivers, Little River, Cedar Creek, Aboite Creek, and other floodplain/wetland areas.

SM – There are many sites located on Indiana Map that are marked as wetland that have not yet been developed.  The future of wetland protection is important and needs to continue to be protected from development.

ES1.D Pursue wetlands restoration initiatives. In many parts of the County, native hydric soils are still in place and represent an opportunity for restoring some wetlands that were previously drained. Allen County and Fort Wayne should collaborate with local environmental organizations and the Natural Resource Conservation Service to target key areas for wetlands restoration, particularly those areas near critical wildlife habitats along natural corridors and in areas where wetland restoration would result in decreased flooding potential.

SM - Identification of wetland areas and possible rezoning properties in the vicinity of these uses to allow for possible future expansion areas for the wetlands; meeting with community use leaders to identify existing barriers to continued operations; and updating development regulations to carry out objectives that are identified.  This can also help with protecting wildlife habitats and protected/endangered species.

OBJECTIVE ES2. PROTECT WILDLIFE HABITATS AND LIMIT INVASIVE SPECIES. Over time, human actions have transformed and degraded many of the County’s original natural habitats. Efforts should be made to conserve and expand remaining habitats in order to protect native plant and animal species. The following strategies recommend ways to protect wildlife and their habitats in Allen County.

SM - 85% of wetlands in Indiana no longer exist, restoration practices will aid in replenishing wetland species right here!  When the ecosystem has a healthy balance of wildlife, invasive species have less of a chance to flourish.

ES2.A Collaborate with federal and state agencies and not-for-profit organizations in the protection of endangered species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources can serve as important funding and technical assistance resources in the identification and protection of the County’s endangered species. Allen County and Fort Wayne should also enlist assistance from local environmental organizations, particularly those involved in watershed initiatives, to protect the area’s unique aquatic ecosystems.

ES2.B Work with local organizations to protect natural habitat areas, particularly along linear riparian corridors and around critical aquatic communities. Habitat corridors are important environmental assets. Unlike fragmented natural parcels, these corridors allow animals to move freely and plants to colonize more successfully over a wider area. Allen County, Fort Wayne, local environmental groups, and land trusts should collaborate to protect and expand these critical habitat areas through the acquisition/protection of lands in and adjacent to existing habitat corridors. Particular attention should be paid to rivers and streams in Allen County, which are home to unique aquatic communities that host a variety of rare and endangered mussels, amphibians, and plant species.

ES2.C Work with state and local partners to determine the types of invasive plant species which should be discouraged in project planting plans. In an effort to protect native plant species in our region, local planning and permitting agencies should work with state and local partners to determine types of invasive plant species which should be discouraged in project planting plans for new development.

 OBJECTIVE ES3. PRESERVE AND IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF GROUNDWATER AND SURFACE WATER RESOURCES. Water is a vital resource that supports agriculture, industry, household needs and recreation opportunities. The following strategies provide recommendations for protecting the County’s groundwater and surface water resources. The Utilities Chapter addresses a number of issues related to the protection and preservation of water resources.

SM – Through our educational outreach programs assurance can be provided to improvements of groundwater and surface water resources because the people will know proper ways to handle waste from businesses and households.  Through suggested restoration practices surface and ground water will be improved. Plantings will aid in combating siltation /erosion/sedimentation, which is the #1 pollutant in our watershed.  The grasses will help to settle out suspended sediment in the water and trees will help to hold down the soil that could be washed away because there is nothing to hold down the barren soil when the water comes rushing down when it rains.  Filtrating sediment by holding water for a longer period of time has the ability to remove nutrients from the water before it passes downstream.  Plants produce enzymes, absorbing bacteria and “eating” bacteria out of water. Natural removal of chemical pollutants like fertilizers and waste materials removes nitrogen, phosphorous and toxins from surface water and recharge ground water.  Creating more shade also creates oxygen needed in the water for fish and other wildlife helping with Dissolved Oxygen problems. 

ES3.B Support and collaborate in the establishment of watershed management plans that recommends actions to address major sources of surface water contamination. Based on assessment data from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), which was developed as part of the Total Minimum Daily Load (TMDL) for the St. Mary’s and Maumee Rivers, the overall quality of surface water in Allen County can generally be described as “good to fair.” However, high levels of E. coli, nutrients, PCBs, and mercury in fish have been found in certain segments of the County’s streams. IDEM has designated these segments as “impaired”. Watershed management plans which also address transported sediments may be developed, using a stakeholder involvement process, to address each of these contaminants. Allen County and Fort Wayne should collaborate with local watershed management groups, the Allen County- Fort Wayne Board of Health, and other stakeholders in the consideration of these management plans to address these surface water contaminants.

SM - The St. Joseph Watershed Initiative and St. Joseph River Basin Commission has developed St. Joe Watershed Management Plan in Phase III.  The St. Mary is being protected through St. Mary’s River Watershed Project in phase II but there are no current watershed management plans for the Upper Maumee in Indiana.  Downstream, in Ohio, the Maumee is a valued resource.  In Indiana, the Maumee crosses the political boundaries of; City of Fort Wayne, Allen County, and State of Indiana boundaries, so it is viewed as someone else’s problem. An Upper Maumee Watershed Management plan needs to be developed.

OBJECTIVE ES4. PROTECT THE NATURAL AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT THROUGH COMPREHENSIVE FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT INITIATIVES. Over the years, Allen County’s natural green infrastructure in flood plains, and in the watershed in general, have been lost to development and agricultural uses. As a consequence, floods have become more damaging to both the natural and built environment. The following strategies present recommendations for managing floodplains and restoring green infrastructure in a manner that benefits both human and ecological communities.

SM- Currently the Maumee River Basin Commissioner, Rod Reinkenburger, is working on flood control and purchasing floodplain lands for the city/county.  His position is consumed by flood control and is his primary focus, so other programs are not being developed for the Maumee River Basin in Indiana.

ES4.A Using the No Adverse Impact principle as a guide, develop a program to map floodplains, track impacts of floods and enhance green infrastructure in floodplains. The No Adverse Impact management principle supported by the Indiana Association of Floodplain and Storm water Managers implies that any action taken by a property owner should not negatively affect the rights of other property owners, as measured in terms of flooding, erosion and sedimentation. It also looks at floodplain management from a community-based perspective, rather than relying upon regulations imposed by FEMA. Allen County, Fort Wayne, and local watershed groups should use the NAI principle to develop an appropriate floodplain management program. Initiatives may include floodplain mapping, flood tracking and monitoring, introduction of riparian overlay districts, wetlands restoration and the restoration of green infrastructure within floodplains.

SM - Floods can be alleviated through the “wetland” type areas.  Grassy knolls can capture, store and slowly release water over a longer period of time. Plants will protect beach and coast.  The stalks will reduce destructive energy from fast moving and rising water and the roots will be held in place.  Plants will alleviate pools of standing stagnant water so West Nile will not have the opportunity to be passed in the mosquito population.  West Nile is spread by mosquitoes that hatch in standing pollution ridden water so by preventing standing water through plant life, they have less of a chance to reproduce!

ES4.B Consider tools, such as overlay districts along river basins and streams to encourage the expansion of riparian buffers and enhance public access to waterfronts. Riparian zones surrounding rivers and streams help filter sediments and nutrients, and mitigate the effects of storms and flooding. Riparian buffers are also aesthetically pleasing and can lend themselves to recreation opportunities in the form of greenways and trails. The forested corridors that were originally found along waterways throughout the County have been greatly diminished to meet agricultural, development and drainage needs. Allen County and Fort Wayne should collaborate with watershed partners to develop plans for limiting development along waterways, restoring and protecting riparian corridors, and enhancing public access to waterfronts. The Fort Wayne River Green Way Overlay District, as well as the local floodplain ordinances, serve as an exemplary tool for defining and protecting riparian zones, mitigating flooding impacts, and improving human access to waterways. Similar overlay districts may be applied along rivers and streams throughout the County.

SM – Between the Maumee headwaters and New Haven the primary land use is institutional (Board of Public Works) and industrial land uses.  There are large impervious surfaces, NPDES, landfills, superfund sites, that all lie within the floodplain.  Since this section of the plan is encouraging expansion of riparian buffers and enhancing public access to waterfronts, all our ideas are in line with Plan-It Allen!

 ES4.C Provide education to the public about the natural benefits, protection and restoration of floodplain and wetland areas, and the laws pertaining to floodplain development. Educate the public through the provision of information, publications and other materials about the natural benefits of floodplains and wetlands, how to protect and restore floodplain and wetland areas and the federal, state and local ordinances which pertain to floodplain development.

OBJECTIVE CI1. RENEW, PROTECT AND ENHANCE THE RIVERS AND OTHER SIGNIFICANT WATERWAYS THAT DEFINE THE REGION. The St. Joseph, St. Mary’s and Maumee Rivers, and waterways associated with the Wabash River corridor such as the Little River, define the natural landscape in Fort Wayne and Allen County, They have played a significant role in the historical growth and development of the County. These natural features also play an important role in tying the City and County together. Unfortunately, the rivers also suffer from periodic pollution, a general lack of visibility, and are fairly inaccessible from the standpoint of passive and active recreation opportunities. Particular attention should be placed on waterways to protect them as significant components of the natural and cultural environment.

SM - “Periodic pollution” in the Maumee/St. Joe Rivers in Indiana

• E. Coli. and bacteria from combined sewer overflows, geese, cattle and pig farms.
• Mercury content is one of the highest in the state between Maumee headwaters and New Haven
• Concrete grinding facility is on the south bank of the Maumee, with potential asbestos particles being disbursed from old concrete. This facility approximately 75ft. from Maumee River.
• PBC’s,  heavy metals Mercury from large corporations, and factories stemming all the way from the rust belt time of 1920’s 30’s 40’s and 50’s and the Maumee continues to be a dump site in 2008.  There are scattered landfills throughout the floodplain.
• 249 active NPDES permitted dischargers and 44 CSO discharge points in the St. Joseph/Maumee watershed. 
• “46803 Lung Cancer Zone” (Journal Gazette, 2007) runs next to the Maumee in our area of interest
• Many point source and stormwater pipes exist
• Combined Sewer Overflows continue to discharge on average 71 times per year. (if it rains 1/10^th inch – they discharge)
• Local County health departments and other stakeholders have identified failing septic systems and straight pipe discharge from septic tanks as significant sources of water pollution
• “Severety ranking of high” for Fish Consumption Advisories.
• Leaking underground storage tanks scatter the Maumee (over 50 sites just a few hundred feet from river at its ordinary water-mark)
• Illegal point source discharges such as tiles discharging septic tank effluent that exist in our watershed.
• Lead and pesticides (like Atrizine) detected
• River Haven has two Super-Fund Sites which the EPA considered one of the top 1,100 most contaminated sites in the USA.
• Fish Consumption Advisories for all of the Maumee /St. Joseph Watershed
• Dissolved Oxygen Problems – Life in the waters can’t breathe!
• Habitat Alterations
• Organic Enrichment is LOW

CI1.A Collaborate with an array of community partners to improve water quality and enhance rivers, streams, corridors and watershed areas. National organizations such as the Natural Resources Conservation Service and local groups such as the St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative can help monitor progress and suggest methods for protecting the County’s rivers. Attention to nonpoint source pollution (such as runoff), enhancements to riparian buffers, and revisions to land use policies can all contribute to creating healthier rivers and protecting important natural resources.

 CI1.B Improve public access to rivers and waterfronts. Allen County and Fort Wayne should collaborate with parks and recreation departments and other stakeholders who are interested in improving public access to waterfronts and rivers. These groups should identify locations for creating boat launches and docking areas, and examine opportunities for enhancing trails and greenways along riverfronts.

 CI1.C Investigate downtown river development and vistas. A public/private effort should be developed to clean and improve the three rivers that converge in downtown Fort Wayne, in particular the St. Mary’s river. This endeavor requires a complex and multifaceted strategy, including: structural improvements (to improve water quality and regulate water levels); visual improvements (to clean up banks and thin overgrown areas to improve visibility between downtown and the river), and an investigation of appropriate development to increase activities along the river. The effort should include not-for-profit organizations, environmental groups and government in partnership with the private sector.

OBJECTIVE UL1. ENSURE COOPERATIVE DECISION MAKING AND UNIFORM STANDARDS FOR PROTECTING WATER QUALITY THROUGHOUT THE REGION. Water resources are interjurisdictional in nature. Groundwater and surface water flow freely between jurisdictions, as do various contaminants and stormwater runoff. Therefore, solutions to protecting water quality should be interjurisdictional and cooperative in nature. The following strategies provide recommendations for addressing water quality issues in a cooperative manner.

UL1.A Consider a collaborative water quality partnership among local governments, stakeholders and utility providers.  Allen County and Fort Wayne should continue to work with the St. Joseph Watershed Initiative and all water-utility providers to identify opportunities for collaboration. A regional or countywide water-utility partnership could be created, which could explore the possibilities for coordinating utility services and developing cooperative funding mechanisms.

 OBJECTIVE UL4. IMPROVE AND EXPAND SANITARY SEWER SYSTEMS WITHIN THE CONCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT MAP AREAS. The following strategies provide recommendations for monitoring, improving and expanding sanitary sewers in Allen County and Fort Wayne.

UL4.A Encourage improvements to existing sewer systems to resolve sewer overflows. Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) represent a major threat to water quality, environmental quality and public health. Overflow and discharge data should be tracked on a regular basis to identify areas in need of priority intervention.

 UL4.B Maximize capacity of existing systems by promoting infill development. Infill and redevelopment within areas that are already served by a larger sewer-utility provider (i.e. the City of Fort Wayne, Aqua Indiana, and the City of New Haven, the City of Woodburn and the Town of Monroeville) will help to maximize the capacity of existing systems and minimize the need for additional infrastructure investments.

UL4.C Provide direction for the exploration of alternative sewage-processing methods. Alternative means for the processing of sewage should be investigated such as the utilization of wetland clusters. Other nontraditional methods may provide cost effective ways to accommodate the processing of sewage where traditional means are unavailable or too costly.

UL4.D Discourage development on conventional septic systems. Soils in Allen County are generally poorly suited to accommodate conventional septic systems. This is of particular concern to the northern part of Allen County where a large concentration of septic systems could generate high E. coli levels.

UL4.E Discourage on-site wastewater package treatment facilities. On-site wastewater package treatment facilities have been a concern in Allen County due to the lack of long-term maintenance of these facilities. One objective of the planning process has been to address the existing on-site wastewater disposal problems in the County and prevent reoccurrence in the future. The proposed application of new, more restrictive standards for soil testing and design of leach fields by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the State Board of Health may mean fewer septic systems in the future. Where future individual on-site wastewater disposal systems can be utilized, an approach must be applied that ensures proper longterm functioning.

OBJECTIVE UL5. WORK WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND OTHER AGENCIES TO PROTECT AND ENHANCE DRINKING WATER SYSTEMS. While the majority of drinking water for Fort Wayne is supplied by the St. Joseph River, most residents outside of Fort Wayne rely on groundwater resources to meet their drinking water needs. Strategies for protecting and enhancing drinking water in Allen County and Fort Wayne must address both groundwater and surface-water supply systems. The protection of drinking water systems is also enhanced by discouraging development on conventional septic systems and discouraging on-site wastewater package treatment facilities, as noted in Objective UL4.

SM – There is increased cost as consumers pay to heavily treat city water.  We want to protect the health of future generations through protecting our natural resources.

UL5.B Expand and enhance initiatives to protect the St. Joseph, Wabash and Maumee River watersheds. The St. Joseph River provides most of the drinking water for Fort Wayne. In the mid-1990s, after tap water samples were discovered to contain nine different herbicides, concerned citizens and stakeholders formed the St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative to promote better water quality. Fort Wayne and Allen County should collaborate with this organization and other watershed groups to identify and reduce pollution sources, expand green infrastructure that helps to filter contaminants, and encourage appropriate land use and development guidelines that will reduce river contamination.

 UL5.C Work with local groups to educate the public about practices to protect groundwater and river water in order to maintain drinking-water quality. Throughout the County, many suburban and rural residents obtain their drinking water through wells and dispose of their waste through septic systems. Allen County and Fort Wayne should undertake measures to educate the public about ways to maintain clean and well-functioning water and septic systems. They should also collaborate with local environmental groups such as the St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative in order to develop messages that inform the public about what they can do to protect the County’s rivers and streams.

 OBJECTIVE UL6. ENHANCE STORMWATER MANAGEMENT AND DRAINAGE SYSTEMS. Stormwater and drainage patterns are determined by natural and topographic features, rather than jurisdictional boundaries. Therefore cross-jurisdictional, interagency cooperation is imperative to meet stormwater and drainage needs. The following strategies outline recommendations for pursuing cooperative strategies in regulating stormwater management and drainage systems.

 UL6.A Consider a partnership to coordinate stormwater management on a Countywide basis. The City of Fort Wayne operates a public stormwater utility that is based on user fees and regulates more than 600 miles of sewer lines, ditches, channels and drains. This utility should collaborate with other stormwater authorities in Allen County to create a partnership that will monitor stormwater and drainage issues throughout the County to ensure that existing systems are meeting the public’s needs and protecting the environment.

UL6.B Ensure uniform standards for stormwater management and drainage systems. Stormwater management techniques are often referred to as best management practices (BMPs). Allen County and Fort Wayne should continue to publish and distribute descriptive guidelines on the practices that they would like to promote throughout the region via the Allen County Stormwater Technical Standards Manual. All new proposals for development and infrastructure should be required to include plans for stormwater management using BMPs to mitigate adverse impacts to the environment.

To put this information together it took about 150 stakeholders and two years of input into the process to develop the strategic plan for the future of Allen County.  We have the framework outlined as to importance in moving forward.  Everyone in the entire watershed will benefit from plans for watershed initiatives and water quality improvements.  Many look forward to walking the path that has been chosen by PLAN-IT-ALLEN!

THANK YOU to all the people who has positively influenced plan intensions.  Betsy Yankowiak has suggested possible expansion for several areas like Cedar Creek corridors, Eagle Marsh, Little Wabash River Corridor, Black Marsh and Fox Island to adopt local protection ordinances and regulations. County Commissioner Nelson Peters and Councilman Bill Brown addressed federally funding loans to rehabilitate houses (brownfields) and made sure there were allocated funding for assessment, remediation and redevelopment.  Everyone is proud of the fact we are trying to secure the movement toward renewable energy and efficiency. We are looking forward to green building technologies and community informational and educational materials to be held to the highest LEED standards.

Everyone is looking forward to a watershed initiative that has the full support of the local city, county, planners, citizens and ALL of us who live downstream!  Thank you to all, for the development of this plan!  Save Maumee would like to improve our rivers in Indiana and beyond, with specific plans. With Plan-It Allen put in place, it will allow for riparian areas to be expanded and protected. “Only when the recommendations in the Plan are translated into actions can the goals and policies within the Plan be realized.” (Plan-It Allen 2007) So YOU wrote it, let’s DO it!

Check out PlanYourCommunity.Org for details

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