WLPA Members Discuss Spill Prevention With City Council
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Jennifer [email protected]
The Warsaw Chemical fire on Feb. 6 raised several environmental concerns after approximately 325,000 gallons of water used to abate flames carried chemicals into nearby Winona Lake.
The Center for Lakes & Streams hosted a group of community leaders including members of the preservation association, town of Winona Lake and city of Warsaw Friday, moderated by center Director Nate Bosch.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Joy Lohse, a WLPA member who lives on Winona Avenue, said the Friday meeting was productive and an action plan for remediation and prevention should emerge soon.
Lohse asked the city to be attentive to a future plan and said there will be additional meetings to discuss the issue.
Chris Rankin, WLPA board member, said it is common knowledge there is a lot of runoff that enters the lake.
He said an option discussed is creating a catch basin to filter water before it enters the lake.
“We have a 90-year-old catch basin system that was good when it was built but in 2015 it’s antiquated, so we need to identify where the water is filtered before it gets into the lake,” Rankin said.
Pat Miller, a Winona Lake resident who lives 20 feet from where the chemicals entered the lake, said problems with contaminants in the lake is something she has been trying to get solved for more than eight years.
“I’ve witnessed a minimum of 20 times and I have photos of a lot of horrible things coming into that lake,” Miller said. “I’m deathly concerned for the health and safety of our community. We need to find a solution right away.”
Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer said the city takes the issue very seriously.
“I’m sick about it. We need to move ahead and let IDEM do their work, understand the cause and the long-term prevention,” Thallemer said. “We understand the importance of the lakes as natural assets in our community.”
Thallemer said the state fire marshal still needs to determine the cause of the fire and IDEM needs to make recommendations on what Warsaw Chemical needs to do to prevent a spill from occurring again.
Thallemer thanked Bosch, Homeland Security, Clay Township Fire Department, Department of Natural Resources, IDEM, and local fire, police, street, airport, stormwater and wastewater departments for their assistance.
“We are fortunate to have the resources we do when there are instances like this,” Thallemer said. “Learning from this and making sure it doesn’t happen again is our biggest charge right now.”
The council also approved a redevelopment area resolution.
The original development area encompasses the blocks between the North and South Contrail tracks, Center Street, Canal Street and the alley between Indiana and Buffalo streets. The acreage of the area is approximately 35 acres.
The 2015 expansion will include the property along North Buffalo Street and the property north along Ind. 15.
The redevelopment area is comprised of a residential and commercial mix and will allow for the continual progression of the downtown service area and provide a connection to Center Lake and Central Park.
Warsaw Plan Commission approved the resolution during its Feb. 9 meeting.
The council also approved cancelling outstanding checks.[[In-content Ad]]
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The Warsaw Chemical fire on Feb. 6 raised several environmental concerns after approximately 325,000 gallons of water used to abate flames carried chemicals into nearby Winona Lake.
The Center for Lakes & Streams hosted a group of community leaders including members of the preservation association, town of Winona Lake and city of Warsaw Friday, moderated by center Director Nate Bosch.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Joy Lohse, a WLPA member who lives on Winona Avenue, said the Friday meeting was productive and an action plan for remediation and prevention should emerge soon.
Lohse asked the city to be attentive to a future plan and said there will be additional meetings to discuss the issue.
Chris Rankin, WLPA board member, said it is common knowledge there is a lot of runoff that enters the lake.
He said an option discussed is creating a catch basin to filter water before it enters the lake.
“We have a 90-year-old catch basin system that was good when it was built but in 2015 it’s antiquated, so we need to identify where the water is filtered before it gets into the lake,” Rankin said.
Pat Miller, a Winona Lake resident who lives 20 feet from where the chemicals entered the lake, said problems with contaminants in the lake is something she has been trying to get solved for more than eight years.
“I’ve witnessed a minimum of 20 times and I have photos of a lot of horrible things coming into that lake,” Miller said. “I’m deathly concerned for the health and safety of our community. We need to find a solution right away.”
Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer said the city takes the issue very seriously.
“I’m sick about it. We need to move ahead and let IDEM do their work, understand the cause and the long-term prevention,” Thallemer said. “We understand the importance of the lakes as natural assets in our community.”
Thallemer said the state fire marshal still needs to determine the cause of the fire and IDEM needs to make recommendations on what Warsaw Chemical needs to do to prevent a spill from occurring again.
Thallemer thanked Bosch, Homeland Security, Clay Township Fire Department, Department of Natural Resources, IDEM, and local fire, police, street, airport, stormwater and wastewater departments for their assistance.
“We are fortunate to have the resources we do when there are instances like this,” Thallemer said. “Learning from this and making sure it doesn’t happen again is our biggest charge right now.”
The council also approved a redevelopment area resolution.
The original development area encompasses the blocks between the North and South Contrail tracks, Center Street, Canal Street and the alley between Indiana and Buffalo streets. The acreage of the area is approximately 35 acres.
The 2015 expansion will include the property along North Buffalo Street and the property north along Ind. 15.
The redevelopment area is comprised of a residential and commercial mix and will allow for the continual progression of the downtown service area and provide a connection to Center Lake and Central Park.
Warsaw Plan Commission approved the resolution during its Feb. 9 meeting.
The council also approved cancelling outstanding checks.[[In-content Ad]]
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