The Story of Buttermilk Creek

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From Cheese to Sewage
The Story of Buttermilk Creek
Greg Soenen - IOWATER Volunteer Monitor Earl
Kalkwarf - Wright County Sanitarian
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Whats in a name?

• Unnamed Stream Milky-Colored Creamery Discharge
  Buttermilk Creek!

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In the Beginning...
In April 2001, Buttermilk Creek seemed o.k. ...
Except for a white residue
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Algae, Bloodworms Toilet Paper, Oh My!
Toilet Paper Algae
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Some Dirty Comments...

• March 02 - Large amounts of algae - green, gray
  and rust colored.
• July 02 - Bottom covered with gray matter. Foul
  smell when stirred up. Little precipitation
  lately, creek is low. Not a pleasant creek to
  check.
• August 03 - Odor is strong, some colonies of
  bloodworms reappearing, gray algae is getting
  worse, over all stream appears to be in better
  shape than last year, but it is still not good.
• November 04 - Stream was choked
• with what looked like ground feed.

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The Data
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The Stream
Total Length 0.5 miles
6 Monitoring Sites
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The Watershed
4 Drainage Districts 250 acres
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The Path to Success...
Volunteer Observations
DNR Involvement
County Sanitarian
Landowner Contacts
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The Solution...
City of Farmington, Department of Public Services
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The Solution...