Reprinted from the Bath Country Journal.

 

It’s Not Nice to be Fooled by Mother Nature

 

Even the best laid plans can be fooled by Mother Nature, as evidenced in an unexpected “major geological event” that dumped tons of silt and sediment into Yellow Creek last month, turning 3 miles of the pristine waters of that creek to varying shades of gray.

 

When discovered, the spring, which is located on private property between I-77 and North Cleveland-Massillon Road, was pumping an estimated 20 to 60 gallons of water a minute into the creek, said Kurt Kollar, of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA). Comparing it to a volcano mound, Kollar said the event caused between 300 and 500 tons of material to be deposited into the creek

 

That material was sand, silt and clay  – only natural materials, according to officials, who tested the flow to ensure such findings. At no time was there evidence of any man-made event that caused the spring to suddenly surface; nor was there any oil or gas well residue found in the sediment. In fact, Kollar reported that a week after the event, the U.S. Geological Survey had evidence of a minor earthquake in the area about two weeks before the spring appeared.

 

Within a week after its discovery, the flow had eased to about 2 to 3 gallons a minute, and the spring was “pinching itself off already,” Kollar said. “It could be done, or it could go on for five years,” he added about the vagaries of such an event.

 

Nonetheless, Kollar said the creek would recover and the material would move; small invertebrates were affected, but the fish in the creek were not harmed.

 

One additional aspect of the event is concern about slippage and erosion of the 115-foot hillside adjacent to the bank of the creek, next to area where the spring appeared. 

 

“There is nothing realistically or cheaply you can do,” Kollar said.

 

Right now, there will be limited water quality monitoring; the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has been made aware of the event; and local officials – from the township to Summit Soil and Water Conservation to University of Akron researchers – will stay apprised of the situation.

 

The bitter irony of this natural occurrence is that Bath Township is recognized locally and nationally for its environmental zoning and ecological initiatives. The Steep Slopes and Riparian Setback sections of the township zoning code have been enacted to preserve and protect streams and the Yellow Creek Watershed, aspects of zoning that Kollar indicated are forward-thinking and progressive. 

 

Bath does everything right – and Mother Nature steps in to remind us who is really in charge.

From the October 2006 issue of the Bath Country Journal.  Reprinted with permission of the Bath Country Journal.