This photo was taken from the PDF of the notice, sent to IDEM with the application. See link to PDF below. This shows work ALREADY STARTED, in October. Conditions appear to be identical to my photos of December 4, below.
ILLEGAL,
UNNECESARY, & DESTRUCTIVE WORK ON HURRICANE CREEK BY COUNTY SURVEYOR,
WASTING MONEY & EXACERBATING FLOODS IN FRANKLIN!
I received a tip on Dec. 4 that there is a notice on IDEM's web site that the County Surveyor, Doug Lechner, has applied for a permit to rip-rap the banks of Hurricane Creek through the Franklin Schools property next to Eastview Drive (Needham and Webb elementary schools). When I looked at the notice, it includes pictures supplied with Lechner's application showing work already started! He was stopped by federal and state officials after complaints from citizens. It seems that after 20, 30, howevermany years in office, Doug Lechner doesn't know how to comply with the law. And as I've shown on the Ditches page of the Flood Report, the meddling with Hurricane since 1973, mostly by Lechner, was a major factor in the severity of last year's flood disaster! As well as just being plain damn stupid and wasteful. I swear to God, it's a wonder that people in Johnson County don't still go to a witch doctor to be bled when they're sick. Maybe Lechner does. We've got to stop this ignorance that's screwing up our environment and wasting huge sums of public money! By that I mean, YOUR TAX DOLLARS!
I spoke with FCSC business director Jeff Mercer, who told me that the school district had received a scanty notice from Lechner saying the product would be taking place. No please, maybe, or thank you. He even drove a road over school property! This is the guy who's been County Surveyor for so long, he couldn't even remember when he was elected when I asked him. Although I assumed that was just creepiness. That guy's gotta go. AFTER he's been audited.
THIS PROJECT IS SUBJECT TO REBUTTAL AND PUBLIC HEARING. Please see IDEM's project page, or notice PDF (links below), and send them your comment. This page will be updated frequently, check back!
Jan.
12, 2010 UPDATE:
Letter to IDEM opposing Hurricane Creek
work.
This photo was taken from the PDF of the notice, sent to IDEM with the application.
See link to PDF below. This shows work ALREADY STARTED, in October.
Conditions appear to be identical to my photos of December 4, below.
http://www.in.gov/idem/6399.htm
Name or Facility
Flood Damage Work on Hurricane Creek, 2009-628-41-DDC-A
Type of Notice/Event
Section 401 Water Quality Certification Public Notice [PDF]
http://www.in.gov/idem/files/2009-628-41-DDC-A.pdf
Publication Dates
12/01/2009 - 12/21/2009
Public Comment?
Yes. Address on Notice.
Additional Information
Applicant Name: Mr. Doug Lechner
Applicant Company: Johnson County Surveyor’s Office
 Material was hauled in across school property, without permission, although the County Surveyor has only the "right" to the 75' easement parallel to the "ditch." There will have to be compensation for this damage to public property. |
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 A crossing has been built with FILL MATERIAL. |
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 Bare spots show where fill was dumped, then bulldozed into the creek. |
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 This material is from an earlier project; 2007? This is not "stream bank stabilasation" a.k.a. rip-rap, this is CHANNELIZATION by FILLING an area at least 10' wide. The original bank is on the right side. This constriction EXACERBATES FLOODING. |
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 Material already place ON stream banks and IN the stream prior to permit. |
 Material already place ON stream banks and IN the stream prior to permit. |
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 Lechner has also dumped SAND AND GRAVEL along the stream banks, prior to permit. |
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 Lechner has also dumped SAND AND GRAVEL along the stream banks, prior to permit. |
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 Material already place ON stream banks and IN the stream prior to permit. |
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 TREES HAVE BEEN CUT. |
 This stake way DOWN stream inside the wooded area seems to indicate the current plan to CLEARCUT AND DENUDE the stream bank further than it already is. Please see on the main "Ditches" page the diagram from 2005 with a mark showing Lechner's desire to ravage and waste far downstream. |
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 Lechner has dumped SAND AND GRAVEL along the stream banks, prior to permit. |
 This is what the ENTIRE LENGTH OF HURRICANE CREEK SHOULD LOOK LIKE. In terms of riparian growth, being in a natural state, not "requiring" repeated expensive "maintenance" - in other words, being a NATURAL STREAM! Without the MANMADE IMPACTS which EXACERBATE FLOODING. |
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 On the south side of the creek next to the Greenways Trail. The tree on the right is apparently marked for DENUDING AND CLEARCUTTING at least this far downstream. |
 Detail. Arrow shows where the water-level stake, shown in earlier photo, is across the stream. |
 The intention seems to be to cut ALL of this. |
 Homes such as these, next door to school property, and others downstream, will be further impacted by Doug Lechner's voodoo "maintenance" - as they were in the flood of June 2008! |
 One of the few rational steps to live with nature in Franklin, further down the trail. |
Are we to be managed like a FARM, or are we a CITY for PEOPLE? If you agree with the latter, don't be a SHEEPLE. |
 Recently flagged survey marker next to the creek at Forsythe. |
 Note the yellow flags where tree seedlings have been planted. |
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 Isn't this damn bizarre that we have these two processes going on a few hundred feet from each other on the same creek? The City and the Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) are planting trees and trying to restore the creek sides, in order to soak up and slow water... While the County Surveyor is hell-bent on destruction! And yes, this area is part of the "legal drain". The other odd thing is that when I suggested to the SWCD Director, Ric Schlosser, a couple of years ago, that Hurricane Creek needs to be restored, he said "that's not our job." |
 Another example of how Hurricane Creek SHOULD look; meandering, varying widths, trees. A much wider and wilder riparian zone in rural areas, obviously. |
TELL THE COUNTY SURVEYOR, KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF OF FRANKLIN! |
