Taylor Creek Watershed Study
The Taylor Creek Watershed Study, prepared by OKI in 2012,includes analytical tools for managing the impacts of home sewage treatment systems on streams in an urbanizing area. With funding from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) under Section 604(b) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, OKI prepared the study to facilitate informed choices for stakeholders in the drainage basin. Rather than advocating simple, sweeping solutions, the study analyzes the conditions for incrementally achieving cumulative improvements to ultimately put impaired streams in compliance with state and federal water quality standards. While recognizing the need to upgrade failing onsite sewage treatment systems or to replace them with centralized sewage service, the study also addresses the challenges of impervious surfaces, polluted stormwater, degraded stream habitat and rapid-flow hydrology in a rugged landscape that is inseparable from its scenic local streams.