By DAVID A. MANN
David.Mann@newsandtribune.com
JEFFERSONVILLE — State regulators have flagged Jeffersonville for unsatisfactory environmental conditions at a construction site.
The conditions, noted in a recently released Indiana Department of Environmental Management inspection report, primarily relate to control of sediment and stormwater at the site of the proposed Main Street extension.
Specifically, the report says that the area has been seeded with vegetation to prevent erosion in an unsatisfactory manner. The city didn’t satisfactorily implement sediment control, the report says, noting that a silt fence aimed at keeping project dirt in a certain parameter was lying on the ground.
The city also hadn’t stabilized a stormwater conveyance channel, IDEM said.
Controlling sediment is important because of its affect on streams, in this case Mill Creek, said Amber Finkelstein, public information officer for IDEM. Dirt moved from construction sites into a stream can change the flow of the stream or harm the breeding ground of the life in it, she said.
The inspection report also noted that the city hadn’t submitted the proper paperwork. It was supposed to give a notice of intent, informing the department of the project.
That’s been filed since the inspection took place March 8, Finkelstein confirmed. Additionally, the city didn’t file a stormwater pollution prevention plan.
It has until Friday to file that plan, replace the silt fence and seed the area to control erosion, the report said. Finkelstein said a follow-up inspection is planned, but no date has been set.
Larry Thomas, communications director for Jeffersonville, said the city would correct the required issues by Friday.
Speaking with assistant City Engineer Andy Crouch, he said he was surprised that the vegetation issue was raised, noting that growth had occurred naturally as the project has been on hold for the last year or so. The city has halted the project as it’s awaiting appropriate authorizations and permits for the wetland impacts at the site.
Thomas also noted work in the area initially started in the late 1990s and may have changed over that time, hence the lack of a notice of intent.
The city says a letter of reprimand, rather than a fine, is the expected outcome. Finkelstein said the department hasn’t determined whether fines will be assessed for the violations. She could not estimate how much the fines would be if they were levied, noting there is not set amount.
“Fines are determined on a case-by-case basis,” she said.
The road project has been championed by Mayor Tom Galligan as a means of relieving traffic woes by providing a new north and south route through the city.
The project would extend Main Street through the America Place industrial park, out to Quarry Road and onto Hamburg Pike.
