If you think you might have identified a potential threat to the water quality in Grand Lake St. Marys, use the following tools to report the potential threat for investigation.
If winter manure application is in question, please review the Watershed In Distress Fact Sheet.
Guidelines for manure application on frozen or snow covered soils inside the Grand Lake St. Mary’s Watershed:
Manure applications between December 15th and March 1st are not permissible in the Grand Lake St. Mary’s Watershed unless permission is granted from the Chief of the Division if Soil and Water Resources prior to the application.
Guidelines for manure applications inside the Grand Lake St. Mary’s Watershed during all other time periods are required to follow the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservation Practice Standard – Nutrient Management 590. Table 3 and Table 4 of the NRCS 590 Standard determine the maximum application rate and manure application setbacks.
If there is evidence of pollution entering waters of the State, during the office hours of 8:00am – 4:30pm you can:
Contact the Auglaize County Soil and Water Conservation Office: 419-738-4016
Contact the Mercer County Soil and Water Conservation Office: 419-586-3289
OR
After hours and on weekends you can call Frances Springer – Ohio Department of Natural Resources (419) 234-4678 and she will coordinate a local response.
OR
Call the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Hotline at 1-800-282-9378.
Both Soil and Water Districts will respond to verbal or written complaints. When reporting an improper manure application please help us to find the location by giving the closest two intersecting road names and/or house address to the application area. This will help us get landowners names, aerial drainage photographs and watershed maps prior to arriving on site.