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Do I live in the Hinkson Creek Watershed? Report a Spill/ Poor Erosion Control
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Information Clearinghouse
Although the source of pollution in the Hinkson remains a mystery, the Hinkson itself has a fair amount of information written about it. Below are some links that offer information about the Hinkson: Hinkson Creek Watershed Demographics Acres within the watershed: 57,445 acres Population, 2000 Census: 73,536 Length in miles: 32.83 Miles listed as a 303(d) stream: 14
RFP Pre-proposal Meeting Presentation Information presented at the meeting held on December 11 can be accessed here. "NOTES" boxes in the presentation summarize the points mentioned in the presentation. Sampling Data The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) monitored the water quality of the impaired section of the Hinkson (downstream of I-70) over the last several years. Stormwater outfalls, as well as the Hinkson itself, were tested for a variety of contaminants such as metals, organic compounds, salt, turbidity, and others. Each year, the Hinkson failed to have the diversity of aquatic life needed to be consider a fully functioning stream, though no single contaminant was ever found to be at fault. For a copy of the DNR Phase I study, click here. For a copy of the DNR Phase II study, click here. For a copy of the DNR Phase III study, click here. Watershed Plan The previous Hinkson grant developed a draft watershed management plan, which will serve as the base document for a local stakeholder committee to work with. The watershed plan identified the urbanized hydrology as the main contributor to the degraded condition of the Hinkson, identified a "hotspot" area in which to focus restoration efforts, and made recommendations for the restoration effort. For a copy of the watershed management plan, click here. For a Word version, click here. For the table of contents for the plan, click here. For a list of cited references for the plan, click here. Ordinances Boone County passed their stream buffer ordinance in May of 2009. The ordinance went into effect on June 1, 2009. The ordinance is not retroactive, only new developments and redevelopments are affected. The stream buffer ordinance is very similar to the City of Columbia's stream buffer ordinance. For a link to Boone County's stream buffer ordinance, click here. Boone County passed their stomwater ordinance February 2, 2010. The ordinance will go into effect on April 15, 2010. All design plans approved by planning and zoning before April 15, 2010 will not be subject to this ordinance. Plans in the design phase, or not approved by that date will require stormwater controls. The Commission has chosen to delay the implementation of the abeyance (Section 9.3) until the Columbia City Council enacts similar legislation. For a link to Boone County's stormwater ordinance, click here. A stormwater ordinance and a stream buffer ordinance were both passed by the City of Columbia in 2007. Neither ordinance is retroactive, only new developments and redevelopments are affected. The stream buffer ordinance requires a setback of varying width, dependent upon the size of the stream. The stormwater ordinance requires a level of service approach be taken on applicable developments. Run-off from areas converted to impervious surface are ameliorated by various BMPs that must be installed to detain and treat the stormwater. For a link to the City stormwater ordinances, click here. Maps The Hinkson drains roughly 88.5 square miles of land, all in Boone County. Hinkson Creek itself is 26 miles long, originating east of Hallsville and traveling southwest to join Perche Creek in southwest Columbia. Several large tributaries spill into the Hinkson within the Columbia area. Grindstone Creek and Hominy Branch originate from the east, Flat Branch and County House Branch drain the interior of Columbia, and Meredith Branch and Mill Creek drain the western portion of Columbia. The Watershed Evaluation and Comparison Tool allows you to view watershed maps, view protected and 303d listed lakes and streams, soils, karst features, census data, and much more, click here. (Select start, desired cataloging level, Boone County, and the specific watershed you are looking for.) For an interactive mapping tool that allows you to view aerial photos, topographic maps, floodplains, and many more features, click here. (This will direct you to the Center for Applied Research and Environmental Systems website, select 'Columbia' from the list to get you started.) For a map of the sub watersheds of the Hinkson, click here. For a map of the hotspot area of interest for our cost-share program, click here. Real Time Data The USGS monitors the flow of the Hinkson just below the Providence Road bridge. The gage was put in place in the late 1960s, but was decommissioned for a decade, and was recently brought online again in 2007. To see the flow of the Hinkson and an archive of the Hinkson's flow, click here. The weather station at MU's Sanborn Field (at Rollins and College Ave) has been recording weather data for many years. This data, or at least the last decade of data, is searchable via the MU website. Precipitation data, both daily and annual accumulation, soil temperature, air temperature, and other parameters, are available. Click here to go to this website. Research A graduate student at the University of Missouri conducted a study of attitudes of residents in the watershed about Hinkson Creek and other environmental issues, click here to see the study. Dr. Jason Hubbart, Assistant Professor of Hydrologic Processes and Water Quality at the University of Missouri is investigating the impacts of land us/ cover changes on hydroclimate, water quality, biogeochemistry, and physical-biological interactions in forested, agricultural, and urban ecosystems within the Hinkson Creek Watershed. Check out his website at:http://web.missouri.edu/~hubbartj/index_files/HinksonCreekWatershed~Hubbart.asp
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