Hampshire approves ecological study of creek
By Denise Moran For The Courier-News March 22, 2013 12:32PM
Updated: April 25, 2013 6:58AM
HAMPSHIRE — Huff & Huff Inc. of Oak Brook was unanimously approved by the village board Thursday night to conduct an ecological study on Hampshire Creek.
According to Village Administrator Doug Maxeiner, this study takes place every two years as required by the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit for the wastewater treatment plant in the village.
The village received two proposals for doing the study. Huff & Huff bid $19,625. Hey and Associates bid $22,500.
As required by the permitting process, the study must be authorized and underway by May 1 of this year. Funds for the study have been included in the sewer division budget for fiscal year 2013/14.
According to village engineer Brad Sanderson, “a biological survey was last performed in 2011 and is therefore required in 2013. The survey consists of water quality monitoring and habitat, fish and macroinvertebrate surveys upstream and downstream of the wastewater treatment plant discharge.”
The Hester-Dendy benthic collection will be part of the study.
According to Huff & Huff, “while the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency no longer requires Hester-Dendy samplers to be used during facility surveys, except in non-wadeable streams, the rich data set for Hampshire Creek utilizing Hester-Dendy samplers may benefit from a final year of sampling with the method during 2013.”
The field work will be completed by September 30, 2013. The final report will be prepared and submitted by Nov. 15, 2013.
