Geneva discusses manure matters

One manure problem in Geneva is being solved, but another is slowing progress on a proposed trail in town.
Last month, Adams County Health Department tested a water sample from a storm drain emptying into Rainbow Lake and found an E. coli level of more than 9,000 parts per 100 milliliters, interim public works and safety advisor Rob Johnson told town council Tuesday night.
The problem was coming from Dollar General, 650 N. Main St., where a storm water detention pond tested at more than 19,000 parts per 100 milliliters.
Dollar General’s hitching posts for horses were located near a storm drain, and horse manure could easily go from the asphalt directly into the storm drain.
The store is working on moving the posts to a stone area on the north side of the building away from any storm drains, Johnson said. The entire drain system will be cleaned, and it will be rerouted so that all water goes through the detention pond before leaving Dollar General’s property.
The health department tested water in Rainbow Lake last week and found E. coli levels away from the storm drain were safe; a sample from the west side was 4.1 parts per 100 milliliters and one from the east side was 2 parts per 100 milliliters.
But concern about elevated E. coli levels from another source remains.
South Adams Trails vice president Randy Lehman was hoping council would vote Tuesday to grant a 25-year easement for a strip of land between Rainbow Road and U.S. 27. A proposed trail along the strip would start in town and end in the area of county road 950 South and Rainbow Lake.
“The trail is good,” said Jim Arnold, president of the Rainbow Lake Homeowners Association.  “It’s neat, it’s open to the public, and being that it is open to the public, the Amish will use it. … With the Amish comes the horse manure, and with the trailhead right where it’s at, we have a lot of concern about E. coli.”
There would be a parking lot at the trailhead, where horses could be left by Amish trail users. The proposed lot is near a 16-inch drain that empties into Rainbow Lake, Arnold said. There’s also a pump station that feeds water into the lake.
But high E. coli levels in the lake would have a broader impact. Golf Club of the Limberlost uses the water to irrigate its course, Arnold said. From there, water drains into the Wabash River.
There’s also concern about “oil and road grime” from cars in the parking lot, Arnold said. But it was the manure problem that dominated discussion, which filled the seats Tuesday night with homeowners from around Rainbow Lake.
Arnold suggested moving the trailhead, or, if it can’t be moved, there be a filtration system or a requirement that horses tied in the lot wear some kind of diaper or bag.
Changing the trailhead plan now would be difficult, Lehman said. The project is funded by an Indiana Department of Transportation grant, which in turn is funded mostly with federal money. Any changes would have to be approved by INDOT.
Several residents suggested that the parking lot, if it must be by the lake, only be open to vehicles.
“If we can keep them off the trail, the horses, why can’t we keep them out of the parking lot?” asked Fred Gilbert.
Lehman said the plans don’t include hitching posts, so horses may stay out anyway. But he wasn’t sure horses could officially be banned, given the public nature of the trail.
“If we have the right to keep them off the trail, why don’t we have the right to keep them out of the parking?” Gilbert asked.
Resident Mary Morgan suggested that Gilbert’s proposal amounted to discrimination against the Amish.
The homeowners were also concerned about the restroom that would be at the trailhead. It would block the view of the lake from U.S. 27.
“It’s not an outhouse. It’ll look very nice,” Lehman said. “We don’t see it as an eyesore.”
Still, South Adams Trails is looking into the possibility of eliminating the restroom from the plan. Such a change would also require INDOT approval.
The homeowners’ concerns about parking and the restroom are valid, said Lehman, who lives near the lake. He invited them to send a representative to South Adams Trails board meetings.
Council did not vote on granting the easement. It will meet again Oct. 20 after Lehman and others have talked with INDOT about what changes to the trail plan might be allowed.
In other business, the council:
•Adopted Geneva’s 2016 budget, which totals $838,905. There were no comments during the public hearing.
•Heard from Johnson that chief deputy Brad Schwartz resigned effective Oct. 1. Council gave Johnson permission to begin looking for a replacement.
•Approved a 66-cent raise for Zach Bailey, a water and wastewater employee working on certifications to become a water operator. He will make about $14 an hour now, clerk-treasurer Jane Kaverman said.
•Heard from resident Gary Hendershott that loose dogs have been chasing his family while they run, bike or rollerblade. He suggested citizens might need a reminder about the ordinance against loose dogs.