Open Letter to Dearborn County Officials

My name is David Hornbach and I live on County Line Road in Saint Peters. I lived at this Franklin county site for the last 18 years and my previous residence was on York Ridge the previous 25 years so I have fond memories of life in Dearborn County and the Tanner creek area.

From my introduction and location you can understand my position is against economic development in the Northwest quadrant. My main concern is the effect of the economic growth on the ecosystems and flood levels of the Tanner creek and surrounding areas. Two of the main reasons quoted for the high marketability of this quadrant were its topographical outline and low need to displace households to incur growth. I offer up the reason for the latter is the topography. Anybody that has lived in this area knows the hardships of handling of wastewater in an area which is very flat, has a high density of red and white clay in its soil makeup, and has a relatively high water table.

I have read only excerpts Woolpert study and I am afraid that the breadth of the potential problem has not been captured. Trying to run all this waste and runoff water down Tanners creek will only cause more problems for the residents in the low lying areas along the 20 miles the creek runs through your county. I am not a civil engineer but I would expect that the Army Corps of Engineers would have to adjust flood plains and the I.D.E.M. and E.P.A which funds some of the conversation efforts of the Creek would need to be pulled in. And also the potential of the pollution that comes with the growth would need to be addressed. http://www.dearbornswcd.org/Tanners.html
There is also the effect of the expansion will have an on the wildlife that uses Tanner Creek to sustain itself.

I was going to fill up these pages with Statistics about water drainage and absorption and saturation rates of red clay. Instead I want to offer up a simple challenge. Please take a drive this spring after a couple hard rains. Head north on Saint Peters road and notice the water levels. Drive East on County Line road. Head South down to Highland Center to where Tanners creek begins to be visible. After this go to Saint Leon and head south on Indiana 1 and look at the creek south of Dover. Notice the homes along the creek in the vicinity of the junction of and Cook Road and also down 1 farther on East Fork Road and into the southern part of the town of Guilford. Then notice the road washout problem of Ind. 1 just south of Guilford. I trust the visuals you will see will help you understand and grant this problem the due diligence it deserves.

In closing I do support controlled economic development. From living in these two areas my whole life, I feel that the handling of the wastewater makes the Northwest quadrant less marketable than other areas in your fine county. I would also like to thank you taking time to read this letter from a citizen who does not live in the county you serve.

David Hornbach