BY PHILLIP PINA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Civic leaders envision a day when the polluted and neglected Mill Creek will become a focus of recreation and development in Southwestern Ohio.
Thursday, backers of the Mill Creek Watershed Greenway presented draft copies of a master plan. They want bike paths, walking trails and lush greenery. They want a lively stream with clean water. And they want public support.
"It's critically important that everyone realize that a dollar invested in a greenway project will earn several dollars back," said Chuck Flink, a consultant who helped develop the master plan draft. Residents, businesses and governments will need to work together, he added.
The creek, which runs parallel to Interstate 75 through much of Hamilton County, has long been a problem spot since Cincinnati developed around it. In 1913, one quart of every gallon flowing through the creek was industrial waste and sewage, the master plan says.
More recent problems include being labeled in 1997 by American Rivers, a non-profit group, as the most endangered urban waterway in the country. In 1991, the Cincinnati Health Department said water quality was so degraded, it could at times be classified as toxic and hazardous. And in 1989, an outbreak of hepatitis A surged through the West Fork.
But groups such as the Mill Creek Watershed Council and the Mill Creek Restoration Project are working to change that image. Along with working on the master plan, they are working with several groups to rejuvenate the stream. The Army Corps of Engineers will do a two-year study of ways to reduce flood damage along Mill Creek. And several communities, including Wyoming and Woodlawn, are developing a system of trails and paths in the watershed.
Woodlawn recently held a cleanup day for the creek's West Fork. "We not only got down and dirty, we also raised awareness about this project," said Carole Cornelison, Woodlawn village manager. Some major recommendations of the draft master plan are to: Build a network of trails for recreation and transportation. Create an incentive program for businesses along Mill Creek that choose to develop natural corridors on their property to restore the steam's ecological functions.
Establish a funding system that would include contributions from donors as well as government grants.
While the master plan draft does not include a total dollar figure, the plan could become costly. It is estimated that a 12-foot asphalt trail would cost about $200,000 a mile. Mill Creek runs about 28 miles from Butler County to the Ohio River. Add to that costs such as direction signs, parking lots and restrooms.
The flood-control effort alone has been estimated to cost at least $150 million to $300 million in federal money.
