Greening Tinker: Base holds creek clean-up

Published April 15, 2011
By Brion Ockenfels
Tinker Public Affairs

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Teaching man to fish can feed him for a lifetime and so can caring for the water those fish live-in. In support of Tinker's Earth Month activities, volunteers from civil engineering fanned out April 7 and 8 along base waterways armed with knowledge and heavy duty trash bags to care for Tinker's creek systems.

"Storm water awareness through public participation and education is a critical element to the successfulness of Tinker's Storm Water Program," said Tinker's Water Quality Engineer, John Truong.

According to Mr. Truong, the clean-up has been incorporated into our program as an annual requirement due to the successfulness of past events. Besides the trash picked up during the event, the event also has the added benefit of giving Tinker volunteers and community a sense of ownership and knowledge they will take back to their work place and families.

"Sustaining a healthy creek system involves more than just an annual outreach event," said Mr. Truong. "Our creeks are monitored weekly by a water quality team to ensure there is nothing in the creek that could harm the system. If levels of oil and grease, chlorine, metals, oxygen, or suspended solids become abnormal, it is a good indicator that something is getting discharged to the creek that should not be."

"If test results are high in dissolved oxygen, that's a lifesaver for fish," said Raymond Moody, environmental biologist. "Biological indicators such as diversity of fish and other aquatic life have steadily improved in recent years, along with water quality improvements. Quality indicators including dissolved oxygen, numbers of aquatic life, insects and water clarity have steadily improved in recent years,"

"Barring any serious spills, the largest impairment to Tinker's creek systems today is storm water runoff into one of a thousand storm drains on base which drain to our creek system," said Environmental Operations Chief, Trudi Logan. "Nation-wide, education and awareness followed by individual action are proven methods for improving and maintaining a healthy urban creek system."

Everyone on base should think about the ways their daily activities affect Tinker's creek systems, Mr. Truong emphasizes.

The base is home to the headwaters of the Crutcho, Kuhlman and Soldier Creek and the beginning of the Crutcho Creek basin over the Garber-Wellington aquifer, a source of drinking water for many in central Oklahoma.

Creeks beginning in industrialized or highly developed areas require active pollution prevention measures and constant testing and monitoring to sustaining healthy waterways according to Mr. Truong.

Waterways near large buildings, expanses of asphalt or concrete roads, parking lots, aircraft taxiways and runways take away earth's natural filtering capabilities.

According to the EPA and Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality many contaminants that enter a community's waterway are a result of individual actions. Antifreeze, oil and tire residues often wash from roadways into storm drains when it rains. Fertilizer and pesticides seep into ditches and drains and upset the balance of nutrients in creeks. Pet droppings that eventually wash into waterways also harm the creeks.

According to EPA, careless fertilizer use on hundreds or thousands of lawns and gardens along with other urban activities play an active role in the decline of healthy creeks systems, adding up to a major problem for some local streams and lakes.

"After concern about the declining water quality in the 80s, creeks are improving," said Mr. Moody. Earlier documented studies indicated an impoverished fisheries community and today, over 3 decades later, the Oklahoma prairie stream systems found at Tinker have turned around with over 19 different species of native fish occurring in them.

"To the point Tinker streams like that of Crutcho Creek are now teeming with a diversity of minnows and other small aquatic critters. And having a natural community of fish, that is self-reproducing, is a strong indicator of a healthy water system," said Mr. Moody.

A sight Mr. Truong and his monitoring teams are happy to see when sampling for water quality.
"It can take years to see improvement of a declining watershed and we are beginning to see very encouraging results," said Mr. Truong.

Public education and outreach is a key component to ensuring the continuation of these improvements. Tinker's Environmental Management office are setting up information booths throughout the base during Earth Month to help promote various environmental programs and keeping the public informed on the importance of being good stewards of our environment. The next opportunity to meet with Tinker's environmental experts will be at the Base Exchange main entrance from 10 a.m. to noon, 20 April. They will also be promoting their next creek cleanup scheduled for the summer.

Although the base has made progress, the job is not done. Everyone who lives, works and plays on Tinker must take part in keeping waterways clean.

Tinker Air Force Base works diligently to protect the environment. If anyone should observe improper dumping in to the storm drains or creeks on base, call Tinker's Storm water Hotline at 650-3210.

Are you part of the solution to storm water pollution?
The effects of pollutants in our water can be harmful and there are ways to prevent storm water pollution.
·Never dump waste in a storm drain.
·Dispose of household chemicals properly.
·Take unused chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides and weed killers to a city hazardous waste disposal facility.
·Prevent oil and antifreeze leaks, inspect and maintain vehicles regularly.
·Take antifreeze, motor oil and other fluids to a recycle station or city hazardous waste disposal facility.
·Use an absorbent to clean up leaks or spills then sweep it clean. Never hose spills in the gutter.
·Wash your car at a drive thru or DYI carwash.
·Use pesticides and fertilizers as directed.
·Pickup pet waste and put it in a trash can or flush down a toilet.
·During winter months sand ice instead of using chemical deicing products.