Introductions
Committee members and other participants introduced themselves and indicated their backgrounds and affiliations.  Several minor changes were noted on the contact sheet that had been distributed in advance of the meeting.  And, the group thanked the Supervisor and staff at Exeter Township for being so gracious in hosting the Committee and providing refreshments for the group.

Overview of Activities to Date
Joe Ohren formally introduced Kevin Gustavson who replaced Anita Zot as Technical Coordinator for the Stony Creek project as of the first of the year (Ms. Zot will continue to be involved with the Stony Creek project since she has been appointed as the Pittsfield Township representative to the Committee).  Kevin will be leading the water quality testing work throughout the summer, assist the Steering Committee in developing the watershed management plan, conduct the road crossing survey as required by DEQ, and staff the Technical Committee that will be assembled to complement the work of the Steering Committee.  Ohren also noted that in attendance was the new DEQ project liaison, Janna Sebald.

Dr. Ohren described the presentations he made to the several Township Boards across the watershed as well as his participation in the public hearing on the petition to designate the Stony Creek as an inter-county drain.  There was considerable discussion of the drain issue, indicating that the affirmative decision by the board had been challenged and that ultimately it was determined that the issue was moot since the original petition had been invalid. 

On a related matter, participants indicated that a consent judgment had been reached in the London Aggregates case, and that part of the settlement was a commitment by the firm to devote resources to watershed mitigation efforts.  It was noted that the Monroe County Soil Conservation District Office was vested with responsibility for this part of the judgment, and the suggestion was made the Dr. Ohren make contact with the staff at the District to coordinate efforts.

Dr. Gustavson reported that preliminary work had been completed to create a GIS base map of the Stony Creek watershed and municipal boundaries and online access is available through the Water Resources Consortium web page at emich.edu/wrc/stonycreek/.  Further contacts will be made in the coming weeks with the GIS division of the Washtenaw County Drain Commission and the Monroe County Planning Department about existing GIS data layers in each county to overlay on the base map.  This discussion of the watershed boundary prompted some questions as to whether the watershed extends into Wayne County.  After some examination of maps and exchange of information, participants agreed that this might warrant some additional study.

Kevin also outlined an ambitious agenda of water quality testing that had begun in early June and that would continue throughout the summer.  He noted that he would be involving students in this effort, and that to the extent he could, he would also provide opportunities for members of the public to participate in the study.

Steering Committee
In the interests of time, and in view of the small number of Steering Committee members in attendance due to the storm, Dr. Ohren postponed discussion of Steering Committee roles, responsibilities and processes.  He asked all members to return the stakeholder and media contact sheets so that additional participants could be notified of Committee efforts.  Dr. Ohren also indicated that discussions had begun with staff from the Huron River Watershed Council regarding the implementation of public participation efforts.

Designated/Desired Uses
Most of the remaining discussion revolved around the homework exercise that had been distributed in advance of the meeting, essentially asking participants to identify what were deemed desired uses for the Stony Creek.  Participants agreed that they would like to see the Creek restored for fishing since several of them noted that that was their first recollection of the Creek.  Several participants noted that there continue to be active agricultural uses along the watershed and that one of the constraints in th8inking about future desired uses is that there is very limited public access to the Creek.  Access can be gotten at road crossing, which constitute public right-of-way, but there are no public access points in the watershed.

Other Items of Interest
With respect to other nonpoint pollution sources, one participant noted that biosolids were a concern since landfills in the watershed are accepting such materials.

Next Steps
Dr. Ohren indicated that the next meeting would be scheduled for September, with notices sent in advance.  Since the Exeter Township Hall provided a meeting place midway within the watershed, meetings would continue to be scheduled there (until we wear out our welcome).