SPY’s Newsletter #120
(2/23/21)
Another One Bites The Dust
It is with sadness and frustration that we have to announce that our, what used to be, annual Euchre Tournament has once again been canceled. This makes it two years in a row that COVID has shut the Euchre Tournament down. This would have marked the 37th time we held the “Showdown On Main Street”.
It also means that we have not been able to hold a single SPY event for over a year! Oh well, maybe things will improve in 2021.
And Yet Another One Bites The Dust
As announced earlier, the Welch Historical Museum was planning to hold their annual Dar Benjamin Memorial Chili Cook-off on Saturday, March 6th. In talking with Historical Society President Geniese Davis, I was told that it has been decided to cancel the event.
Boy, it sure will be nice when we can get back to having community events again.
Free Water Well Testing
If you are an Eaton or Ingham county resident on a private water well, you are eligible to have your drinking water screened for free for Nitrites and Nitrates on Friday, April 23rd. A sample information sheet is required for each sample that is to be tested. Please bring your sample and completed sample information sheet to Kardell Hall at the Eaton County Fair Grounds between 8am and 5pm on the 23rd.
For the required sample information form and sample collection instructions, visit www.eatoncd.org. On the home page, scroll down past the picture of a daisy and then past the “Tree Sale” heading. Click on the “MAEAP Water Testing” button and you’re in business.
The Eaton Conservation District will screen drinking water well samples for nitrate on April 23, 2021 from 8am to 5pm. The screening is sponsored by the Eaton Conservation District and the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP). It is paid for by funds generated from Michigan pesticide and fertilizer registration and tonnage fees. There is no fee to participants for this service.
Samples from drinking water wells will be screened only for nitrate and nitrite. The screening is open to everyone who uses a personal well for drinking water. Bring your samples to Eaton Conservation District’s tree sale pick-up at Kardell Hall, Eaton County Fairgrounds, 1025 S. Cochran Ave., Charlotte.
This service is for private drinking water wells only. Public water supplies are tested regularly. Please do not bring samples from public water supplies or non-drinking water sources. Only drinking water well samples will be tested. You do not have to use a special bottle for this screening. Any small clean jar will work—one ounce of water is enough.
Please follow the directions below to sample your well. Collect samples just before getting them to the sample drop-off. Samples must be less than 48 hours old for a valid nitrate result.
1. Fill out the water Sample Information Sheet.
2. Pick a tap that supplies water that has not run through any treatment devices (water softener, carbon filter, etc.). An outdoor faucet often works well.
3. Run the water for 20-30 minutes before collecting the sample. This will give the pump time to flush the water pressure tank and plumbing so you can collect a valid sample. Disconnect any hoses before collecting the sample; do not sample through a hose. Rinse the sample bottle and lid thoroughly in the water to be sampled; then fill and cap the bottle.
4. Label the bottle clearly with your name, the sampling date, and the well name (cottage well, Mom's well, etc.) using a waterproof pen. Put the sample information sheet into a waterproof bag, and then seal the water sample and the information into a second waterproof bag.
5. Keep the sample dark and cold (on ice or refrigerated) until it is dropped off.
All results are confidential. You will be mailed a copy of your results in 6 to 8 weeks, with information about what to do if the concentration of nitrate or nitrite is too high.
Be sure to fill out the Sample Information Sheet completely and bring it with your water sample to the drop-off. We need a complete mailing address to get your results back to you. You can get more information from the Eaton Conservation District Office at 517-543-1512 x5, or from your local MAEAP stewardship technician, Allison Kerr, at the same number.
This program is sponsored by the Eaton Conservation District, the MAEAP Water Stewardship Program, and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. It is funded through the Michigan Groundwater and Freshwater Protection Act, the MDARD, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Reminders
· Daylight Savings Time kicks in on Sunday March 7th. Don’t forget to Spring Ahead!
· The deadline for the submission of applications for any of the SPY’s Community Foundation scholarships is Monday, March 15th.
Contributions
· Peggy Heinze made a donation in memory of Honnie Huyck.
· We had an anonymous contribution in memory of Rush Limbaugh.
Parting Comments
· Deep Thought of the Week: Remember back when we used to eat cake after someone blew all over it at a birthday party? Man, were we wild.
· Notable Quote: “The difference between stumbling blocks and stepping stones is how you use them.”
· That’s Puny Department: I never finish anything. I have a black belt in partial arts.