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Charles "Drainage" Dieringer, Ed.D., N9DKJ

Educator and former engineering technician responsible for maintenance of large storm water facilities in Southern Cook County, Illinois. Also, as a former Bloom Township Highway Commissioner, he became interested in establishing a 'School of Stream Maintenance' in the Chicago area after training as a Menzi-Muck Operator which is utilized for 'in stream maintenance' to remove log jams, construct Riffles & Pools (which enhance fish habitat), and stabilize stream banks that are being damaged by Stormwater discharges.

Dieringer has also served on the Technical Committee of the Thorn Creek Ecosystem Partnership. Related interest include restoring wetlands to clean urban storm water discharges. This involves temporary storage in a Floodplain or a detention reservoir and a controlled discharge via a 'natural Stormwater treatment train' (wetland) before being returned to the Thorn Creek (107 square mile) Watershed. This Watershed is part of the Little Calumet River Watershed via which Coho Salmon arrive in the late fall from Lake Michigan in an effort to spawn in Thorn Creek's Riffles. This activity can be viewed on 'youtube.com' by entering: "Thorn Creek Salmon" in the search box. The Salmon numbers can be increased if the impact of storm water discharges can be reduced.

To observe how Thorn Creek is connected to Lake Michigan via the Little Cal River which is also diverted to the Mississippi River and away from Lake Michigan, you may utilize a FREE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE, the Illinois Watershed Mapping Tool via the University of Illinois: (http://www.rmms.uiuc.edu/website/rmms/).

The 'Help Menu' contains a tutorial and instructions are provided on 'opening' windows. Using this tool- - you may observe over 60 layers of information which include 'flood plain maps' and Wetlands with an overlay of street level views of our homes similar to Google Earth.

Drainage Dr. Dieringer's (Mother Nature's Plumber) training included the Water Shed Science Academy at the University of Illinois, Public Administration at Northern Illinois University. His Dissertation was on the History of The Township School Treasurer, a unit of school government that is gradually being abolished in Cook County.

As noted earlier, walking excavator operation and maintenance training (MenziMuck machines, http://menziusa.com/) is via the American Public Works Association at the Sun Coat Academy in Sarasota, Florida. Presently, that is the only location for training and over 100 walking excavators are utilized to keep the inland water ways operational in Florida. There is one unit based in Thornton, Illinois, and numerous others could be utilized to provide stream maintenance in the Midwest. Stream maintenance in Cook County recently became the responsibility of the Metropolitan Sanitary District of Greater Chicago.