2008 essay

Watershed warrior wearing Louisiana Tech sweatshirt.

2012 video by Aubrey James Shepherd aubunique said...on September 29, 2008 in talking about problems during the Coody administration.
Some big farms hurt the Beaver Lake watershed, but most of the farms in the area with a dense animal population hurt the Illinois River watershed. 
The development sites allowing uncontrolled runoff of red dirt affect the water quality of Beaver Lake the most. And the yellow fill dirt is as bad in its own way, probably causing the most algae bloom in the lake. 
That yellow dirt, like runoff from golf courses and many private lawns and other green space where pesticides and herbicides and FERTILIZER are used, also contributes tons of silt and chemicals that affect the cost of cleaning Beaver Lake water. The algae bloom results in the poor taste and smell of the water. 
Dan has had eight years to stop the use of chemicals in the urban part of the Beaver Lake watershed. Decades ago, many Fayetteville residents were trying to get chemical fertilizer, herbicides and pesticides banned in the city. A lot of longtime residents mention the failure of the Coody administration to address those concerns adequately and make them a part of the development code among the reasons they will not vote for him now. The council voted for a strong hill side ordinance but the mayor protested strengthening the tree ordinance on the hills without doing so in the rest of the urban forest. But, so far, he has not brought forth a strengthened tree ordinance for the whole city. Mature trees and understory vegetation keep the shallow topsoil on the hillsides. Clear-cutting a slope guarantees siltation and pollution downstream
Federal and state environmental officials will tell you and have stated publicly that cities can make their own stricter rules for managing stormwater and urban pollution.
Those plastic bottles are bad for the environment. But using the bully pulpit to announce that city projects would no longer pollute or destroy trees and vegetation would be a lot more valuable than announcing a ban of city use of water in plastic bottles. 
Both are important. But laws to prevent pollution are many times more significant than laws to prevent litter. Right now, our city allows violations of state and federal law frequently, not only with city projects but also by failing regularly to inspect construction sites that have been approved by city government.
September 29, 2008 7:06 PM