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Scenic river 'endangered'
Scenic river 'endangered'
Group: Little Miami's future at risk By Dan Klepal Enquirer staff writer One of Ohio's cleanest and most beautiful rivers is also one of the nation's most endangered waterways, according to the environmental organization American Rivers. The Little Miami River, designated as a National Wild and Scenic River by the U.S. Park Service in 1980 because of its water quality and natural beauty, was listed Tuesday with nine others around the country that face uncertain futures because of pressures from development, road projects and expanding population. Preserving the waterway is important for a number of reasons: It is a place where about 500,000 people a year go for biking, canoeing and other recreational activities; those people spend money in the process, contributing tens of millions of dollars for the local economy; and a vibrant river means higher property values for those living around the river, which means more tax dollars for local governments. The Little Miami is one of only two urban streams in the National Wild and Scenic River program. "This just reinforces the idea that protecting rivers it is an ongoing effort," said Eric Partee, executive director of Little Miami Inc. "It's easy to get caught up in some modest gain here and there. But here we are 25 years later, still having to deal with very serious threats to the river. "The Little Miami still needs our attention." Specific threats to the Little Miami include a proposed new bridge on the "horseshoe bend" portion of the river that environmentalists believe will bring thousands of additional cars every day and ruin the serene quality of the river with trash, noise and salt during winter. The 17 wastewater treatment plants along the river also pollute the water with phosphorus and other nutrients that, when combined with sunlight, cause algae blooms that rob the water of oxygen and kill fish. Six applications for new plants or expansions of old plants are being considered by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Bruce Smith, a wastewater plant engineering specialist with OEPA, said the state shares American Rivers' concern. The state will start requiring new or expanded plants to remove more phosphorus, he said. "I would say we are concerned about the direction of the Little Miami River's water quality," Smith said. American Rivers isn't listing the rivers facing the most chronic threats; rather it lists rivers with the most uncertain future. The idea is to bring the potential threats to the public's attention. American Rivers is a national nonprofit conservation group with about 40,000 members dedicated to protecting and restoring rivers and the variety of life they sustain. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.d...te=printpicart |
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Garrison Hilliard wrote:
Scenic river 'endangered' Group: Little Miami's future at risk By Dan Klepal Enquirer staff writer One of Ohio's cleanest and most beautiful rivers is also one of the nation's most endangered waterways, according to the environmental organization American Rivers... Thanks for the heads-up. Paddlers, by their activity, are in a position to keep watch on the quality of rivers. I paddle on the North Fork of the Shenandoah River in Virginia. Development in the watershed is at an alarming rate. 900 new, single-family residential units have been approved for construction in Woodstock, VA. Sewage treatment for the area is already operating beyond capacity, resulting in releases of raw sewage into the river. Large fish kills have been reported on the river as recent as spring, 2004. The North Fork feeds the Potomac River. The Potomac is currently experiencing long-existing and unresolved ecological problems. Mercury, released into the South Fork of the Shenandoah River from industry in Waynesboro, VA. has been tracked downstream from Washington, D.C. A super fund site in Front Royal, VA. is the source of PCBs in the South Fork. Both mercury and PCBs are found in fish tissues in amounts that have caused the state of Virginia to issue consumption advisories, and outright bans on consumption. The cause of inter-sex fish (male fish having ovaries and eggs) is being investigated in the upper-Potomac tributaries, in West Virginia. -- "This president has destroyed the country, the economy, the relationship with the rest of the world. He's a monster in the White House. He should resign." - Hunter S. Thompson, speaking to an antiwar audience in 2003. |
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