Iredell Watch - Iredell County, NC - Concerned Citizens Protecting Neighborhoods & Working Toward A Healthy Community

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Iredell County, North Carolina

     
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Cutting of trees harmful to residents and wildlife

Just imagine, seven years of peaceful bliss — my early morning walks with my dog. Birds everywhere, herds of deer, wild turkeys, flocks of geese flying overhead, hawks calling to each other, owls hooting, the sun rising to a new day. What a way to start each day. A nature lover's dream. That's exactly how it was for me every day. Today, however, everything has changed. Thanks to the city of Statesville.
   I wonder what the value of the forest is to the city? Will it pay for the remodeling of the city hall that only will benefit the mayor and city council so that they can be in a little more luxury? Will it pay for the stupid revamping of the downtown area that no one goes to because there is nothing to do there and nowhere to shop? I wish the city would let us know just what the valuable resource and revenue "quote" is going for.
   They certainly are not fixing the pothole-covered roads or tearing down all the abandoned buildings or putting the money toward getting the drug-and-thug-infested parts of town cleaned up.
   What are they going to use the revenue for? What they are doing on Third Creek Road is a travesty! They are clear-cutting hundreds of acres of forest. They say it's for land management. It's a valuable revenue and resource. The animals will actually have more food, they say, once the new growth comes in. But it will take months for the land rapers to finish their job.
   In the meantime, I walk with my dog. All the birds and other animals are gone. All there is now are log trucks up and down our small road, the sounds of sawing and the sound of huge trees crashing to the ground, the beeping of the log collector machines ripping up the ground and killing everything in their path.
   It looks like a nuclear bomb went off.
   Thank you to the city of Statesville for completely destroying our little community and natural habitat and the poor animals who now have no homes, no food, for the benefits of who knows what and the all important revenue it brings. All I ask is that someone from the city explain why and for what?
   I just hope the city will enjoy their revenue from this. Just remember who and what paid the price.

Julie Coffey
Statesville

Iredell County, North Carolina
Current Issue
Opinion Page, Charlotte Observer
April 16, 2010

For the Record

DENR officials must address contaminated water sites quickly

From Kirby Rootes-Murdy, a graduate student at Duke University's Nicholas School for the Environment:

For nearly 30 years, Marines and their families stationed at Camp Lejeune were exposed to contaminated groundwater by drinking water from wells serving base housing. This tragedy gained national attention, highlighting the need to further examine the impacts of chemical contamination on both physical and mental health.
   A less well-publicized matter, but no less dangerous, is the contamination of groundwater by chlorinated solvents across the state. Road construction and other infrastructure development have contaminated groundwater in many areas. Some of these sites are well-documented. Others have received little attention and have awaited corrective action for years.
   According to a May 2008 report on N.C. Department of Transportation asphalt testing sites, there were about 46 sites statewide that were in need of a cleanup plan. The main concern is the presence of trichloroethylene (TCE) and benzene in groundwater. Both of these chemicals have been determined by the Environmental Protection Agency to have serious health impact and are established carcinogens. Delays in monitoring groundwater pollution, informing the public and cleaning up the problem pose a danger to human health.
   Salisbury residents are all too familiar with the impacts of groundwater contamination on both mental and physical health. In 1989, A DOT site for asphalt production was found to have been leaking large quantities of TCE into the groundwater. From 1990 to 2000, the rate of brain cancer in the neighborhoods adjacent to the site was six times higher than the rate within one mile of the site, the incidence of lymphoma was five times higher and the rate of all cancers was 32 percent higher. Even so, it took 10 years before a cleanup plan was implemented.
   By not reviewing Corrective Action Plans quickly, the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources contributes to cleanup delays. Many sites can remain in regulatory limbo for years.
  To protect human health, DENR needs to work to clean up the mess sooner. North Carolinians need to know that when a spill occurs, these incidents are handled properly and in a timely manner. When a cleanup plan is submitted, it needs to be reviewed quickly and the public needs to have a voice. DENR has outlined a quicker response time in its 2009-2013 Strategic Plan.

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About Iredell Watch

OUR MISSION — To protect and improve our neighborhoods, work toward a healthy community and inform our citizens about local government actions

WHO WE ARE — A non-partisan, grassroots, community watchdog organization

WHAT WE STRIVE TO DO

  • Educate citizens about the importance of local government
  • Increase citizen participation in our governmental process
  • Improve the public condition of Iredell County, North Carolina
  • Improve quality and responsiveness of government officials in Iredell County

A Chapter of
Blue Ridge Environmental Defense

Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League

County takes erosion duty

SPECIAL TO THE R&L
June 17, 2009

The Iredell County Department of Planning and Development will take over responsibility for soil erosion and sedimentation control from the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources (NCDENR) in Troutman and Statesville. This change will become effective July 1.
   In 2007, Iredell County began enforcing the State's erosion and sedimentation control regulations for the unincorporated portions of the county. The intent at that time was to establish the program and examine the possibility of incorporating the local municipalities in the future. The county has recently been working with the municipalities to incorporate them in to the county's jurisdiction with respect to this program.
   The governing boards of Troutman and Statesville have both passed resolutions to allow the county to take over this responsibility. On May 21, the North Carolina Sedimentation Control Commission (NCSCC) ratified this action.

DENR officials (continued)

   This is a move in the right direction. But to make sure this goal doesn't fall by the wayside, DENR needs to address its policy and procedure institutionally. As a state agency that serves to protect both human and environmental health, DENR must not only respond to CAPs quicker, but also push preventive policies. Such measures don't require extra staff or funding. By helping agencies such as DOT dispose of harmful chemicals before they become a problem, DENR can serve everyone better.
   North Carolinians should let DENR know they prefer their groundwater uncontaminated. Tell DENR or your state representative that if there's a mess, it needs to be cleaned up sooner rather than later.

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