SUBMIT
news, features, and calendar
information
|
History &
Folklore | Resources | Tennessee
Headlines
|
Memorandum
In Opposition To Buffer Disturbance
To The Editor:
The following memorandum was
presented to the Metro Stormwater
Management Committee regarding
Case #200700067. I would like to
share it with the community to
explain why I oppose a variance
at 6410 Eatons Creek Road.
.......
Memorandum In Opposition
To Buffer Disturbance
To: Stormwater Management
Committee
From: Patrick O’Rourke
Re: Case # 200700067
Date: July 30, 2007
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Petitioner Joe N. Smith comes
before you asking permission to
disturb the buffer on Long Creek
in Joelton for purposes of
constructing a 2,000 sq ft retail
building and associated parking
lot, including a six inch
sanitary sewer. My wife and I and
a number of our neighbors oppose
this disturbance.
Let me say, first of all, that
the proposed buffer disturbance
is not on an unnamed tributary of
Long Creek as purported in the
application. This property is
within 200 meters of the source
of Long Creek and is clearly the
headwater of this precious
natural resource. See please the
map attached as Exhibit A.
The second point I would like to
make is that this request does
not constitute a minor
disturbance of the buffer zone,
it asks you to do away with the
buffer in its entirety. All but a
few feet of this project is
directly in the buffer and the
building and parking lot,
according to the plan submitted
by Petitioner, will become the
stream bank of this stream.
At this stage I think it is
important to remind you that you
recently allowed another buffer
disturbance just down-stream from
this location. The disturbance
was to allow for a bridge over
Long Creek that will connect a
subdivision on White Creeks Pike
to Stagner Road.
Also attached hereto as
Attachments B1 through B6, you
will find pages 33-38 from the
Final Version of the 2006 303(d)
TDEC Impaired Streams list for
Davidson County, a copy of which
can also be found on your
website. A review of the list
tells a frightening story of
stream destruction in Davidson
County. The main causes of stream
destruction on this list are; 1.
Discharges from MS4 areas, 2.
Hydromodification, 3. Land
Development, 4. Siltation, and 5.
Collection system failure.
The latest Stream Survey Reports
for Long Creek conducted by the
Tennessee Department of
Environment and Conservation
(TDEC), the most recent taken on
October 6, 2005 and an earlier
one on July 26, 2001 (Attachments
C-1 and C-2) tell the tale of a
stream that is stable with a
clear flow and abundant fishes,
but has moderate silting and bank
stability described as,
“moderately unstable; 30-60%
of bank in reach has areas of
erosion; high erosion potential
during floods.” At the
present time the Tennessee
Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA)
has instituted a bank erosion
rehabilitation project for Long
Creek which is ongoing at this
time. The increased runoff from
the parking lot and roof of this
project will be a catalyst for
increased erosion.
This proposed building project
creates a direct threat to the
continued viability of this
precious natural resource in all
five major areas.
Hydromodification is the
alteration of the natural flow of
water through a landscape, and
often takes the form of channel
modification or channelization.
Many times however, it has
greater impacts than benefits in
the long run. Almost always,
hydromodification results in
water quality and habitat
impacts.
Channel modification often
results in increased in-stream
water temperature and unstable
conditions that result in both
stream bank erosion and
deposition of sediment in the
stream bed. This creates an
environment that doesn't support
the plants and animals otherwise
present and disrupts the food
chain and local ecosystem.
Hydromodification can also result
in an increase in the amount and
rate of pollutants delivered from
the upper reaches of watersheds
to downstream locations.
My research indicates that there
is a growing realization among
scientists and engineers that
many hydromodification
activities, are not only not
useful, but are
counterproductive, contributing
to the general degradation of our
natural environment and
specifically to the decline of
things like public health. As you
can see by reading over
Attachment B1-B6, many of the
streams in Davidson County are
polluted with the bacteria
Escherrichia coli leading to the
issuance of water contact
advisory warnings.
The Joelton Community is almost
evenly divided into two distinct
topographic areas. In one of
these areas, which includes the
majority of Long Creek, steep
slopes of 20 percent and greater,
or a rise of 20 feet or more for
every 100 feet of horizontal
distance and narrow ridges and
valleys are the predominant
features. In the other area,
level to rolling land is the
predominant condition, with
occasional steep-sided ravines
with streams at the bottom.
Approximately 10,425 of the
community’s 25,313 acres
have slopes in excess of 20
percent. Most of these steep
slopes are found in a large
crescent shaped area that curves
from the southwestern section to
the northeastern section of the
community. Steeply sloping land
is normally considered suitable
only for very low intensity
development, particularly in
Davidson County, where such
slopes are also covered by
unstable soils and are often
composed of fragile geological
formations.
In conclusion, I would suggest
that this one acre project,
completely within the buffer,
poses a serious threat to this
viable and vital natural
resource. This is not an issue
about sales or property tax, this
is a moral issue. On behalf of my
family and neighbors we
respectfully ask you to deny this
request.
.......
Patrick
O’Rourke
Joelton
--August 2, 2007
---
Related:
Eatons Creek Stream
Buffer Disturbance
Variance Hearing August 2
This is an
opinion letter and the
views expressed are those
of the writer.
Joelton.com posts letters
to the editor as a
community service and is
not responsible for the
content.
|
Comment
on this letter in the Community
Forum
|
|
|
Thank you for visiting Joelton.com!
Email joelton@att.net
|
|
|
|
