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Suburbs threaten Ohio creek
(Note: Such prattling by those that simply copy press releases and
other 'educational tools' published by change agents should be read
with a grain of salt. Living in close proximity to both the Big and
Little Darby Creeks -- neither of which, by the way, is a 'river',
which is why they are called 'creeks' -- I know firsthand that such
'threats' as described below are merely ploys by self-proclaimed
'environmental groups' in order to secure ever more money and ever
more Control.)
April 14, 2004
By Bob Downing
Beacon Journal staff writer
Akron, Ohio
To submit a Letter to the Editor: vop@thebeaconjournal.com
For the second time, Ohio has been named by a national environmental group as having one of the 10 most threatened waterways in the United States. Big Darby Creek near Columbus is among the streams most at risk, according to American Rivers, a Washington, D.C., group. The biggest problem facing the 88-mile-long Big Darby -- ranked No. 9 in the list -- is uncontrolled urban sprawl, the group said in a report released today. But the threat to the Big Darby is largely in the future and it can be protected if steps are taken to minimize the impact of approaching development, said Jack Hannon, a spokesman for American Rivers. Big Darby Creek and Little Darby Creek are both part of the state and federal wild and scenic river systems. The streams in six counties west of Columbus are special -- with 100 species of fish and 40 species of freshwater mussels including 37 rare and endangered species. "The future of these national treasures is very much in doubt,'' said John Tetzloff of the grass-roots Darby Creek Association. Last June, the city of Columbus, under pressure from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, imposed a two-year moratorium on sewer connections in portions of the Big Darby watershed. A committee is scheduled in late 2004 to release recommendations on what can be done to curtail damage to the stream's water quality caused by expanding suburbs. Such development can flush more storm water into the stream, along with added trash, sediments, fertilizers and automotive fluids. Farming in the region had protected the stream, but increasing land values are attracting suburban development and driving farmers away, stream supporters say. The Big Darby is the second Ohio stream to appear on an American Rivers list. Mill Creek in Cincinnati was among the most threatened streams in 1997. The other streams on this year's list are: 1. Colorado River, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and California. 2. Big Sunflower, Mississippi. 3. Snake River, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. 4. Tennessee River, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. 5. Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and New York. 6 Spokane River, Idaho and Washington. 7. Housatonic River, Massachusetts and Connecticut. 8. Peace River, Florida. 10. Mississippi River, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana.
The report is available at www.americanrivers.org.
Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com
Other articles sprouting from the same original press
release:
Ohio's Big Darby joins list of most endangered rivers
Central Ohio River On Endangered List
Report: Ohio's Big Darby Creek among most threatened
U.S. waterways
Big Darby Creek To Face Uncertain Future
Ohio's Big Darby Creek among most threatened waterways,
report shows
For the sales pitch from the other side, all bellied up
at the grant money trough and simply salivating for your
taxpayer dollars, read on:
From: American Rivers Action <action@action.amrivers.org>
Subject: Rescue the Most Endangered Rivers of 2004!
Date: April 14, 2004
***SPECIAL ALERT***
TAKE ACTION TO RESCUE AMERICA'S MOST ENDANGERED RIVERS OF 2004
Visit http://amriversaction.ctsg.com/ctt.asp?u=21184&l=28503
today to take action!
Dear River Advocate:
Today, American Rivers released the list of America's Most
Endangered Rivers of 2004. Working with our conservation
partners to highlight ten rivers reaching the crossroads in
the next 12 months, American Rivers aims to draw attention to
many threats facing our rivers today, including pollution,
wetlands destruction, hydropower dams, inadequate sewer
treatment systems, excessive water withdrawals, and urban
sprawl.
America's Most Endangered Rivers of 2004:
1. Colorado River
2. Big Sunflower River 3. Snake River 4. Tennessee River 5. Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers 6. Spokane River 7. Housatonic River 8. Peace River 9. Big Darby Creek 10. Mississippi River
Take Action Today to Save the Most Endangered Rivers of 2004.
Please help us remove these rivers from the most endangered list
by taking action online. To take action and help protect
all of the Most Endangered Rivers, visit: http://amriversaction.ctsg.com/ctt.asp?u=21184&l=28503
Thank you for your support. Together, we can create a legacy of
healthy rivers in all of our communities.
Sincerely, Rebecca Wodder
President, American Rivers
April 14, 2004
P.S. Please don't forget to pass this action alert on to your
friends, family, and colleagues!
To view the full report, please visit
http://amriversaction.ctsg.com/ctt.asp?u=21184&l=28515
or read capsules about the Most Endangered Rivers of 2004 below:
#1 Colorado River - Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California
Threat: Looming Pollution Crisis
Conservation Partners: Friends of the Earth, Bracy
Tucker Brown, Grand Canyon Trust, Sierra Club, Lake Havasu City,
Ariz., Colorado River Regional Sewer Coalition, Environmental
Working Group
While conflict over Colorado River water allocations has grabbed
headlines for years, water pollution problems from human waste,
toxic chemicals, and radioactive material have been
largely overlooked and threaten to get much worse. Unless
Congress and the federal government step in to bolster local
cleanup efforts, the drinking water for 25 million Americans
will remain at risk. To take action to save the Colorado
River, please visit: http://amriversaction.ctsg.com/ctt.asp?u=21184&l=28417
#2 Big Sunflower River - Mississippi
Threat: Wetlands Destruction and River Dredging
Conservation Partners: Mississippi Chapter of the Sierra
Club, Gulf Restoration Network, National Wildlife
Federation
A pair of costly flood control boondoggles promoted by the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers threatens Mississippi's Big Sunflower
River.
Unless the Bush administration's Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) vetoes the Yazoo Pumps, this single project will
drain and damage seven times more wetlands than all the
nation's private developers harm in one year.
Without firm opposition from EPA and the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (FWS), the Army Corps will also dredge more
than 100 miles of the Big Sunflower's riverbed, destroying
even more wetlands, stirring up a toxic stew of pesticides, and
endangering the health of those who eat fish caught in the
river. To take action to save the Big Sunflower River,
please visit: http://amriversaction.ctsg.com/ctt.asp?u=21184&l=28418
#3 Snake River - Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, Washington
Threat: Federal Dams
Conservation Partners: Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish
Commission, Idaho Rivers United, Northwest Sportfishing Industry
Association, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's
Associations, Save Our Wild Salmon
Dams on the Columbia and lower Snake rivers have caused dramatic
declines in the Snake River's once abundant wild salmon
population, with all the river's runs either extinct or sliding
toward extinction. Studies show that local economies would
benefit from thousands of new jobs and hundreds of millions of
dollars annually if wild salmon were restored to the Snake
River. However, unless the Bush administration delivers a
credible plan to rebuild wild salmon populations, these economic
opportunities will be lost and our generation could be the last
to enjoy these legendary species. To take action to save the
Snake River, please visit: http://amriversaction.ctsg.com/ctt.asp?u=21184&l=28419
#4 Tennessee River - Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky
Threat: Inadequate Sewer Systems
Conservation Partners: Tennessee Clean Water Network,
Tennessee Izaak Walton League, Alabama Rivers Alliance,
Kentucky Waterways Alliance
Along the length of the Tennessee River, overloaded wastewater
systems discharge large amounts of inadequately treated
sewage into the river with distressing regularity. Unless
the Bush administration holds these sewer systems accountable --
and Congress provides financial assistance -- the Tennessee
River will continue to be deluged with sewage. To take action to
save the Tennessee River, please visit: http://amriversaction.ctsg.com/ctt.asp?u=21184&l=28420
#5 Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers - West Virginia,
Pennsylvania, New York
Threat: Polluted Drainage from Abandoned Coal Mines
Conservation Partners: Western Pennsylvania Coalition
for Abandoned Mine Reclamation, Pennsylvania Environmental
Council, Friends of the Cheat River
Thousands of abandoned mines are leaking acid and other toxic
substances into streams throughout the coal country of
western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Unless Congress
reauthorizes the Abandoned Mine Land Trust Fund, ongoing efforts
to treat this problem will cease and the amount of pollution
reaching the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers will increase,
threatening 42 public drinking water intakes, thousands of
private wells, and fish and wildlife. To take action to save the
Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, please visit: http://amriversaction.ctsg.com/ctt.asp?u=21184&l=28421
#6 Spokane River - Idaho, Washington
Threat: Water Withdrawals and Pollution
Conservation Partners: Sierra Club - Inland NW Office,
The Lands Council, Idaho Conservation League
More pollution concentrated in less water will be the future of
the Spokane River unless new groundwater withdrawal applications
are rejected, sewage plants meet stringent water quality
standards, and mine waste is cleaned up. To take action to
save the Spokane River, please visit: http://amriversaction.ctsg.com/ctt.asp?u=21184&l=28422
#7 Housatonic River - Massachusetts, Connecticut
Threat: Massive PCB Pollution
Conservation Partners: Housatonic River Initiative,
Housatonic Environmental Action League, Berkshire Environmental
Action Team
Irresponsible industrial activity has left the Housatonic River
contaminated with some of the highest levels of polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) in the nation. People who consume
contaminated fish and wildlife from the river are at elevated
risk for cancer, birth defects, and immune problems. Unless
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) orders a cleanup of
the remaining contamination, General Electric Company's (GE)
toxic legacy in the Housatonic will remain a major health hazard
for generations to come. To take action to save the Housatonic
River, please visit: http://amriversaction.ctsg.com/ctt.asp?u=21184&l=28423
#8 Peace River - Florida
Threat: Phosphate Mining
Conservation Partners: Charlotte County Commission,
Environmental Federation of Southwest Florida, Hardee
Citizens Against Pollution, ManaSota-88
Phosphate mining in the Peace River watershed has been the
source of serious environmental problems for many years,
and large new mines are planned. Florida's Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Southwest Florida
Water Management District (SWFWMD) must take measures to safeguard
the river and communities in the watershed from mining impacts,
including protecting drinking water as well as important tourism
and commercial fishing industries. To take action to save the
Peace River, please visit: http://amriversaction.ctsg.com/ctt.asp?u=21184&l=28424
#9 Big Darby Creek - Ohio
Threat: Rapid, Poorly Regulated Sprawl
Conservation Partners: Big Darby Creek Association, The
Nature Conservancy
Despite its close proximity to Columbus, Ohio, Big Darby Creek
has managed to escape many impacts of urban sprawl. That
may be about to change. Unless state and local governments adopt
and enforce river-conscious land use planning in the Big Darby
watershed, one of the highest quality streams left in the
Midwest may become just another polluted, flood-prone urban
ditch. To take action to save Big Darby Creek, please visit:
http://amriversaction.ctsg.com/ctt.asp?u=21184&l=28425
#10 Mississippi River - Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa,
Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana
Threat: Navigation Infrastructure, Levees, and Pollution
Conservation Partners: Environmental Defense, Illinois
Stewardship Alliance, Institute for Agriculture and Trade
Policy, Mississippi River Basin Alliance, National Audubon
Society
After decades of manipulation by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, the Mississippi River is beset with problems.
Unless Congress gives the agency marching orders that
reflect the needs, desires and opportunities of today's
communities, the river faces ecological collapse with vast
negative economic impacts to tourism and recreation industries
worth $21 billion per year. To take action to save the
Mississippi River, please visit: http://amriversaction.ctsg.com/ctt.asp?u=21184&l=28426
Thank you [email address deleted] for helping to protect and
restore America's rivers, and being a part of American Rivers'
River Action Center: http://amriversaction.ctsg.com/wac/
To contact American Rivers, email us at outreach@amrivers.org
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