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STEELE CREEK NEWS
Join Muddy Water
Watch Class to Learn How to Protect Lake Wylie
(June 5, 2009) The
Catawba Riverkeepers need
more eyes and ears in the Steele Creek community to help reduce the
amount of sediment that enters area streams and creeks and eventually
causes harm to Lake Wylie.
They are conducting
Muddy Water Watch Training at
CPCC's
Harper Campus (315 Hebron Street) to train volunteers in identifying
and reporting violations and to introduce community volunteers to
sediment and erosion control enforcement officials. If you've been
dismayed at the amount of sediment leaving upland construction
sites and at the resulting changes in the color of creeks, streams,
and Lake Wylie after a rainfall, there is something that you can do
to help!
The first session of their four-session class was held on Thursday,
June 4. Because only one of the seven volunteers who attended
was from the
Steele Creek community, the class is in jeopardy of being canceled
unless they can meet enrollment requirements. With the amount of
development in the Steele Creek area, there certainly should be more
people interested in helping protect our natural areas from
sediment, the leading cause of water pollution.
Not only does
sediment smother fish beds and interfere with macro invertebrate
reproduction (fish food), but it also seriously impacts site feeding
water birds.
State and County enforcement officials welcome your help. They are
understaffed and do not have enough inspectors to cover the massive
amount of development, even in the slowing economy. Many construction
sites are not being maintained and, in some cases, are being
abandoned altogether. That is why help is needed from the Steele
Creek area.
The workshop is fun, easy, quick, and most of all, it gets results!
Please join the Riverkeepers for the three remaining classes. The
training is free, and they'll offer a CD of the first class for
those who would like to join the second class on June 11.
It's not too
late!!! Please contact Pam Beck, Muddy Water Watch Coordinator at
704-827-8351 or
Pam@catawbariverkeeper.org BEFORE NEXT WEDNESDAY if you
have
questions, and to preregister for the class. If they do not meet
their attendance requirements by then, they will not be able to
continue the class.
Lake Wylie and the
Catawba River need your help to protect our natural resources.
For more information
see the
Muddy River Watch or the
Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation web sites.
What is Muddy Water Watch (MWW)?
MWW is a state-wide
initiative to reduce stormwater runoff from construction sites
by providing training workshops and materials developed
specifically for volunteers on the NC Sedimentation Pollution
Control Act of 1973 and the NC NPDES General Permit for
construction stormwater runoff. Over the course of this two year
project, trained volunteers will be able to properly identify
sedimentation and erosion violations from active construction
sites, as well as poorly maintained Best Management Practices (BMP’s)
Who is involved
in MWW?
In North Carolina, MWW is sponsored by the 7
North Carolina Riverkeepers®, including the Catawba
Riverkeeper®. We also are partnering with Southern Environmental
Law Center, Conservation Council of NC and other water shed
groups across the state to help stem the tide of sediment— NC’s
#1 water pollution problem—from further impacting our rivers,
streams and drinking water supplies. Volunteers from all over
the state will be trained by the Riverkeeper in their watershed
to help improve compliance with the NC Sedimentation Pollution
Control Act.
How can you
help?
MWW organizers are
looking for volunteers. No previous knowledge of erosion and
sedimentation is needed, just a motivation to learn. We are
looking for people to:
-
monitor
construction sites and take pictures of potential violations
-
document and report
streams, creeks, and other waterways that are polluted with
excessive sediment
-
learn how to use
several data storage websites
-
take aerial
photographs after heavy rainfalls
-
MUCH MORE!
MWW Training in
the Catawba Basin
CRF is conducting a
class on how ordinary citizens can help enforce the erosion and
sedimentation control rules.
Our upcoming
trainings will take place on June 4, 11, 18 and 25 from
6:30-8:30 at CPCC's Harper Campus, Rm. 301, at 315 Hebron Street
in the Steele Creek area.
How do I learn
more about MWW?
For additional
information or to sign up for the January training session,
please contact Pam Beck
pam@catawbariverkeeper.org at the Catawba Riverkeeper
Foundation (704-679-9494). It is not necessary to sign up
before the classes begin, but it would help us make sure we have
enough materials for everybody if you sign up in advance.
To learn even more
about MWW, visit
www.muddywaterwatch.org. Here, you will find
additional descriptions, contact information, training dates at
other locations, training materials, and much more.
Join Muddy Water Watch
Get
The Dirt Out!
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