"We all know that sediment is mud in the
water. We all know that it is bad for the community, bad for
the local economy, and bad for all living things that depend
on the river and its waters. We know that sedimentation is literally
‘dumping on the whole community.' A brown river is washing
away community pride as well as valuable topsoil," said
David Wheeler, president of the Watershed Association of the
Tuckasegee River. "But did you know that the discharge
of sediment is against the law?"
According to Wheeler, that fact an effective campaign against
sedimentation in the Tuckaseigee watershed possible.
WATR is calling an organizational meeting to initiate a program
called Sediment Watch to take action on sedimentation. The 7
p.m. meeting will be Monday, Oct. 20, in Sylva's Municipal Hall.
"Everyone who wants to see clear water flowing past their
house is invited," said Wheeler.
Jackson County sedimentation officer Jeff McCall will attend
as will a representative of the Natural Resource Conservation
Service, which offers landowners technical help with soil conservation.
The idea behind Sediment Watch is to have groups of neighbors
come together to keep their streams clean, said Wheeler. Both
the North Carolina Sedimentation Pollution Control Act and local
sedimentation control ordinances give state and local governments
all the authority they need to stop sedimentation occurrences;
until now, the problem has been enforcement.
"The law gives us just the tool we need to make a visible
difference in our streams and rivers," said Wheeler.
"We can speak softly to people who are cooperative and
maybe just didn't know what they are supposed to be doing, but
for someone who is recalcitrant the law is a big stick. Enforcement
is the last resort, but it is a strong one."
Sediment Watch will be the eyes and ears of the community, Wheeler
said, and will continually watch for erosion problems.
"Sedimentation's trail is easy to follow. It doesn't take
a bloodhound to track it down," said Wheeler. "It
leaves a muddy trail that goes right to the source."
The only lasting solution to erosion is education, Wheeler said.
"When the situation is so acute that the sedimentation
officer has to be called in, it is already too late," he
said.
"Our group maintains that when landowners, bulldozer operators,
and schoolchildren are all aware of the negative effects of
sedimentation and know how to prevent it, only then will the
problem be truly solved."
WATR is also taking monthly samples to monitor the quality of
the water in the Tuckaseigee River and its tributaries. These
give a long-term picture of the river's health and allow comparison
with the other watersheds in Western North Carolina.
For more information on the Oct. 20 Sediment Watch meeting,
call Wheeler at 586-3146.
