BAY MINETTE, Alabama — Six months after Baldwin County residents defeated a stormwater management proposal in a flood of "no" votes, the county will be jumping back into the water with a comprehensive watershed study, according to officials. "I’m excited about it," said Baldwin County Commissioner Tucker Dorsey. "This study will take the good things that were part of the so-called ‘rain-tax’ plan and use them to address the problems we face in drainage and water quality."
Commissioners were divided on the stormwater referendum, largely over a fee schedule that figured into the program. All commissioners supported drastic improvements to stormwater management, but on the current commission only Commissioner Charles "Skip" Gruber supported the plan set forth on the ballot. Gruber served on the citizen-led committee that developed the plan along with then-candidate Bob James.
James, Dorsey — who was also a candidate for commission at the time -- and Commissioner Frank Burt openly opposed the plan in the referendum widely criticized by voters.
Mobile Bay National Estuary Program Director Roberta Swann -- one of the proponents of the failed referendum -- applauded the county’s efforts.
"The Mobile Bay National Estuary Program is enthusiastic about Baldwin County’s pursuit of managing stormwater on a watershed scale," Swann said. "Over 120 miles of Baldwin County’s water bodies are considered to be ‘impaired’ due to large concentrations of pathogens or siltation caused by stormwater runoff."
Most county officials said they agree on the new plan.
"I think this study is great," Gruber said. "I’m glad we’re moving in the right direction. It will give us good information and help us make a difference in the very complex problem we are facing."
This time, officials said, the county would approach the issue one watershed at a time, starting with Fish and Magnolia rivers. The county is divided into about 15 watersheds, according to recent studies. Last month, commissioners hired Hydro-Engineering Solutions LLC, a specialized hydrologic and hydraulic engineering firm with offices in Auburn and Hope Hull, to provide a comprehensive study of the watershed containing the Fish and Magnolia rivers in Baldwin County.
The idea is to pay for a professional study of the watershed and then get public and stakeholder input, Dorsey said. That information would be used to formulate new subdivision regulations and design county projects that fit the existing environmental landscape, according to County Engineer Cal Markert.
"We’re starting with what is probably the largest, most complex watershed," Markert said. "It is long and narrow running north and south. Studies will show us how best to approach drainage like building larger retention areas in the northern third of the area and likely better drainage in the southern third. For a different watershed area, the plan would be different."
Markert said the first study will cost in the neighborhood of $90,000 and others should follow with commissioners making those decisions. Markert said the comprehensive plan that develops might include projects for the county to build wetlands and have developers buy credits instead of building smaller individual marshy areas as most do now. A series of gauges in area waterways can help build a database of nutrient sources like fertilizer runoff. That information should help officials formulate plans to combat those pollutants in streams, Markert said.
The first study should be completed in October, Markert said.
According to a news release, the purpose of the study is to address stormwater management within the watershed and provide planning for the basin as a whole.
"I am pleased that the county is doing this study so we can rank regulations to specific watersheds," said James, who serves as Baldwin County Road and Bridge Division Commissioner. "I appreciate all of the cooperation of all the parties that are working to complete this project."
The study will include a computer model of the watershed that will be developed using data gathered from ongoing field measurements and existing sources. County workers and Hydo-Engineering specialists are currently meeting and gathering this data from multiple sources including the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program, the United States Geological Survey, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management and the Weeks Bay Reserve Foundation.
"We are very excited about this project and the benefits it will have in helping us plan for our future regulations and providing the citizens with knowledgeable information regarding flooding in the area," Baldwin County Engineer Cal Markert said. "We are aware that this study will not stop all flooding but it will give us a tool to better understand what is going on in the watershed and how we can be better prepared to plan for the needs of the area and preserve it."
No comments:
Post a Comment