CONSTRUCTION SITES MUCKING UP RIVERS
05.19.08 - Leído 23 veces. Enviar esta notaJulie Grant
Some home builders say the housing market is tough enough. They don’t need environmental regulations that make it tougher on them. But some “green” builders say the housing industry can improve the environment, do the right thing for communities, and still make money
MICHIGAN, U.S., May 19, 2008.- Have you ever driven by a construction site and seen all that dirt? A lot of that dirt is washed off the site by rainstorms and ends up in local creeks and rivers.
Russ Gibson is with Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. He says that dirt kills aquatic bugs and fish.
The dirt covers up gravel bottom streams - that fills holes where bugs want to live. If bugs can’t live it mucks up the food chain. Gibson says fishermen know when this happens.
“You’ll have some of the smaller fish and the bait fish, like minnows and darters, will feed on the small bugs that live there. If you don’t have bugs to feed the bait fish you don’t have bait fish to feed the big fish.”
Beyond that, the silt from construction sites can also muddy up where fish lay their eggs.
And enough construction dirt can fill a stream so much that it can make flooding more of a problem.
So, how much dirt are we talking about?
The EPA estimates that 20 to 150 tons of soil per acre is lost to storm water runoff from construction sites.
That means every time a new house is built, truckloads of soil can wind up in local streams.
If a homebuilder pulled a truck up to a bridge and dumped a load of dirt into a creek, people would scream. But because construction site runoff is gradual and not as obvious, builders get away with it.
Lance Schmidt is a builder. But he’s not your typical builder. They used to call him a “tree-hugger builder.” These days he’s seen as a trend setter.
Schmidt says nobody in the building industry is talking much about construction silt.
“Believe me, stormwater’s not a fun issue to talk about. (laughs)”
But it’s one of the biggest pollution problems in creeks and rivers.
Schmidt’s crew just dug a hole for the foundation of a small house. He’s climbs up on one of four mounds of dirt. He knows when it rains, some dirt can get washed away, and end up in a nearby river. That’s why he puts up sediment barriers. But most of the time no one checks to see if he does.
“There aren’t any regulations as far as I know. I mean other than if somebody was to complain.”
The Environmental Protection Agency in Ohio says it does regulate construction sites. But, usually just the larger ones, where there might be problems. The homebuilding industry doesn’t really think it’s the problem.
Vince Squallice is director of the Ohio Homebuilders Association.
“Construction and earth disturbing activities in construction is not causing the siltation problem in Ohio.”
Squallice says farmers are mostly to blame for dirt runoff in the rivers. It’s true that sediment runoff from farms is a huge problem. But the EPA says sediment runoff rates from construction sites are typically 10 to 20 times greater than from farmland.
Squallice says builders already have to deal with too many regulations such as setbacks from streams.
“Some of the regulations recommended to protect streams go overboard in terms of environmental protection.”
Squallice says because of the housing bust, it’s a time to help homebuilders, not enforce more environmental regulations.
Builder Lance Schmidt says homebuilders need to look at it a little differently. They can help solve a problem, keep streams clean, and help cities with flooding problems.
“And that’s the avenue that I’ve decided to attack at. Rather than attack the regulations, let’s sit back and find ways that we can actually do this.”
Schmidt says there are lots of creative building ideas that can reduce flooding, and improve the rivers for fish and other wildlife. But in this competitive market, builders won’t do it until everyone has to play by the same rules. And he doesn’t expect that to happen without better enforcement by regulators.
(The Environment Report)
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