Photo by Fa Ross, May 2007, Lincoln Park with dam open.
Yesterday at the hearing for The Report (see below), Janet Marie Tierney from the Park People spoke on behalf of the Estabrook Dam. She stated that removing the dam would "diminish" Lincoln Park. This photo shows the exposed soil in the Lincoln Park Lagoon, where PCB remediation was done in 2008. It's not very inviting as a mud flat.
She went on to discuss the rumor that removing the dam would be less expensive than rehabilitating the aging structure, but reminded the Parks, Energy, and Environment Committee that the complete remediation of the affected area has not been studied, regarding the scope of the project and estimated costs; such a study needs to be completed and shared with the public. The Riverkeeper- whom I deeply respect- has shared with me that rechanneling would occur, and that state and Federal money would indeed be allocated for all of this. Yet last year's PCB cleanup in the lagoon by the Blatz Pavilion- sediment shown in this prior photo- did not go exactly as planned...heavy rains delayed its work and completion, and washed yet more contaminated sediment downriver, exactly what the project was intended to remediate.
1 comment:
The DNR's history of "restoring" -with the implication being improving - any waterway they have touched is a sad story. Look northward to the West Bend area and note the cute little shallow stream that runs through a virtually unused landscaped park near their historic downtown area. You see joggers and health walkers on the sidewalks, but no one interacts with the waterway. No one sits on a bench and watches the wildlife, because there is nothing to watch. The people of West Bend were painted a beautiful picture of a family-friendly canoe-way bursting with fish and wildlife. Once the dam was removed and the site was "prettied-up", those trusting and cooperative citizens were left in some areas with piers leading to nowhere and a tiny stream that is unnavigable and remarkably uninspiring. Once the DNR accomplished their agenda, they left an artifact of what was originally there and moved on to the next dam. This is betrayal of the public trust!
Now the Riverkeepers are painting the same glorious images while the DNR remains strangely silent and non-commital about dam removal. We need to see what happens with the Lincoln Park cleanup before we permit this dam removal, or we will also be betrayed and left knee deep in mud for as far as the eye can see. History tends to repeat itself.
Post a Comment