Gov. Walker's budget bill--bad for the environment

In the standoff over the budget bill, most people have focused on the part that strips public employees of their rights to collective bargaining.  But the 144-page bill contains many other bad ideas.  Here are two that would degrade our environment:

Power plant privatization

"The same budget bill calls for a rapid no-bid “firesale” of all state-owned power plants. One progressive blogger called the proposal “a highlight reel of all of the tomahawk dunks of neo-Gilded Age corporatism: privatization, no-bid contracts, deregulation, and naked cronyism” and suggested that the provision will open the way for large, politically connected corporations to buy up the state’s power plants on the cheap. While it’s unclear whether corporations would be interested in buying the plants, a similar proposal was vetoed six years ago by Gov. Jim Doyle (D), who called the plan fiscally and environmentally irresponsible. Many of Wisconsin’s power plants are in violation of federal clean air regulations and desperately need to be upgraded and cleaned up — not dumped into the private sector."

 Destroying wetlands

"In January, Walker’s proposed regulatory reform bill exempted a parcel of wetland owned by a Republican donor from water quality standards. But the exemption was more than just an embarrassing giveaway to a GOP ally: environmental groups believe the bill’s special provision would actually affect the entire county, eliminating public hearings on proposed wetland development, short-circuiting approval of development projects, and disrupting the region’s water system."

Read the whole article by Kevin Donohoe here.

More bad ideas in the bill

"The budget proposed by Governor Walker yesterday decimates a number of key conservation programs that help to drive Wisconsin’s economy."

• "Eliminates state recycling requirements and all funding for municipality and county-run recycling programs;
• Eliminates the grant programs that develop new renewable energy projects, encourage energy efficiency for businesses and green products for manufacturers;
• Slashes general revenue funding to the Department of Natural Resources by 56% and 15.8% overall;
• Eliminates the program to preserve farmland;
• Allows for greater polluted runoff, including phosphorous, into waterways;
• Slashes support for local transit by 10% while dramatically increasing funding for road-building;
• Creates new restrictions for how the Stewardship Fund can be used that will undercut efforts to protect recreational and wildlife habitat from development."

From Anne Sayers, Program Director for the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters.

Huge algae bloom in Atlantic off coast of Argentina

The "dust-->algae-->penguin" connection

View from space of the massive growth of red, green, and blue single-celled plants, in the currents flowing north.

Growth may be fed by iron in the brown dust cloud, lower left.

In the ocean, iron feeds the algae, like phosphorus does in our lakes.

 "Stirring Up a Bloom Off Patagonia

Off the coast of Argentina, two strong ocean currents recently stirred up a colorful brew of floating nutrients and microscopic plant life just in time for the Southern Hemisphere's summer solstice

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of a massive phytoplankton bloom off of the Atlantic coast of Patagonia on Dec. 21, 2010.

Scientists used seven separate spectral bands to highlight the differences in the plankton communities across this swath of ocean."

This bloom of algae helps sustain penguins.  The famous Punta Tombo colony of Magellanic Penguins is found on the coast just below the odd peninsula (upper center of photo).  With half a million of these birds, it's the largest breeding area for Magellanic Penguins in the world.

Alaska

The North Pacific, west of Alaska, is extremely fertile.  That's where the Humpback Whales come to fatten for the summer, and probably where your fish dinner comes from.  This photo (below) of the Alaskan panhandle shows strong winds blowing dust into the ocean, towards the lower left.

Click to enlarge. NASA photo.



In Dane County, dust contributes nutrients to our lakes, especially during strong winds of early spring when the ground is bare.  Urban dust, some from muddy tires, adds to airbourne nutrients.

Clouds of ash from distant forest fires can also deliver phosphorus to the lakes.

While windblown dust may be good for penguins and whales, it's bad for our lakes.  It helps create toxic, smelly algae blooms--and ruins recreational values.  A major source of windblown dust in Madison is mud tracked out of construction sites.

Quotes and photos thanks to NASA

Public Information Meeting for Arboretum Pond 3

"City Engineering is proposing to reconstruct Arboretum Pond 3 which is located on UW Arboretum property at 2164 W Beltline Highway (just to the northeast of the Steinhafels furniture store on the Beltline).

Link to map

This project is being proposed to address an ongoing channel erosion issue and to provide improved flood mitigation and stormwater quality to areas downstream.

The City’s design consultant, Held Engineering Associates, Inc. has progressed to a point in the analysis and design phase that we would like to hold a public informational meeting to present and take comments on the proposed design."

DATE: Tuesday February 15, 2011,  6:00 PM
LOCATION: 1600 Emil Street – City of Madison
Larry D. Nelson Engineering Operations Facility

# # #

From a Jan. 24 letter from Robert F. Phillips, P.E., City Engineer

Special favors for a single developer

.     .     .

"I'm sure you hear plenty about special interests and campaign donors receiving favors from elected officials. Well, this week brought us what may be one of the most blatant examples of that we've ever seen.

In a move that puts all of Brown County wetlands at risk, Special Session Assembly Bill 10 is an exemption from statewide wetlands protections for one developer–a developer who happens to be a major campaign contributor to Governor Scott Walker.

Meeting on groundwater tonight, 6:30 PM, 1/27/11

Groundwater is an important issue for Madison.  You cannot have economic growth without abundant sources of clean water.  Our groundwater is becoming contaminated--several wells have been shut down.  Recently, chromium 6, a cancer causing substance, was found in Madison's tapwater (although at extremely low levels).

In addition, the water table is being depleted, primarily because impervious surfaces prevent rain from getting into the ground.

*          *          *

"Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD), the City of Fitchburg and its residents, and UW- Madison Water Resources Management (WRM) graduate students are working together on a project to evaluate the potential for using recycled treated water from the Nine Springs Wastewater Treatment Plant to recharge groundwater in the City of Fitchburg."

"The project is following up on concerns throughout Dane County that the groundwater table has dropped significantly over the past few decades following increased population growth and demand for water. Water recycling and subsequent recharge is one potential practice that could be used to address groundwater quantity issues."

"Please join us in a public discussion on Thursday, January 27th, 2011 from 6:30-8:30PM in the Fitchburg Room of the Community Center, 5510 Lacy Rd.,  to learn more about this important issue and to voice your comments, concerns, and ideas in small discussion groups facilitated by the WRM graduate students."

The Agenda

During the first hour, three speakers will present about groundwater problems in the area, the current groundwater infiltration project at Odana Hills Golf Course, and other Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District projects related to groundwater.  More

Important questions to ask about this project

Will the recycled water from the Nine Springs Plant be clean enough to protect the groundwater resource?  At Odana Hills, water being pumped into the ground during spring runoff is too salty, with resulting contamination of the groundwater there.  Monitoring wells show that the groundwater near Odana has now exceeded standards for chloride levels--so MG&E is in violation of their permit to pump.

Is there another, more cost-effective way to recharge groundwater, such as many rain gardens?  Pumping water into the ground is costly--for construction, and because it's a long-term commitment to the energy costs of pumping.

The importance of shore protection in the Watershed Plan

The Engineering Dept. has already committed to a three-year study of the Lake Wingra basin, with the aim of improved planning and coordination of management.  The Plan should include shore protection.

Shore protection--essential for water quality

One essential for water quality has long been recognized in Madison--reducing the input of nutrients and mud to the lake.  More recently, it's been recognized that controlling stormwater is also essential.  This boils down to infiltrating most of the rain where it falls--with rain gardens or pervious pavement.

But there's a third essential that's mostly been forgotten, because we live in a city where much of the shore is privately owned.  And that's protection of the shoreline itself, including the banks of streams that feed the lake.

Shoreline protection is vital because it's an area under assault--from wave action, wildlife, and intense human activity.  At the shore, any erosion feeds sediment directly to the lake.  Once started on the busy shore, erosion is very hard to stop.

Hazardous waste washed into Lake Wingra

Misdeeds are sometimes revealed when bodies float to the surface...  as happened recently at Lake Wingra.

On January 2, 2011, I found this bucket frozen in Lake Wingra.  Google research revealed the bucket had contained pipe joint mastic, a tarry compound used to seal box culverts--large pipes that carry stormwater.

Solstice celebration in Glenwood Children's Park

The council ring by Jens Jensen

On Sunday night from 6:00 to 10:00 pm, neighbors celebrated the solstice with a bonfire, music and poetry in Glenwood Children's Park.  The event was organized by the Dudgeon-Monroe Neighborhood Association, with Peter Nause as Chair.

Progress on greenway--Dec. 10, 2010

The greenway construction is almost entirely finished, except for a little cleanup.  It was finished on schedule.

I have been quite impressed that, despite the large size of the equipment used, there has been almost no tree damage above ground level.

Let's go on a  tour down the greenway, starting at Owen Drive, walking down on the right side, and then back on the other side.

This is the access road, seen from Owen Drive.  The tan material is the erosion control mat.  Soil and seeds are underneath.

You can see on the left, a bit of cleanup is needed.

Looking back uphill, past a newly-planted sapling.

Looking downstream, the riprap begins.  Towards the rear, you can see the first "dam," really rather small.

Several planted saplings in the foreground.

It's good that some of the curves in the channel were preserved.

View east from Midvale Blvd.  The saplings here (on right) are a bit larger, to block the view of the street.

Unfortunately, by late Friday afternoon, the street was left very dirty, in violation of specs in the contract for contractors.  Mud left on the streets runs off into the lakes, carrying a lot of phosphorus that "fertilizes" the lakes.

Previously when the street was left dirty, I emailed City inspector Tim Troester, and it was cleaned immediately.  But this time, I didn't notify him--it shows that residents have to be vigilant to get good results.

See all the photos here.

The view from above

A view of our fragile home from the space station.

Water is the source of all life on Earth.  Protect it!

Click on photo to enlarge.
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