Many people
wonder why I do such outlandish things like write letters and emails to people
regarding the environment and conservation.
I am putting my most recent objection to just one portion of the
construction of the new four lane of 25E to Morristown from Tazewell. A co-worker brought a printout of my article
from the Knoxville News-Sentinel's YourHub.com to me and said his daughter had
shown it to him and recognized this very location as where her class had taken
many field trips to study the life in the river, just near or under the present
Clinch River bridge on the Claiborne/Grainger County boundary. I think I have seen numerous classes holding
picnics and field trips at the location.
It must be quite unnerving to them to see this spot in such a state of
disruption. I know that the construction
people are doing all they can to make this area as attractive once complete as
they can and I know they are taking every measure to see that safety and
well-being of both their employees and the traffic that travel through the
construction area are of utmost concern and I appreciate that. But, just to let you know and maybe those
that don't understand why their beautiful peaceful river and surrounding area
countryside has to be disrupted and changed in the name of progress, that I
care and I want others to care and know that once complete that there can be
restoration of that beautiful tranquil area, I want to make my opinion as
public as possible. Below is just one
of the many emails I received after posting my comments to YourHub.com and my
email to as many people as I could. I
think the particular construction issue might have been better planned so as
not to allow the washing of particulate down river but that is for others more
familiar with construction practices and costs to decide.
Sloppy Construction on Grainger/Claiborne 25E
Bridge
click on picture for PDF File from TDOT
If
you are concerned that the construction along U.S. Highway 25E is causing any
problems regarding non-point source pollution or undue release of rock, mud and
silt let me assure you that according the Tennessee Department of
Transportation it is NOT. I would think a couple of the old metal bridges that
the Army Corps of Engineers used during WWII would have been better that the
earthen "pads" they are using to construct the new bridge.
UPDATE! - - TDOT and TDEC seem to be
the bad guys here. TWRA is reassessing the problem.
April 17, 2007 Knoxville News-Sentinel Article. Copied Below
"Don Hubbs, a TWRA biologist, said he has surveyed mussels in the Clinch
for 15 years and that the shellfish population has plunged as coal silt
increased.
"I had a previous recollection of
what the river was supposed to look like, and then you come back in five-year
intervals, and suddenly there was coal everywhere," he said. "It was
shocking to me."
Deputy TDEC Commissioner Paul Sloan
said the department has classified the Clinch as a "high quality"
stream, though it is open to revisions of that standard and is in the process
of seeking updated information."
"Why don't we know?" said
Sen. Doug Jackson, D-Dickson, in one hearing after hearing a TDEC report.
"To sit here and say, 'We don't know,' is no excuse. That's a bigger crime
in some respects than the pollution in Virginia."
"Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro,
suggested that TDEC has been "turning a blind eye to the problem."
"
2016 Update on
Clinch River Quality
Mussels
dying on Clinch River could mean drinking water issues
Date:Thu,
27 Apr 2006 22:36:30 -0500
From:"Doug Delaney" Doug.Delaney@state.tn.us
To:smokyjoepayne@yahoo.com
CC:"Angie Duncan"
<Angie.Duncan@state.tn.us>, "John Hewitt"
<John.Hewitt@state.tn.us>, "Shannon MacCallum-Corum"
<Shannon.MacCallum-Corum@state.tn.us>, "TDOT Comments"
<TDOT.Comments@state.tn.us>, tdpruitt@tva.gov
Subject:Re: FW: Construction of Bridge Highway 25E
Claiborne/Grainger Line
Mr.
Payne,
The
Environmental Division of the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has
been asked to respond to your email message regarding concerns with the
construction of the new SR-32/US-25E bridge over the Clinch River near the
Claiborne County/Grainger County line.
As you know, this road construction project is an ongoing effort to
widen SR-32/US-25E.
As
we understand it, your concern was that a rock and silt dam was being
constructed in the headwaters of the Clinch River that will create problems
with material washed downstream and that the washed material would fill in the
river's bends and cause problems for a public water system intake
downstream.
As
far as we can determine, what you discussed in your message are temporary rock
fill pads, one on each side of the river.
A
rock pad is required for construction equipment to access and construct the new
bridge over the Clinch River and to dismantle the old bridge once traffic is
moved to the new bridge. These temporary
rock pads are covered under environmental regulatory agency permits that TDOT
has received.
The
pads were first installed to allow construction of the bridge piers. On
04/17/06, a portion of one rock pad was moved by construction equipment farther
east to allow room for the new bridge deck construction. This pad will also eventually be used to
dismantle the existing SR-32/US-25E bridge once the new bridge is completed and
open to traffic.
Though
these pads may currently contain some silt from deposition by the flowing river
water, they consisted of only clean rock when they were first placed. The permits require that the rock pads be
completely removed upon completion of the work.
Therefore, the pads are not a permanent fixture (weir) in the river, and
will be removed when they are no longer needed for construction of the new bridge
and removal of the existing bridge.
For
your information, attached are several recent photographs of the site. These photographs have been annotated to aid
in identifying the temporary rock pads.
If
you should have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact either
myself or John Hewitt, with TDOT's Environmental Permits Office.
Doug
Delaney.
Douglas
J. Delaney, AICP Director
Environmental Division
Tennessee Department of Transportation
Suite 900, James K. Polk Building
505 Deaderick Street
Nashville, Tennessee 37243-0334
Phone:
(615) 741-2612
Fax: (615) 741-1098
>>>
"Pruitt, Tim D." <tdpruitt@tva.gov> 04/17/06 3:28 PM
>>>
Could
you please forward this email from a concerned citizen to Mr. John Hewitt.
Thank
you.
-----Original
Message-----
From:
Joe Payne [mailto:smokyjoepayne@yahoo.com]
Sent:
Monday, April 10, 2006 8:48 PM
To:
Harrell, David B.; Rucker, Helen G.;
Deborah.S.Tuck@lrn02.usace.army.mil;
kendrickcm@ornl.gov;
grotonj@saic.com;
epahelp@mailnj.custhelp.com; TVAINFO;
Water.Supply@state.tn.us;
phil.chambers@state.tn.us;
mark.penland@state.tn.us
Subject:
Construction of Bridge Highway 25E Claiborne/Grainger Line
To
Whom It May Concern,
I
would imagine that even the non-environmentalist among us would have
even noticed and even gasped seeing the earthen rock and silt dam
constructed in the headwaters of the Clinch River washed miles downstream
by now.
It is sad that within the last 10 years I have seen
some of the sharper bends in the true head waters of the Clinch River fill
with silt from what I though may have been mining or timber cuts in the
upper reaches of the Clinch River that soon one may be able to walk
across it at certain places.
I
would imagine the tons of gravel, mud and concrete chip that washed
unprotected in the last couple of days probably would have taken years
to accumulate even the poorest of timber and mining practices. And no
less the Claiborne top water public water intake is no more than 10
miles downriver from this catastrophe.
From
what I can tell the construction of the piers that will hold the
new four laned 25E across the Clinch River at the Claiborne and
Grainger County line was finished over a month ago, but no effort to remove the
tons and tons of mud and silt that stretched over half way across the
river was ever made. I drive 25E daily
from New Tazewell to my job in
Morristown. I began thinking that they
may be intending to cast it
over with some sort of solid structure to cause a weir but the case seems it
was left there to wash down river and fill the bends of an already
narrow river. Pure laziness and lack of
attention by those that should
be regulating such construction in a free-flowing river.
Who
controls such events and regulates what goes on in the rivers and
streams of Tennessee?
I
am copying as many people on this email as I can in hopes that
someone will make an effort to see that this lack of concern for the
environment doesn't go unnoticed.
There
are regulations on private individuals and developers but to
allow such a tremendous releases of construction debris just don’t make
sense.
Please
forward this to anyone you think may be concerned that no
planning seemed to be given to such an occurrence.
Joe
Payne
Vice-President
Eagle Landing Property Owners Association
On the Clinch River for over 200 years.
www.joepayne.org
<http://www.joepayne.org/>
Tim
D. Pruitt
Tennessee Valley Authority
Watts Bar - Clinch Watershed Team
Phone - 865-632-1324
FAX - 865-632-1341