Healthy rivers benefit area, Ziegeweid says
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?Water quality is important to the quality of life so it?s an issue which everyone should be involved in,? said Ziegeweid in her announcement of Cumberland River Compact meetings here next month, the local meetings having to do with the health of the Collins River, a watershed of the Cumberland. ?There are 14 watersheds of the Cumberland, the Collins being the southern most. And, as a whole, the water quality is good in the Collins.?
Ziegeweid, who serves as the watershed director, said the exact time and date of the next Compact meeting in McMinnville will be announced in the coming weeks. In the meantime, she hopes people will consider getting involved since everyone in Warren County is a shareholder in the watershed.
The most recent tests on the Collins River reveal there are no impaired sections of the river, meaning all are being judged as safe although there has been some degree of contamination due to acid mining in the Sequatchie County potion of the watershed.
Ziegeweid said many people are surprised to discover the No. 1 pollutant along the Cumberland River system is good old dirt.
?Construction and development leads to a lot of dirt being put into the water system,? Ziegeweid said. ?Sometimes contractors don?t properly install silt fences which causes runoff into the watershed.?
Ziegeweid said the Compact has three major arms, the first of which is an advisory group which advises contractors and builders on ways to develop without harming the watershed.
A second part of the Compact provides a local officials curriculum which advises local governments on things like storm water drainage.
The third group helps raise awareness of citizens, helping them get involved in preserving their waterways.
?The quality of the Collins is good right now and we want to keep it that way for our children and our children?s children and the best way to do that is for folks to get involved,? Ziegeweid said.
Anyone wishing to learn more about the Cumberland River Compact and the Collins River Watershed meetings may contact Ziegeweid at 1-615-469-5962. A Web site may also be visited at www.CumberlandRiverCompact.org.