|
|
| Working together to protect and restore the Harpeth River Watershed and provide expertise in statewide conservation policy |
OUR RIVER | POLICY & PLANNING | NEWS ROOM | GET INVOLVED | PARTNERS | ABOUT US | CONTACT |
Scientific Studies, Documents
Water Pollution Control
TN Erosion & Sediment Control
Better Site Design
Low Impact Development Center
NPDES Permits
at(National Pollutant Discharge atElimination System)
Current Issues:
2008 State and Federal Legislation Affecting Water Quality and River Health
Stillwater Development Proposal
Two meetings this monthFranklin Drinking Water Withdrawal Plant
Stillwater Development Proposal
The Stillwater 482 lot residential subdivision and golf course development proposal located in SE Williamson County near 840 goes before two county review boards this month.
Tied to this, Monday, February 11, 2008, the county commission will consider a proposal recommended by other county boards to adopt a one year cessation on approving new developments using alternative sewer systems such as Stillwater proposes using.
See the latest update about the chemicals toluene and acetone leaking into Liberty Creek and the Harpeth River in Downtown Franklin, TN.
TDEC issued a permit to the City of Franklin that now governs its withdrawals of water for its drinking water plant. They city had proposed setting a base flow of 5 cfs (cubic feet per second) and withdrawal rate of 20% of the water from flows above that limit.
This base flow was so low that TDEC determined that it would degrade the river and thus could not approve that proposal unless there was economic necessity. It is economically feasible for Franklin to receive all its water from HVUD (Harpeth Valley Utility District), therefore there is no economic necessity to approve degrading the river.
On June 19th a rezoning bill passed third reading in the Metro Council for the 30-acre piece of property next to the McCrory Lane Quarry. A long negotiating process resulted in more stringent restrictions being applied to the quarry beyond what is required with existing State and Metro regulations.
Specifically, no off-site fill will be allowed to go into the quarry. This is a far cry from a year and a half ago when developers were proposing a C&D landfill for the site and were proposing an exemption to the state Scenic Rivers Act. With the quarry so close to the river and connected to it by groundwater, it is critically important to protect water quality by preventing contaminants from being introduced to the quarry and reduce the risk of pollution to the Harpeth.
The Policy and Planning Program works on projects like:
Demonstrating use of tools for Williamson County, City of Franklin, and developers to
use to plan growth and set aside undeveloped areas to minimize water pollution and
stream bank erosion from new development — specifically focusing on the Five Mile
Creek growth corridor along I-65.Bringing in expertise and facilitating discussions on the appropriate analysis to determine
how to maintain adequate flow in rivers like the Harpeth for fish, wildlife, and
recreation, and increase water use efficiency as drinking water needs grow in communities
like Franklin that withdraw from the Harpeth.Responding to issues that arise such as working with state legislators on the importance
of the State of Tennessee Scenic Rivers Act to protect important waterways like
the Harpeth, one of 13 state scenic rivers, by prohibiting landfills near select scenic
rivers in the Act to reduce the risk of water pollution.