ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
ADVISORY BOARD
MINUTES
Thursday,
August 5, 2004
Members Present: Chuck Agle
Shelaine
Curd-Hetrick
Jimmy
Groton
Ann
Huston
Mike Maston
Aaron Peacock
Tammy
Phillips
Al
Skyberg
Ellen
Smith
Members Absent: Tyler Johnson
John Huotari
Laurel Ensign-Simmons
City Staff: Josh Collins, Director of
City Parks and Recreation
Guests/Visitors: Mark Belvin (DOE)
Ann
Mason, Citizen, 100 New Haven Road, Oak Ridge
Marsha
Sanslow, Citizen, 116 New Haven Road, Oak Ridge
A. Call to Order
The meeting began at 7:30 p.m.
1. Recognition of EQAB members and
visitors
2.
Jimmy
Groton was identified as Recording Secretary for the meeting.
B. Approval of Minutes
1. There
were no minutes available for review from the previous EQAB meeting (June 2004).
C. Presentations
Two Oak Ridge citizens, Mrs. Ann Mason
and Mrs. Marsha Sanslow made a brief presentation to the board regarding
problems they perceive regarding the beaver pond wetland at Big Turtle Park,
mosquitoes, and the potential for exposure of Oak Ridge citizens and visitors
to West Nile Virus. They passed out a packet of information including
photographs of the wetland and published information about West Nile Virus.
Josh Collins, Director of Oak Ridge City
Parks and Recreation gave a brief history of the City’s management of the Big
Turtle Park wetland. Mr. Collins also summarized information the City had
received from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Tennessee Department of
Environment and Conservation (TDEC) Water Pollution Control, and U. S. Army
Corps of Engineers (USACE) about West Nile Virus and wetlands regulatory issues
related to beaver ponds. Information provided by TVA indicated that the Big
Turtle Park wetland was unlikely to provide habitat for mosquitoes known to be
carriers of West Nile Virus. Information from TDEC and USACE indicated that the
wetland would receive full regulatory protection and any attempts to drain it
would require regulatory permits and mitigation.
After the presentation by Mrs. Mason,
Mrs. Sanslow, and Mr. Collins there was discussion about several courses of
action that could be taken. Some of the items of discussion included:
·
Application
of biological controls such as Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) that would act as a mosquito larvicide
·
Building
bat houses and martin houses to encourage natural predators of mosquitoes
·
Collect
samples of mosquitoes from the area to determine what types of mosquitoes are
present there
·
Collect
water samples to the water quality in the beaver pond
Shelaine offered to prepare a summary of
all suggestions that EQAB could send to the City Manager.
D. High School Representatives (Ann
Huston and Laurel Ensign-Simmons)
1. Ann
reported that school would be back in session on August 16.
E. Report on DOE-related matters
(from EQAB Regulatory Oversight Committee and DOE representative Mark Belvin)
1.
Mark
reported that DOE had submitted a Covenant Deferral Request as part of DOE’s
Facility Revitalization Program at ORNL. DOE wishes to transfer about 5 acres
of land to a not-for-profit entity that would construct a new research facility
and lease the facility back to DOE/UT-Battelle. The deferral would allow DOE to
transfer the land before all remedial actions at ORNL are complete. Both EPA
Region 4 and the Governor of the State of Tennessee must approve the covenant
deferral.
2.
Mark also
reported that DOE would release a Draft Environmental Assessment for
Uranium-233 Disposition, Medical Isotope Production, and Building 3019 Complex
Shutdown at ORNL. DOE has scheduled a public hearing on August 25.
F. Communications
1.
G. Staff Report (Amy Fitzgerald)
1.
None
H. Planning Commission (Chuck Agle)
1. Chuck
reported that the Planning Commission had discussed a new road proposed for
access to Country Club Estates from the west end of J. W. Gibson’s property.
The route might use the existing DOE patrol road.
I. Committee Reports
1. Regulatory Oversight (Ellen Smith, Chair)
a.
Local
Oversight Committee (LOC, Ellen Smith, Chair)
·
Ellen
reported that DOE and Bechtel-Jacobs are in the initial stages of planning for
two new haul roads to facilitate transfer of cleanup wastes to the Bear Creek
Valley CERCLA cell without traveling on public roads. One roads would provide
access from ORNL and the second from the K-25 site. The LOC has asked DOE and
Bechtel-Jacobs to hold public hearings on the plans.
·
The
LOC has expressed concern to DOE about DOE’s treatment of Oliver Springs
relative to the transfer of UF6 cylinders from K-25 to DOE’s Portsmouth site in
Ohio.
b. LOC-CAP
·
The
LOC CAP is planning its annual meeting. They are considering a dinner speaker
to talk about air quality and ozone issues and educate local regional county
governments about air quality issues. The meeting is planned to occur on
September 16 at the K-25 Cafeteria.
c. Stewardship Team (Tyler Johnson, Chair)
No report.
d. CROET
No report.
e. Stormwater Management
No report.
f. Health Effects activities
No report.
g. Other
No report.
2. Resource Conservation and Management
a. Toxco Acquisition of American Ecology
There has been some uncertainty about Toxco’s plans regarding their use of the American Ecology facilities near Hendrix Creek. There are some issues about whether Toxco’s plans might be in conflict with the City’s zoning regulations. It may be possible that grandfathering may no longer protect Toxco’s proposed use of the facility. EQAB may request a presentation by Toxco in the near future.
3. Urban Design
No report
4. Greenbelts & Open Space (Jimmy
Groton, Chair)
a.
Greenways
Oak Ridge
There was brief discussion about the new
proposed route of the Emory Valley Greenway.
b.
Greenbelt
Ordinance
There was some brief discussion about
addressing issues related to encroachment and revegetation of greenbelts. There
is renewed interest in addressing the problems related to Greenbelt management
separate from the context of the zoning regulations. In the past the City has
used the zoning regulations as the basis for managing or not managing the
greenbelts.
5. Special Projects
a. Karst and Mona Lane
No report.
b. Other
No report.
J. Unfinished Business
None
K. New Business
Beaver Pond at Big
Turtle Park (moved to Item C, Presentations)
M. Adjournment
The meeting was
adjourned at 10:30.m.
Minutes
Respectfully Submitted by:
Jimmy
Groton, EQAB Secretary
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Last updated September 7, 2004