County Pursues Stream Improvement Funding Through Army Corps Of Engineers

By LYDIA BERGLAR
News Editor

The Dade County Board of Commissioners held a special called meeting on April 9 to vote on three items. The first two items are for fire services, and the third item is a potential opportunity to improve Lookout Creek at the county’s Sells Lane property. This opportunity has a May 31 application deadline, hence the special called meeting instead of waiting until the upcoming May commission meeting.

First, the board approved the newly updated Fire Protection and Rescue Services Agreement. Don Townsend (county executive) said that the fire chiefs met with Robin Rogers (county attorney) on April 7, and the edits have been incorporated.

Bill Pullen (District One commissioner) noted that this agreement does not cover medical services. He added that it’s important that each fire department fill out the sheet listing who is currently with the department because the county covers worker’s comp, insurance, etc. “We need to be cost-conscious if they’re not even involved.” Requiring this list is a new addition to the agreement. Rogers noted that gathering this information is in process.

The commission also approved the Fire Services Lease Agreement which is a simple agreement that the county will cover the insurance of vehicles owned by individual fire departments.

Next, Stephen Bontekoe (executive director of Limestone Valley Resource Conservation & Development Council) explained a complicated program of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and how it could benefit Dade County.

At the end of the discussion, the commission approved a notice of intent to apply to the program. Once the USACE comes back with more details on the project, the commissioners may decide not to move forward if they don’t feel that it will benefit the county.

To very simply summarize the USACE’s in lieu of fee program, developers who cause a detrimental effect on waterways must pay into the program. USACE then makes improvements to another waterway within the same watershed. Once enough funds accumulate, a call for proposals is issued.

The Sentinel followed up with Bontekoe to learn more about examples of detrimental effects. He explained that there are two different categories to think about: wetlands and creeks. Dade, of course, does not have a wetland, so we’re concerned with creeks, but as a wetland example, developers filling in wetlands is detrimental to the natural setting.

Under the creek category, a developer might run a portion of creek into a culvert under a parking lot. Replacing the natural creek bed with a drainage structure would be a detrimental impact caused by the developer.

Bontekoe told the Sentinel that no specific examples of this happening in Dade come to mind because we still have enough room to avoid building over creeks. However, Fort Oglethorpe is crowded, so developers are generally willing to pay into the program rather than move their building site.

In our area, Georgia-Alabama Land Trust (GALT) is the program administrator on behalf of USACE. Limestone Valley would complete the work if Dade is selected. Bontekoe said the project would likely take years.

Bob Woods (District Three commissioner) asked for confirmation that the property to be improved through this project is the Sells Lane property which was first purchased to become a reservoir. It is, and the reservoir has been unofficially abandoned since the county purchased the property.

Bontekoe said, “From a geotechnical and hydrologic standpoint, this is our best alternative for ecosystem services. I would lump a reservoir into ecosystem services…A reservoir would provide a benefit, but not on this property. It would not be economically feasible, etc.”

Bontekoe mentioned that Limestone Valley’s proposal includes simple project options (like canoe launches, fishing spaces, and trails) and much larger projects. He doesn’t know exactly what USACE is looking for, so he included a variety of options.

The most extreme option would be moving Lookout Creek back to its pre-1950s location further away from Lookout Mountain. Bontekoe explained, “Right now, water comes off the mountain and it hits the creek…You move the creek over to where it was before 1950, and water comes down the mountain, it hits dirt, water slows down, hits the floodplain, and cleaner water gets to the stream.”

He added that this land is in the floodplain, so it’s non-buildable. (See map.georgiadfirm.com/floodriskviewer).

The agreement with USACE (should this project move past the letter of intent phase) will include a legal easement entered into while the work is being done, but a 200-foot buffer of trees along the creek would stay in perpetuity.

Phillip Hartline (District Two commissioner) said he wants to see what USACE comes back with before committing, and Bontekoe agreed that he won’t be in favor of the project if there isn’t enough benefit to make it worth all of the work and commitment.