FYI – Town of Marlinton
The Town continues to pay the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) $2,500 per month toward the settlement of Consent Order #8455.
When you think about the upgrades and/or additions to the town that you would like to see happen, I want you to think about your money paying fines “for violations that had already been corrected” prior to receiving the notice.
In other business, I am attending Pocahontas County Seniors Citizens board meetings. Also, I attend Pocahontas County Day Report board meetings.
In coming weeks, you may see contract personnel surveying the town’s existing sewer system. Marlinton is the second city in the state to be the benefactor of grant funding for GIS mapping of sewer systems. This mapping will help meet requirements for future funding of various projects.
Marlinton Town Council will hold a special meeting, March 9 at 5:30 p.m., with Lisa Sharp, USDA, Rural Development Coordinator. The town hopes to match certain wish-list projects with potential grant funding opportunities.
More stuff you may or may not care about
Did you know nutrient pollution is another problem towns and cities must deal with?
Too much nitrogen and phosphorus in the water can have negative impacts on the environment. Excess nitrogen in the air can impair our ability to breathe, limit visibility and alter plant growth. Nutrient pollution is said to be one of America’s most widespread, costly and challenging environmental problems, and is caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus in the air and water.
Nitrogen and phosphorus are nutrients that are natural parts of aquatic ecosystems. Ironically, nitrogen is also the most abundant element in the air we breathe. Nitrogen and phosphorus support the growth of algae and aquatic plants, which provide food and habitat for fish and organisms that live in water.
Too much nitrogen and phosphorus in the water causes algae to grow faster than ecosystems can handle. Significant increases in algae harm water quality. Large growths of algae are called algal blooms and can severely reduce or eliminate oxygen in the water, leading to illnesses in fish or even death.
Nutrient pollution in ground water – which millions of people in the United States use as their drinking water source – can be harmful, even at low levels. When excess nitrogen comes back to earth from the atmosphere, it can harm the health of forests, soils and waterways.
The times are changing.
Many Seattle homeless are wearing electronic beacons that tell their stories to those passing by. With the GiveSafe app on a smartphone, people walking the streets of Seattle can read the stories of homeless people they pass by and, if they wish, make a safe, cashless donation to help meet the person’s needs – groceries, bus fare, maybe a haircut.
Time will tell.