March 9, 1999
1) EPA Wants Additional Ala. Waterways Cleaned Up
2) Health Care Without Harm - Al. Medical Waste Incinerators
3) Dauphin Island Sea Lab's - "Estuarium"
4) Calendar Time! Upcoming Events This Spring
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1. EPA Wants Additional Waterways Cleaned Up - According
to a March 5th
article by the Mobile Register, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency
(EPA) wants to add nearly 80 Alabama rivers and streams to the
"303(d)" list,
because the agency believes the streams do not meet their current
water
quality classifications.
The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) is
opposing the EPA
proposal because they say EPA does not have enough proof that
the waterways
need to be cleaned up.
The state of Alabama must assess its waterways every two (2)
years to
determine whether the streams and rivers are suited for their
water quality
designation, and those that fail are added to the EPA's 303(d)
list.
Last year ADEM submitted 114 stream and river sections that
it believed were
failing their designated water quality standards. After EPA claimed
the list
was insufficient, ADEM identified an additional 41 streams to
the list. EPA
has countered that their own analysis of water quality info submitted
by
Alabama warrants the inclusion of 77 more streams, increasing
the state's
list to 232 rivers and streams.
For more information about this "battle" of state
and federal agencies and
what you can do to protect Alabama's waters, contact the Alabama
Rivers
Alliance at 322-6395 or Alabamariv@aol.com
2. Health Care Without Harm: Medical Waste Incinerators
- Last month I
received information from "Health Care Without Harm"
a worldwide coalition of
over 150 groups (the coalition includes a very impressive list
of medical and
environmental groups) working to eliminate pollution from the
health care
industry without compromising safety or care.
A major concern of Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) is medical
waste
incinerators (MWI). These particular incinerators are the second
leading
source of dioxin and fourth leading source of mercury emissions
into the
environment. Currently there are 12 large MWI in B'ham, Montgomery,
Tuscaloosa, Anniston, Mobile, Dothan, Decatur Gadsden and Auburn.
Eleven (11)
of the twenty-seven (27) large to medium sized MWI incinerators
are located
in Jefferson county alone.
In 1997, the EPA released new standards for MWI's. HCWH maintains
that these
standards are not as strong as they should be and are not protective
of human
health. As a result of the new federal regulations, states are
now drafting
new regs. for MWI's. HCWH will be pushing ADEM for stronger rules
on MWI's
this Spring.
For more information about HCWH and medical waste incinerators
contact Vera
Cohen at 617-354-2304. A stricter rule MWI's will mean less toxics
and
cleaner air for Alabama.
3. Dauphin Island Sea Lab's Estuarium - Three (3) years
ago, I was fortuante
to visit the Estuarium at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL). It
was still
"under construction", but I could see back then it was
going to be something
special. Today, the DISL Estuarium has blossomed into a first
class
educational center.
The beautiful "Living Marsh Boardwalk", a 10,000
square foot exhibit hall and
the resources of all the creative professionals at DISL, are just
a few of
the assets the Estuarium possesses. With exhibits focusing on
the
Mobile-Tensaw Delta, Mobile Bay, the Barrier Islands and the Gulf
of Mexico,
the Estuarium is a "must see" for people interested
in learning more about
marine and coastal life in Alabama.
For more information about the DISL Estuarium visit their website
at:
http://www.disl.org or call
334-861-2141.
4. Calendar Time! Upcoming Events this Spring - With
Earth Day only a month
and half away, the following is a comprehensive listing of environmental
events across Alabama. If you have an event you would like to
"place in BEN"
send it to BEN at pkbyington@aol.com
- FYI - We will be profiling some of
these events in future editions of BEN.
March 12-13 - Alabama Environmental Council's Annual Meeting
- For more info
call 1-205-322-3126
March 14-17 - World Wildlife Fund's State of the Rivers Conference
- For more
info call 202-861-8369
March 20 - "Locust Fork Classic" White Water Race
- The 3rd and final race of
the "Alabama Cup". Race time starts at 9:30 at Kings
Bend on Hwy 79 on the
Locust Fork River. For more details call Martha Hunter at 205-429-4120
March 20-June 5 - The Land Trust of Huntsville & North
Alabama's Spring Burst
Hike Series - For dates and times call 256-534-LAND
April 1 - Deadline for Legacy's Summer Teacher Institute and
several
workshops. Contact Legacy at 1-800-240-5115 for details.
April 11 - Earth Day at the Gardens - To be held at the Birmingham
Botanical
Gardens 1-4. Groups throughout Alabama will be in attendance.
April 17 - Alabama Environmental Council's 1999 Green Tie Affair
in
Birmingham. For more info call 205-322-3126.
April 22 - "River Walk" a breathtaking photography
exhibit by Beth Young
opens at the Anniston Museum of Natural History and will run through
June
27th.
May 1 - Covered Bridge Trail Hike - Starting at the Oneonta
Public Library
between 9-11. For more info contact Clif Robinson, Friends of
the Covered
Bridge Trail at 205-429-3150.
May 8 - 6th Annual Friends of Locust Fork River Festival -
A great Mother's
Day festival. For info and directions call 205-466-3858.
May 8 - 3rd Annual Community Lead Education and Screening Day
at New Hope
Baptist Church in Birmingham. This event will be filled with workshops
and
will provide free lead tests for children. For more info call
Pat Byington
at 205-226-7739.
May15-16 - Alabama Rivers Alliance Watersheds Conference -
For more details
call 205-322-6395.
There are several annual events I do not have the exact date
and times for,
but you may want to contact these groups for more info and details.
They are:
Cahaba Society's Riverfest - In early May - 205-32-CLEAN
Baldwin County's Earth Day Celebration - Earth Day Weekend
-contact the AEC
at 205-322-3126 for more details.
EarthFest - University of Alabama's week long Earth Day Celebration
-
205-348-8416.
Please share BEN with friends and fellow conservationists.
If you have any questions about BEN, contact Pat Byington at
205-226-7739 or pkbyington@aol.com
