Upper Mon River Trash and Debris Removal
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, flowing river trash and debris, consisting of manmade rubbish and naturally occurring wood wastes, deposits on river banks and at riverside facilities, and accumulates behind locks and dams on our nation's navigable rivers, creating many problems, such as:
(1) Visual and odor pollution;
(2) Water pollution, hazardous to humans and aquatic life, from chemicals and hazardous materials in manmade rubbish;
(3) Health and safety hazards for community and industrial water intakes, swimmers, water skiers, marinas, public and private docking facilities and launch ramps, recreational boaters, and river commerce;
(4) Navigation hazards for commercial tows and recreational and longrange tourist boaters;
(5) Interference with and damage to locks and dams;
WHEREAS, no workable and costeffective methodology exists today to deal with the problem of river trash and debris; and
WHEREAS, the US Army Corps of Engineers is charged with the responsibility for our nation's navigable rivers; and
WHEREAS, state and local governments with navigable rivers within their purview cannot solve the river trash and debris problem on their own, but are willing to partner with the federal government in addressing the river trash and debris problem;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town of Star City:
(1) Requests that the Congress of the United States authorize and fund a demonstration program to be conducted on the Upper Monongahela River in West Virginia, by the Pittsburgh District of the US Army Corps of Engineers, to develop the methods and technology needed to solve the problem of river trash and debris removal and disposal and to develop a national technology base for addressing the river trash and debris problem on all the nation's navigable rivers;
(2) Stands ready to partner with the federal government in this endeavor;
(3) Suggests that the federal role focus on the technology for removing flowing riverborne debris and debris accumulating at the locks and dams. And that state and local government entities would focus on means for removing trash from riverbanks, providing transportation and disposal sites for collected river trash and debris, educating the public not to illegally dump trash that subsequently gets into streams leading to rivers, and programs that clean up illegal dump sites before they contribute to riverborne debris;
(4) Suggest that a threephase approach to solving the river trash and debris problem be followed:
(a) PHASE 1 would be for the Corps to prepare a
report on historical approaches for dealing with river trash and
debris removal and disposal, in the United States and worldwide.
The report would also address the economic costs to our nation's
economy resulting from the river trash and debris problem, and a
costbenefit analysis rationale for evaluating solutions to the
river trash and debris problem. A first draft of said report
would be due six months after congressional authorization of the
river trash and debris removal project. The final report would be
due six months later. This phase would also include the
development of partnering agreements between state and local
government entities, as well as business, recreational, and
environmental entities within the West Virginia Demonstration
Region. Further, the Corps would establish a steering committee
with representation from appropriate entities within the West
Virginia Demonstration Region to advise on project
implementation. The steering committee might also include other
organizations within the United States that have an interest in
the river trash and debris problem and/or who have expertise that
bears upon the problem.
(b) PHASE 2, lasting perhaps one year following the completion of Phase 1, would develop one or more method and technology approaches for dealing with the river trash and debris problem, with recommendations as to the feasibility of each approach, and a recommendation for the best and first approach to be tried.
(c) PHASE 3, lasting perhaps five years would implement and test the favored approach for dealing with river trash and debris removal and disposal.
(d) PHASE 4, a one year effort, would evaluate results to date, and propose any further efforts needed to continue to improve on methods and technology for solving the river trash and debris problem.
This 25th day of November, 2003.
