Coosa Steering Meeting
Summary
May 6, 2014
Attendees: Dan Green, Amy Green, Lem Burell, Glenn Littleton, Robert Brown, Gail Russell, Jim Jeter, Ross Caton, Brett Connell, Earl Fleming,
Frank Chitwood, Carolyn Landrem, Dan Murchison, Allison Jenkins, Garry Banks.
Lem Burell welcomes everyone and reviewed the summary from the last meeting.
Frank Chitwood: Coosa River Keeper
Removal of Goodwin’s Mill Dam on Big Canoe Creek.
1. The dam was causing an erosion problem-stream bank erosion
2. Recreation problem
3. 130 years the dam had blocked fish passage
4. 30 varieties of fish found down stream and 15 varieties found up stream
Carolyn Landrem: Weiss Lake
1. Water Festival April 19, 2014, 354 children attended
2. Presented Class Room in the Forest to ½ of the 5th grade and will host the other ½ in the near
future
3. Water watch class held with 6 new people certified for testing on Lake Weiss
4. Planning a class for E-coli testing
5. 3 environmental workshops planned: rain garden, smart yards and wetlands
6. 319 grant for Spring and Mud Creek to end in September of this year
Project to help complete grant (fencing cows and horses out of stream)
7. Rain Barrel workshop planned
8. 5th grade Teacher Workshop (Waters to the Sea) with
ACWP in the near future
9. Health Department Septic Tank pump out workshop
10. Renew our Rivers Clean up on May 1, 2014
Charity Mitcham (Jim Jeter) BMP Workshop on May 30th in Pell City at the Civic Center from 9-12.
Lem Burell reported the health department received a report that 3 dead cows were found in Canoe
Creek.
Glenn Littleton:
1.Chilton County Water Festival held on March 14, 2014, with 592 Kids from Chilton Co. and 62 kids
from Coosa County participating in the event.
Dan Murchison: Mitchell HOBO
1. HOBO Scholarship given out to students
2. Picnic June 7th, 2014, Higgins Park
Ross Caton: ADEM
1. Chris Johnson will take Lynn Sisk’s place when Lynn retires and Kimberly Minton will take Chris
Johnson place.
2. 303d list –nothing new on the Coosa
Jim Jeter: Forestry update
1. BMP training Pell City
2. Federal Court-EPA wetland case in Mobile
3. New State Forester- Greg Payton
4. AWAG paper on water policy has been released
Frank Chitwood: River Keeper
1. New boat donated –will hold 12 people
2. Hold kayak fishing tournaments to be held in Tennessee, Fla. And Ga.
Allison Jenkins: ACWP
1. ACWP funded by ADEM for 2015—a decrease in the funding
2. Grant for pet waste station from Mid-South RC&D-4 parks in Montgomery
3. Clear Water Alabama October 8-9
4. Eve Brantley’s Low impact Development book out
5. Lanark Wildlife Federation to hold water festival for Elmore
Lem Burell: Sewage Permits for Weiss Lake
1. Weiss Lake 447 miles of shoreline
2. Alabama Power has flood easement around the lake
3. No permanent structures were to be built in the area
4. 1970’s recreational lots created and sold
5. 1991 there were around 1700 RV’s or structures
6. 2014 over 4000 RV’s or structures
7. April 2012 Cherokee County Sewage Disposal Ordinance was put into place
(Must purchase a permit to dispose of waste) $150 a day fine up to $5000 for not complying)
Lem Burell: Gail Russell (Coosa Basin Facilitator) retiring at the end of her contract.
Next meeting date: August 5, 2014.