Category Archives: Environment

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The Future Of Flooding In St. Louis: Is There A Solution?

Missouri Route 141/Interstate 44 intersection. Photo by Ursula Ruhl (SCT).

Officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told a concerned audience at the Powder Valley Nature Center on Nov. 1 that there’s undoubtedly more rain — and flooding – in the long-range weather forecast for this area.

Mayors from Kirkwood, Fenton and Valley Park, along with about 70 area residents, attended the Corps’ Meramec River Flood Risk Workshop. Local mayors introduced themselves before the program began and noted damage to their towns by flooding since 2015.

“No one has the magic answer on how to stop the rains or stop the flooding,” said Fenton Mayor Josh Voyles. “But we welcome the chance to discuss how we can prepare for future flood events here tonight.”

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Posted on November 10, 2017 in Environment, Outdoor/Nature

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SIERRA CLUB LAUNCHES CLIMATE CHANGE CULINARY TOUR

From left to right are Barbara Wall, Diane Albright, and Rachel Speed, Sierra Club members who participated in the Climate Change Culinary tour.

Climate change often seems like a big, slow-moving monster that haunts other people’s lives in other locations, but the powerful natural disasters associated with climate change can be felt from thousands of miles away right here in St Louis.

Members of the Sierra Club spoke with St. Louis area restaurateurs who have roots in communities that have been hit by natural disasters. The Sierra Club Climate Change Culinary Tour gave participants plenty to chew on, both literally and figuratively, as they partook in carefully crafted cuisine and learned about the cultures and communities that inspire each venue.

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Posted on November 5, 2017 in Environment

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Is There Hope For Radoactive Contamination Clean-up At West Lake Landfill?

Kay Drey addresses the EPA officials at a public listening session concerning the West Lake Landfill, Oct. 19, 2017.

There have been decades of public information meetings, public feedback sessions, and government finger-pointing. There have also been years of generational illness – the kind that leaves both adults and children with rare auto-immune disorders and cancers. The result? Devastation to entire communities and families, an endless stack of funeral notices and a future that continued to promise more of the same.

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Posted on October 20, 2017 in Environment, Local Events

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What Is That On The Train Moving Through The Local Area?

Photo: Lloyd Todd.

Residents of our area keep a wary eye on what’s coming down local railroad tracks. Maybe this can be traced back to the 1980s, when radioactive rubble from Three Mile Island (TMI) passed through on the way to Idaho.

That rubble caused an uproar. Protests resulted in railroads making a number of concessions. For example, the canisters of deadly materials were put on dedicated trains. Buffer cars were placed on either side of shipment railway cars as a safety measure in case of collisions.

In recent weeks, we’ve had several inquiries about huge tubes passing by on the rails. What do they contain? Do they pose any hazard?

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Posted on September 18, 2017 in Environment, Opinion

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Carl’s Climate Letter Has Been Following The Flood Waters

Water over the top of Marshall Road in Kirkwood. photo by Diana Linsley.

Check out Climate Carl’s recent flooding analysis and commentary.

Posted on August 29, 2017, by Carl Campbell in Carl’s Climate Newsletter #990. 
“How often can you expect to see a 500-year flood?  This article in Vox has all kinds of interesting commentary on the subject of flood probability.  One spot in the Houston area has had three of the 500-year type in just five years.  New definitions are needed, and they are likely to have an effect on things like community preparations and property insurance rates.”
Find more interesting and informative environmental analysis from Climate Carl at Carl’s Climate Letters.

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Posted on September 4, 2017 in Environment, Opinion

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Catching Up With Heather Navarro: The Environment, The City of St. Louis, And Working For A Better Tomorrow

Pictured: Heather Navarro, Missouri Coalition for the Environment executive director and newly elected to the St. Louis Board of Aldermen for the 28th Ward.

Heather Navarro shares information and insights into the CLEAN Missouri Initiative and the Missouri Coalition for the Environment. She was also recently elected to the St. Louis Board of Aldermen for the 28th Ward, which filled the seat formerly held by Mayor Lyda Krewson.

In this wide-ranging interview, Navarro talks about the importance of the City of St. Louis becoming sustainable and combating the effects of climate change, the idea of urban and rural areas working together, the safety of residents living near the radioactive waste in North County, and the measures that will be on the ballot for St. Louis City in 2018.

To hear the podcast interview with Navarro and Don Corrigan click on the audio below.

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Posted on August 23, 2017 in Environment, Home, Podcasts

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Get Ready – The Historic 2017 Solar Eclipse Is Here!

Click on the Webster-Kirkwood Times eclipse image to read the article “Get Out & Enjoy The Solar Eclipse”

The 2017 solar eclipse is set to be a once-in-a-lifetime event! Several local watch events have been scheduled. Check out the article from the Webster-Kirkwood Times about where to find an event and a few eclipse tips. Find article HERE.

NASA’s website also has a large amount of interactive data to explore, such as eclipse path maps, eclipse history, and eclipse safety. Find the NASA Eclipse 101 information HERE.

 

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Posted on August 18, 2017 in Environment, Local Events, Outdoor/Nature

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Local Environmentalists Oppose Easing Coal-fired Plant Wastewater Regulations

Local environmentalists, such as Nancy Luetzow of Kirkwood, are telling Environmental Protection Agency Head Scott Pruitt that they strongly oppose EPA’s rolling back existing and imminent wastewater regulations. The regulations restrict allowable ppm’s of heavy metals in industrial waste water and drinking water sources.

Please do not roll back new wastewater regulations for levels of heavy metals is the loud and clear message of all Missouri environmentalists.

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Posted on August 17, 2017 in Environment

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St. Louis Historic Flooding: “Something Needs To Be Done”

Dave Stokes, director of Great Rivers Habitat Alliance, just outside the flood gate on Marshall Road in Valley Park. By Diana Linsley, South County Times.

Dave Stokes, the director of Great Rivers Habitat Alliance, said we’re in a lull before the next “water bomb” hits the region. Stokes said local leaders must address flood concerns after two major rain events since 2015 caused millions in damages to the area.

“Residents and businesses want some answers,” said Stokes. “They want some solutions. They built in areas that are not supposed to be in a floodplain, and yet they had several feet of Meramec River in their homes and businesses.

“When the first water bomb hit in late 2015, their reaction was, ‘Okay, we had a freak storm, we’ll deal with it,’” said Stokes. “Then another 500-year flood event happens this year and they are saying, ‘Something needs to be done. This is not normal.’”

Read more of the story and hear a podcast interview with David Stokes below.

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Posted on August 11, 2017 in Environment, Outdoor/Nature

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Flooding In St. Louis: When will We Learn From Our Mistakes?

Photo: Great Rivers Habitat Alliance

Are you concerned the historic flooding in the Fenton, Pacific, Eureka, Valley Park, Sunset Hills, and the St. Louis area will happen again? You should be. Flood plain development and levee construction are major issues that can no longer be ignored. Great Rivers Habitat Alliance (GRHA) is an organization focused on finding long-term solutions to the issues that continue to be ignored by local officials.

Great Rivers Habitat Alliance is an organization focused on finding long-term solutions to the issues that continue to be ignored by local officials. Residents and business owners are suffering consequences that are devastating people’s lives, livelihoods, and properties.

David Stokes, the executive director of GRHA, offers insights into what lessons are not being learned from repeated mistakes, the hardships, the choices local areas face, and a few common sense solutions.

Click below to hear the informative podcast interview with David Stokes.

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Posted on August 10, 2017 in Environment, Outdoor/Nature, Podcasts