Please take the time to read.
Big Cherry Logging Needs Another Look In Light Of Water Crisis
by: Wayne Browning
Residents of the Big Stone Gap area, and entire region served by the Big Cherry Lake, should demand that the proposal to log the Big Cherry watershed be looked at again!
The critical water crisis which has shocked residents use to a bounty of fresh, pristine, water is largely a man made crisis and could be a warning sign of things to come in the future if the watershed surrounding the Lake is not managed properly.
Although the September to mid-October period has been one of the driest on record in the High Knob area, there was near average precipitation during most of this year.
Precipitation records for the state of Virginia reveal that the Norton-High Knob area
has been the wettest in the entire state during much of this year, with 42 to 51 inches
of total precipitation during 2005 ( note that while 2005 totals have been much less in
the Big Stone Gap-Powell Valley area, it is the higher elevation totals which are critical to supplying the Big Cherry reservoir ).
A physical draw down of Big Cherry Lake during the period of new dam construction is largely the cause of the current water crisis, with short-term dryness enhancing and extending the crisis. Simply stated, an abundance of precipitation prior to the onset of autumn dryness would have had the lake level high enough to have averted the current crisis had the drawn down not been necessary.
If drought was the cause of the current crisis then the city of Norton would have been out of water long before Big Stone Gap, given their consumption of 1 million gallons per day out of a dual reservoir system that possesses a total capacity which is only around
30 percent as large as Big Cherry.
Precipitation and lake level records from the autumn 1998 through 2000 period, which was the worst extended period of drought on record in the area, further support the fact that the current water crisis would not exist had it not been for the physical drawn down of Big Cherry this year.
According to Buddy Lane, the lowest lake level ever observed in more than 20 years
of Big Cherry observations, prior to this event, was recorded when the water level fell to 242 inches ( 20.2 feet ) below its spillway on December 6, 1998.
The above point needs to be made since some television media outlets have focused primarily upon drought as being the cause of the current crisis, which is simply not the case. The point also serves to emphasize the fact that even during the most severe droughts on record, such as in 1988 and 1998, the water level of Big Cherry was never low enough to cause a crisis like is currently being endured. A testimony to the general wetness and abundance of precipitation amid the sprawling High Knob high country.
What the current water crisis has done is bring to focus, as never before, the importance of the Big Cherry reservoir. Nestled amid the high country of the High Knob mass, the Big Cherry Lake is, as I have previously written, among the most pristine and abundant supplies of water in Virginia and the entire nation.
A proposal to log the Big Cherry watershed should not even be an issue, as anything which could potentially degrade the quality and quantity of such a precious resource is simply not in the best interest of those dependent upon Big Cherry water.
According to long-time residents of the area, the city of Norton also decided to log their watershed during the early 1900s. Subsequent run-off from the logging degraded the water quality and put so much sediment into the reservoirs that they had to be dredged, which ended up costing more than what was obtained out of the logging itself.
Records of this event were unfortunately lost by a fire which destroyed the City Hall in Norton during the 1950s.
Since trees have returned the Norton watershed has remained intact, and the city water pristine and limited only by the relatively small size of the dual reservoir system.
Residents of Big Stone Gap, and the surrounding region served by Big Cherry water, need to step forward and demand that the watershed of their lake be protected.
Although logging has not caused the current crisis, I have a sincere feeling that many residents in the region served by Big Cherry water would now listen and look at the issue with a new perspective if given another opportunity to have input.
With that I ask that a public referendum be held, with ballots sent to every home and business that uses water from the Big Cherry. Every single person served by Big Cherry water should have a right to vote on whether or not the area is logged.
And that is the key point. It is your water supply. The Big Cherry water belongs to every single person who turns on a tap.
Wayne Browning
Clintwood, Virginia
Exactly. The council as a whole and town management, along with the town engineer should be ashamed to have voted in favor of logging Big Cherry. I think its time to back up and look at this again and maybe, just maybe do something right for a change. With over 20 years experience in the water treatment business, I can tell you for a fact that logging will be a huge mistake. SAVE BIG CHERRY!
Wow, Wayne did a great job with that. I hope the people of Big Stone Gap read this and take it seriously. What he said is 100% true. If the logging isn't stopped, we are in for a rude awakening.
George Polly and others on the Town Council will certainly disregard this unless people get out and do something about it. The fact of the matter is, Polly and those with him only want to cut the timber for financial gain, and could care less about the consequences of their actions. They will confuse the public with words like "selective cut" and "forest management". I dont know how many of you out there have seen a "selective cut", but I have. A selective cut in today's standards detroys the forest only slightly less, if any, than a clearcut. I don't think the people here realize how much the forest means to the quality of the water they drink. Please, lets all let our voices be heard and keep this from happening.
"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." -Thomas Jefferson
He is totally correct in his statement! The current mis-management of the town's assets and the council's total "denial" of the current water crisis other than Mr. Hutchinson's concerns go toward what I say is nothing less than a way for the council to turn this community into a wasteland.
Lets bump this back up to the front.
All i can say is excellent. Having some knowledge of the area and situation. Excellent article.
Never log an area that is used as a watershed. It has come back to haunt others in the past.
Great post Dukefan. Hope council and others take heed to this article.
Wayne is my cousin and he is one of the most intelligent men I know. Brilliant article. Is this going to be put in the Coalfield?
It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.
-Teddy Roosevelt
I'm afraid the water crisis will get much worse very soon. With winter fast approaching, and the Powell River as low as it is, that is not a good combination. If the river freezes we are just S.O.L. There is not enough current now to keep the river from freezing.
_________________________________________________________
HOW'S THAT HOPE AND CHANGE WORKING OUT FOR YA ??????
The letter will be in the Coalfield and The Post this week. Yes, Wayne is very intelligent, Ive known him for years. If one can be labeled and expert on weather in this area, then Wayne is your man. He knows more about weather in this area and how it affects the mountains than anyone Ive come in contact with. It would be wise for the town council to listen to this well educated man on this subject. I have the upmost respect for the man and his opinions.
Once again, a bump.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks