Algae blooms caused by excess nutrients can suck oxygen out of the water, kill aquatic life, and give a nasty taste to drinking water. With the fertilizer runoff comes other chemicals pesticides and herbicides. Atrazine has been detected in the Cahaba, which is an herbicide that EPA regulates as a drinking water contaminant. The levels are small, but show us that landscaping chemical runoff is already being detected in the river. Other toxic chemicals from stormwater runoff, especially from parking lots and roads such as oil, gasoline, and heavy metals, are increasing in the river.
Scientists believe that toxic chemicals play a significant role in the decline of river life.
Removing toxic runoff from drinking water is impractical and requires expensive technology at the treatment plant. One significant purpose of a PUD is to protect open space, especially undeveloped greenspace. We appreciate the amount of open space that has been protected in Liberty Park thus far. We also salute them for keeping development back from the river, so that the view from the river and the recreation experience is still close to that of a wild river. That is unusual to have a natural river of this beauty in an urban area.