UNIT III FINAL

As I sit on top of Big Rock, my favorite place in Cherokee Park in the Highlands, I allow my feet to hang over Beargrass Creek below, I close my eyes to allow my mind to experience this place though all of my senses. Being here brings me into an overwhelmingly peaceful state of mind. As the cool water flows gently but forcefully over the rocks, the sun shines tenderly creating a warm, pleasant feeling that envelops my body. The sweet smell of fresh flowers blows gently through the air and the songs of birds and other wild animals sing a beautiful chorus that is music to my ears. This tranquil environment allows me to relax calming both my mind and my body. I briefly watch the fish swimming in the creek below as they lunge and dart unpredictably through the water. The vibrant combination of the energy of the sun, plants, animals and water pulse through my veins and lift my spirit.  The flourishing wildlife threatens to overpower the worn, winding trails. The soft, tender breeze flows peacefully across my body shaking the leaves on the surrounding trees ever so slightly. My mind is at peace and my body is relaxed as I take in all of the incredible things that I am surrounded with.

The most profound emotion that being in this environment elicits is serenity. The natural beauty makes me calm and collected and brings a sense of inner peace and happiness. Being in this tranquil atmosphere allows me to control my constantly racing mind, to think rationally about my every day troubles and difficulties. In this place, I can let my guard down because I know that pain and suffering do not exist here. I allow myself to be deeply captivated by the natural tranquility. By the time that I decide to leave my “happy place”, I believe that in many ways that I have been healed and rehabilitated. My everyday stress has been completely eliminated and my soul is filled with peaceful feelings and emotions. The simplicity of the existence and everyday occurrences in this place are profoundly refreshing. It is clear that everything around me exists, as it has been, for countless years; unchanged. The significance of the history of the park is apparent in the old, beaten trails, and the trees and rocks tell the stories of the past. I know that in years to come, future generations will also come here to do the exact thing I am doing now, and will also be able to use this place to find a sense of inner peace.  This place is not tainted with the negative aspects of life, but instead it is pure, fresh, and natural.

I am immensely intrigued by the history of this place, and have used various sources to gather important information about the park. Cherokee park was originally designed by famed landscape architect, Fredrick Law Olmsted in 1891, and is exactly 389.13 acres (Wolfe pg 1). Among many other accomplishments, Olmsted is best known for being the “nationally-renown landscape architect responsible for creating Central Park in New York” (Elliot paragraph 2). His ingenious layout of the park consists of combinations of secluded areas and social environments for the satisfied traveler. However, there is one major flaw in the design and layout of Cherokee Park. Beargrass Creek, which runs throughout Louisville, is in many places terrifyingly close in proximity to the sewage system. The old pipes are highly prone to cracks and leeks, which in turn can lead the pollution of the water.  Many people cool off on a hot summer day in the water of the creek, but swimming in contaminated water with fecal matter can be detrimental to the health of any person.  E.coli, which is transferred from person to person through contact of fecal matter, is the main risk in this situation. One such example of a leek that occurred in the sewer system was documented by a local news station. Crews of trained professionals used “green dye in the water to trace where the leek was coming from” (FOX41 paragraph 2). Although pipes and leeks can be repaired, the raw sewage can be devastating to the health of humans and animals alike.

Cracks and leaks in the sewage pipes somewhat contribute to the high levels of pollution in the water, but the predominant contributor is the combined storm water and sewer overflows. According to the Metropolitan sewer District’s 2005 report of the Beargrass Creek watershed, state of the streams, “Currently, Beargrass Creek is in critical condition, failing to meet the state water quality standards. It is unsuitable for fishing or swimming.” The sewer overflows that occur primarily after heavy rainfall are the main contributor of high fecal coliform bacteria count in Beargrass Creek. When they overflow, the sewers discharge a diluted combination of storm water and wastewater at discharge points along the creek.

The Metropolitan Sewer District is the corporation responsible for treating water and sewer overflows. They test the water on a fixed interval to be sure it passes the standards of the Kentucky division of water. However, because of these polluting substances in the water, currently all three forks of Beargrass creek are classified as not meeting the designated-use criteria or primary contact recreation. After speaking with MSD employee, Weston Sydnor, I now have a deeper understanding of the problems with the water quality and the process by which the city I working to eliminate these problems. Weston introduced me to a solution that they are currently attempting to implement called Project WIN. This acronym means water improvement now, and it deals primarily with the combined sewer overflows. When he began to describe this situation, Weston said, “Before the project began there were nearly 900 houses around the highland area that had the downspout from their house connected directly into the sewer system. Currently, there are still more than 750 houses left.”  The old, small pipes are not large enough to be able to process all of the regular sewage and the rainwater from nearly 900 houses. The sewer overflow was built in the park originally to prevent the pipes from backing up into the houses. Today, however, we have the knowledge and ability to eliminate the overflow once and for all. Project WIN began in the summer of 2010, and Weston said, “MSD plans on finishing the project by the end of 2013.” The completed project means that the combined sewer overflow that is in the park will be closed and the water of Beargrass Creek will be pollutant free.

I propose that the city of Louisville send out information to the houses suspected of having their downspout connected to the sewer system. They should be made aware of the problems that their house is creating for the visitors to Cherokee Park. On a larger scale, this flaw in the system is polluting the water of the creek that drains into the Ohio River and [e1] continues on to the Mississippi River. The owners of these homes are having a much larger negative impact on water quality than they could probably even imagine. By sending out the information about water quality of Beargrass Creek, project WIN, and the larger impact they are having, the citizens of the Highland of Louisville will be able to be aware of the issue, which creates a sense of urgency to the MSD workers. This is a problem that will continue to cause harm if it is not dealt with appropriately, however the solution presented will be beneficial to the visitors of the park, the workers of MSD, and the city of Louisville at large.

Works Cited

Elliot, Jessica. "Top 10 Louisville Parks." City Guide to Louisville KY and Southern Indiana. Web. 20 June 2011. <http://louisville.about.com/

Water Quality Status Report. Rep. Limno-Tech, Inc., 28 Feb. 2007. Web. 20 June 2011. <http://www.msdlouky.org/

Sydnor, Weston. "MSD-Beargass Creek." Personal interview. 05 July 2011.

PROPOSAL

Dear Reader,


Cherokee park is a beautiful place that is enjoyed by the citizens of Louisville of all ages. Although the park and thriving wildlife itself is breathtaking, some improvements should be implemented in order for everyone to safely enjoy the many aspects of the park. Efforts need to be made to improve the combined sewer overflow to prevent them from leaking raw sewage into Beargrass Creek.

Beargrass creek has the largest watershed in Jefferson County, draining nearly sixty one square miles. The creek is made up of three different branches, including: the south fork that runs through Germantown, Buechel and the Louisville Nature Center, the middle fork that begins out in middle town and runs through saint Matthews, the highland and Cherokee park, and the muddy fork, which begins near Indian hills and runs through mocking bird valley. All three forks come together near where 71 and 64 split near Brownsboro road and drain into the Ohio River.  According to the Metropolitan sewer District’s 2005 report of the Beargrass Creek watershed, state of the streams, “Currently, Beargrass Creek is in critical condition, failing to meet the state water quality standards. It is unsuitable for fishing or swimming.” The sewer overflows that occur primarily after heavy rainfall are the main contributor of high fecal coliform bacteria count in Beargrass Creek. When they overflow, the sewers discharge a diluted combination of storm water and wastewater at discharge points along the creek.

The city of Louisville should do a better job in preventing this from happening because it could be harmful to the health of the visitors to the park. I interviewed Weston Syndor, a MSD employee, and he said that MSD currently has a project called Project WIN where the city officials and MSD workers are trying to disconnect the downspouts from surrounding homes of rainwater that lead into the sewer system to prevent overflows. Before project WIN, nearly 900 homes in the highland area were disposing of their excess rainwater through the sewage system. Today around 130 of those houses have been disconnected but there are still many more that constantly contribute to this problem. Once all houses have been disconnected, the combined sewer overflow will once and for all be closed.

I am proposing that the city of Louisville send out information to the houses suspected of having their downspout connected to the sewer system. They should be made aware of the problems that their house is creating for the visitors to Cherokee Park. On a larger scale, this flaw in the system is polluting the water of the creek that drains into the Ohio River and continues on to the Mississippi River. The owners of these homes are having a much larger negative impact on water quality than they could probably even imagine. By sending out the information about water quality of Beargrass Creek, project WIN, and the larger impact they are having, the citizens of the Highland of Louisville will be able to be aware of the issue, which creates a sense of urgency to the MSD workers. The home owners in question could use the information to verify that thier house is directly connecting the downspout into the sewer system. If there is confusion on this subject then they should ask a MSD representative to come verify the system. However, having each individual report their home structure and status would help to speed up the process. This problem will continue to cause harm if it is not dealt with appropriately, however the solution presented will be beneficial to the visitors of the park, the workers of MSD, and the city of Louisville at large.

Thank you,

Jill Jones