Community invited to discuss local project to restore watershed on June 2
BY KADIE VICK
FOR THE OBSERVER
AUBURN — The Friends of Moore’s Mill Creek (FMMC), a local watershed restoration project, recently held its first public meeting and has set the next meeting date of June 3.
The term watershed is described on the project website as, “a naturally defined area of land that drains to a river or creek, and eventually into a body of water or the ocean. Everyone lives in a watershed.”
One of the goals of the FMMC is to identify issues that are contributing to the watershed’s disturbances. According to Project Manager Laura Cooley, it suffers from an excess of sediment and pathogens.
“What this project is doing is trying to identify what can we do about some of those issues — what are the causes and how can we think long-term about how we want to work together to make improvements,” Cooley said. “So generally speaking, the project goals are finding ways to prevent and reduce sediment and pathogen transfer long-term.”
Cooley hopes those living and working within the watershed will attend the meetings and collaborate on ways to identify and mitigate the issues affecting it.
“I want to work with the public and with the city,” she said. “This is the sharpshooter stakeholder group. You all live and work in the watershed, and you want to be part of long-term action.”
Those who attended were asked to share their connection to the watershed and encouraged to ask questions. Attendees varied from members of local organizations, business owners, professional environmental experts and residents living within the watershed.
For those who did not attend the first meeting, there will be another one on Monday, June 3, from 5 to 6 p.m. at the CASIC building at Auburn University to introduce the project, cover project goals and discuss opportunities for engagement and next steps.
“Public engagement is a necessity in this project, and we welcome participation and insight,” Cooley said. “Once the watershed plan is updated under EPA standards, the watershed will be eligible to receive funding for water quality improvement projects. This project is funded by a Clean Water Act grant from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.”
To learn more about this project and how to get involved, visit the FMMC website: aub.ie/mooresmill.