Opinion

articles about the governing ability with Peachtree City

can be tricky since a lot of things they accomplish are

outstanding when it comes to environmental matters.

And then

problems with a development area begin and, from what it

appears, they don't have a clue. I'm here to talk about

one of those clueless areas.

There are

numerous laws, regulations and ordinances which have been

set up to protect our natural environment. It can be

confusing to many of us when a problem comes up and we

begin to look around to find out who should be looking

into those problems.

The example

for this column is the development of the area West of

Ga. Highway 74, between the railroad tracks and the

Wynnmeade subdivision north from Ga. Highway 54. This

area contains several projects or parts of projects that

have been the subject of discussion in the newspaper many

times. As of this moment, the natural qualities of the

area have been badly messed up, and the remainder is in

danger. Some of the wetlands have disappeared, several

small streams have been altered significantly and

sediment runoff into Wynn's Pond and the Wynnmeade

subdivision has been a frequent occurrence.

I spent a

lot of hours sifting through Peachtree City's files for

the projects associated with this project area. After my

review of those files and field observations, I believe

that the only surprise here is that things are not worse.

I don't think it is possible to find anyone, developer or

city representative, that has a clear understanding of

what has happened, what will be happening next and more

importantly why these events occurred as they have.

From my

perspective it would be easy to provide a list of what I

consider the various offenders and to detail what I

believe were their particular offenses for the different

projects. However, in the long run, recounting past

problems doesn't really accomplish very much. I think

there are developers who implement those aspects of their

projects that the Peachtree officials really enforce, and

little more. That doesn't apply to all developers, but

the dollar savings to those developers who install only a

part of a sediment and erosion control plan or who

squeeze the wetlands a little bit, have an obvious

financial advantage.

Who then is

out there to protect our natural areas? I believe we must

turn to where we as citizens have placed our trust (and

tax dollars), and that is in the city's regulatory staff.

The enforcement responsibility and authority exist within

the city so we as citizens don't have to do the job. When

plans are proposed, a series of reviews are implemented

which require that a variety of protective measures be

included.

However,

once included in an approved plan, there must be constant

oversight to ensure that all parts of the plan are

installed and all are working. This concept is almost too

elementary, but it is here that the system seems to be

failing us. Of course they have heavy work loads, and

face developers who are slow to repair improperly placed

features and an even slower legal system that proving

inexpensive when a developer violates one or more of the

plan requirements. But there is also evidence, in the

city files, of confusion over what some of the various

laws require and who is suppose to enforce them. One of

the best examples is the federal Clean Water Act.

Everyone knows the law exists, but how it is applied, and

when, is evidently a mystery.

So the

result is, we are losing a part of our birthright, a

right to enjoy a clean and healthy environment. We lose

it while many fingers point in many other directions in

the hope of stopping pinning the responsibility on anyone

but ourselves. From what I saw in the files, I believe

that we all share some of the responsibility for what the

citizens of Wynnmeade are suffering.

Lest you

come to believe that the entire deck is stacked against

you and the Wynnmeade folks, there is a lot you can do.

Peachtree City has some very talented and honest

individuals working for them; despite what my opinions

here may seem to imply.

What is

lacking is strong citizen support of the existing

regulations and especially for those hired to enforce

those regulations. Obviously it is not possible for each

of you to attend every public hearing where the

controversial issues are considered and discussed. But it

is clearly within your power to attend a few of them or

better yet, let your representatives know that what they

as City Council hear from the staff should receive their

support.

At the same

time, the council needs to hear from you when you believe

something is not working right. Clearly it is my opinion

that it is time for a hard look at this problem with the

intent to take appropriate action.

The

citizens of Wynnmeade deserve some help here, just like

any of you were you forced to face similar problems. A

better understanding might also result which would

benefit all of us.

Dennis

Chase, now retired, was a fish and wildlife biologist

with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service for more than 26

years. Since retiring, he has worked as a consultant for

Fayette County on environmental concerns, is a volunteer

with the Southern Conservation Trust Inc., and has

published numerous newspaper columns.