Swamp off KY 229 may be turned into wetland

By Tara Kaprowy
Staff Writer

April 29, 2008 09:38 pm

— An area eyesore may be turned into an environmentally friendly wetland that could, at once, lessen the effects of pollution and offer educational possibilities for kids.
Mayor Troy Rudder met with the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund Board and Third Rock Consultants last week to discuss a tract of land that, for years, has been a veritable swamp.
The 100 acres of land are located near the railroad tracks on KY 229.
Years ago, the property served as a natural wetland that helped filter the water that eventually spilled into the Little Laurel River.
“But that area has been logged and probably farmed so it’s not functioning naturally anymore,” Third Rock Biologist Tony Miller said.
As a result, the land doesn’t flood properly. During a storm, the runoff water that flows from Main Street and elsewhere in London spills onto the water-covered land. But because the land has been depleted of trees and top soil, the runoff water that collects there moves down the connecting stream too quickly. In turn, all of the pollution that is in the runoff water flows downstream and eventually pours into the Corbin City Reservoir.
But if the land functioned as a wetland, the effects of the pollution would be less.
“Wetlands are kind of like nature’s kidneys,” Miller explained. “The wetland processes all that pollution.”
The goal is to reclaim the area by recreating the wetland, which would involve planting swamp hardwood trees such as sweet gum and swamp white oaks, as well as emergent plants such as sweet flag.
“They would all be native plants to the area,” Miller said.
The hope is that water fowl and amphibian habitats would also be reestablished.
The area would then be turned into an educational park, complete with boardwalks and interpretative signs.
“It’s good for what we need it for and good for school kids to go and see the wetland in its natural setting,” Rudder said. “There is an educational component.”
Paying for the project is still up in the air, but Rudder is hoping state and federal grants will kick in the lion’s share of the cost.
“The city would just be responsible for upkeep,” Rudder said.
Already, the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund Board has agreed to send out independent appraisers to assess the land’s worth. Once the appraisers have looked at the land, they will decide if they will agree to pay for its purchase — assuming property owners are willing to sell.
If the land can be purchased, Third Rock Consultants already have funds they can use toward the design and construction of the project.
Miller feels the wetland would be a boon to the county.
“Wetlands are so incredibly rare in eastern Kentucky,” he said. “This area is a completely unique ecological habitat.”
In terms of whether the land could be developed for other purposes, Miller said it could.
“But it will be very difficult because of all the fill (that would be needed),” he said. “Also, they would have to pay fees for destroying wetlands. It would make development very undesirable because of the permit.”

Staff writer Tara Ka-prowy can be reached by e-mail tkaprowy@sentinel-echo.com.

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