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Letters: Up The Creeks
On What Goes In
May 16, 2013

To the Editor:

We need to protect our creeks.

The water quality of our creeks is so important to our local economy. The local fishermen that make a living from these waters, those of us that sail and paddle on the water and the real estate values that are tied to pristine creeks are all reliant on water quality.

That is why I was so alarmed when I saw that a resident on one of our local creeks was burning their trash in a barrel and then dragging it to the bank and dumping it into the creek. Previously I had found a dead Grebe in the water near the spot but had not yet seen this dumping.

When some forms of trash are burned they can form heavy metals and other toxins. This creek was actively being crabbed and I would have a concern for the safety of eating these crabs. If this resident needs to empty the trash burning barrel they could just dump it into a large trash bag and put the ashes in any of the green trash containers in town on a Sunday.

Also, this is the time of year that folks treat their yards. If you treat your yard before a rain you are wasting your money because the fertilizer, herbicides and pesticides will just run off your yard and into the creeks.

Exposure to yard and garden pesticides has been linked to increased risk of leukemia, cancer, kidney damage, genetic defects, asthma, and developmental and behavior disorders.

The herbicide 2, 4-D, a component of Agent Orange, is reportedly used in more than 1,500 lawn products. Some lawn care products are toxic to birds and beneficial insects, not to mention children, pets and our creeks.

Research what you put on your yard because it will eventually end up in the water that we all use. A slow release nitrogen works best with no phosphorus (that’s the middle number in a fertilizer formula and 15-0-15 works best on Centipede Grass like VPG Fert-Lome Centipede Lawn Fertilizer).

Thanks,
Bill Hines
Creek Keeper
Oriental
5/16/13


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