By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
A routine, late summer capital improvement project has led to environmental concerns at Cravath Lake and other surrounding natural areas, though city officials say steps have been taken to address the issue.
City Manager Cameron Clapper discussed how resurfacing municipal parking lots led to the environmental concerns at a Common Council meeting Sept. 6.
In his report to the council, Clapper confirmed “stormwater runoff associated with rain that fell shortly after the first few lots were resurfaced on Aug. 23 triggered a cleanup effort that has been ongoing since Aug. 26.”
The city has a total of 11 municipal parking lots in the downtown area, and the timing between the parking lot maintenance and the rainfall led to the stormwater runoff into the lake.
Clapper said a confluence of natural events – including three inches of rainfall in a relatively short period of time – led to the unforeseen circumstances. At the time the rain fell, Clapper said several lots had not been adequately dried.
Once city staffers discovered there had been environmental contamination, Clapper said a number of steps were taken to rectify the issue as quickly as possible.
“The city has contracted with SET Environmental Inc. for professional cleanup services,” Clapper said. “Staff has also been in contact with representatives from the Wisconsin Department of Natural resources, Jefferson County and Meigs Asphalt and Paving regarding the lots and the water runoff.”
The state DNR places stiff penalties on agencies found in contempt of contaminating waterways. That reality, coupled with additional rainfall forecast immediately after the discovery, was reason for city officials to expedite their efforts toward as swift a cleanup as possible, Clapper said.
The city is at the final stages of the cleanup effort, Clapper said. At this point, he said it is difficult to pinpoint a projected cost estimate.
