Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Tubing the Trinity Cancelled

Apparently there was a lot of crap talked at the Tarrant Regional Water Board meeting yesterday.

How would the General Manager not know that the Floating with Feces / Rocking the River on the Trinity was cancelled?

WHY would board members not vote to spend money to protect public health?  WHY would the paper not say any of it but say there was a unanimous vote when there wasn't?

Mr. Dickson, I attended this entire board meeting and was pleased to see Director Kelleher vote on a number of issues, BUT, she DID NOT vote to approve money for Trinity Uptown. In fact, She spoke about moving funds to issues she found much more important. One of which was an independent study to find a way to clean up the TRWD's recreational water (including the Trinity). As she put it, "Since we are inviting people to get in and tube in the river, shouldn't we make sure it's safe?" Director Kelleher also noted that at least twice the "Tubing the river" had to be cancelled due to high levels of fecal matter in the water. Mr. Oliver (General Manager TRWD) said he was unaware of this, but Mr. Thomas (Assistant General Manager TRWD) indicated they indeed have cancelled people getting in the river due to the E.Coli levels. But while Director Kelleher's vote was wrong in this story on "economic development" this article is silent on her moves at the board to bring forward a real public health issue. By the way, No other member of the TRWD board would second Director Kelleher's motion for a $200,000 study to identify was to make the TRWD water safe for recreation. I guess we're just stuck looking at the "Don't eat the fish" signs put up by parks and wildlife as we watch our children and friends wade into the river. But then again, maybe I just have my priorities wrong.
John Basham · Fort Worth, Texas

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