Pollution

Danville will spend $5,400 to educate residents about stormwater pollution as part of a mandate under the federal Clean Water Act. The city will pay Bluegrass PRIDE - Personal Responsibility in a Desirable Environment - to teach residents how to prevent household pollution. City Manager Earl Coffey said Bluegrass PRIDE has developed a program for similar-sized cities in Kentucky. Danville has had to apply for a stormwater permit, as required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Dear Editor, I am afraid for our town because of what pollution and littering are doing to the nature in our town. I am learning about our town in Mrs. Stamp's class at Jennie Rogers Elementary School. I want the people who are building streets to not build very much. I want people that are polluting to stop. I want people who are littering to stop. We need to find a way to stop this. I am afraid for nature because people are building buildings, a parking garage, and houses in Danville.

FRANKFORT (AP) - A coal-fired power plant in Mercer County could be shut down if the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency prevails in a lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in Lexington. The suit alleges that Kentucky Utilities Co. violated the Clean Air Act by operating its plant in Mercer County without using the "best available" emission control technology. The result has been massive amounts of nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter released into the atmosphere, according to a 21-page complaint filed by government attorneys.

BURNSIDE, Ky.- East Kentucky Power Cooperative has announced plans to invest nearly $324 million in its John Sherman Cooper Station in Pulaski County. The cooperative plans to install pollution-reduction equipment to ensure environmental compliance and the future of the plant. "East Kentucky Power Cooperative provides power to more than 1 million Kentuckians, and Cooper Station is critical to making that happen," said Robert Marshall, president and CEO of EKPC. "This will be an investment in the long-term viability of Cooper Station and in the environmental well-being of Kentucky.

Gov. Ernie Fletcher recently announced the Kentucky Division of Conservation disbursed $181,437 to local conservation districts in February. Mercer County will receive $18,525.79. The cost-share funds were awarded in 14 counties for best management practices in serving to reduce water, land or air pollution caused by agricultural waste. Projects include: Covering manure stackpads, creating manure holding ponds, and poultry and livestock waste composting facilities. Establishing rotational grazing systems, which enable better erosion control and protect surface and ground water from nonpoint-source pollution.

Water samples taken prior to the start of construction of the beach at Cedar Creek Lake show acceptable levels of the kind of bacteria that could make people sick. Five samples taken at the beach area and the dam of Cedar Creek Lake ranged from two to 10 colonies per 100 milliliters of water of fecal coliforms, which include E. coli, a bug that can make you sick as a dog. Kentucky statute allows up to 200 colonies per 100 milliliters. The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services and county health departments' environmental personnel make sure all public swimming areas are free of fecal coliform pollution.

Dear Editor, In her letter to the editor on Dec. 21, is Louise Parrott kidding? Hasn't she ever experienced a Christmas without snow? To those who listen to Sean Hannity or any of the other conservative Republicans who say that global warming is a joke - come on. I have lived on this Earth for more than three decades and I have never experienced a Christmas with a 65-degree temperature. I do not understand how anyone could experience our current temperature without questioning why things are so much different than they used to be. Christmas with shorts on?

HARRODSBURG - State officials dispute the claim by the federal Environmental Protection Agency that Kentucky Utilities' E.W. Brown Electricity Generating Plant on Herrington Lake is the cause of pollution registered on a monitor in Lexington. The monitor on Limestone Street in the middle of the University of Kentucky campus is above acceptable levels for federal standards on airborne matter, such as soot and dust. Federal EPA officials believe the monitor is affected by emissions from KU's coal-burning plant.

STANFORD ? Lincoln Fiscal Court on Tuesday took its first small steps toward addressing concerns about water quality issues in the troubled Hanging Fork watershed area. Magistrates agreed to provide office space for a watershed coordinator paid for by an private foundation, though Magistrate Terry Wilcher balked at the idea of the county reimbursing the coordinator for mileage. Malissa McAlister, public outreach coordinator for the larger Dix River Watershed group, told magistrates the Hanging Fork coordinator's position is close to being funded for three years.

Dear Editor: With all of the political discussion about how best to protect our nation from the threat of terrorism, another security issue has escaped the attention it deserves. I refer to the need to safeguard the health of our natural environment. President Bush has not shown good leadership when it comes to our country's environmental health.Mr. Bush has ignored the sound research that underlies scientists' recommendations on forest management, global climate change, and control of air and water pollution.

The energy was high in the Fannie Bush Elementary gymnasium Friday afternoon as students heard a message from Earthman about treating the Earth with respect and preventing litter. Earthman, or Lanny Smith, an environmental activist currently based in Florida, led students through song, dance and a slide show, presenting them with facts about what has damaged the Earth and how to fix it. One fact he enlightened them with was that beverage containers make up 60 percent of litter in Kentucky.

HARRODSBURG ? The Mercer County Fiscal Court awarded a bid to J.W.I. Restoration in Winchester to clean out the ducts in the courthouse. Tim Peters, with Peters Construction Co., said the duct work will reveal to the court what is inside the ducts. "I'm pretty confident it's air pollution in that duct," he said. Peters said only one out of 11 ducts are having problems. Though Peters suspects air pollution, he said no one will be sure until J.W.I does its cleaning work.

STANFORD ? Lincoln Fiscal Court on Tuesday took its first small steps toward addressing concerns about water quality issues in the troubled Hanging Fork watershed area. Magistrates agreed to provide office space for a watershed coordinator paid for by an private foundation, though Magistrate Terry Wilcher balked at the idea of the county reimbursing the coordinator for mileage. Malissa McAlister, public outreach coordinator for the larger Dix River Watershed group, told magistrates the Hanging Fork coordinator's position is close to being funded for three years.

Dr. Matthew Sleeth of Wilmore, Ky., a former chief of medical staff of a large hospital, will never forget one of his young patients, 8-year-old Etta Green. It was a hot, humid and hazy day in the nation's capital, and TV meteorologists were warning people with illnesses not to be outside. But Etta and her brother went to a neighborhood playground and were running through a sprinkler to cool off when Etta had an asthma attack. At the hospital, Sleeth took Etta by her little hand and told her "I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you, sweetheart," as she looked into his eyes and squeezed his hand.

Dear Editor, In her letter to the editor on Dec. 21, is Louise Parrott kidding? Hasn't she ever experienced a Christmas without snow? To those who listen to Sean Hannity or any of the other conservative Republicans who say that global warming is a joke - come on. I have lived on this Earth for more than three decades and I have never experienced a Christmas with a 65-degree temperature. I do not understand how anyone could experience our current temperature without questioning why things are so much different than they used to be. Christmas with shorts on?

BURNSIDE, Ky.- East Kentucky Power Cooperative has announced plans to invest nearly $324 million in its John Sherman Cooper Station in Pulaski County. The cooperative plans to install pollution-reduction equipment to ensure environmental compliance and the future of the plant. "East Kentucky Power Cooperative provides power to more than 1 million Kentuckians, and Cooper Station is critical to making that happen," said Robert Marshall, president and CEO of EKPC. "This will be an investment in the long-term viability of Cooper Station and in the environmental well-being of Kentucky.

Lincoln County's Hanging Fork Creek is being polluted with sewage, according to a University of Kentucky water-quality study, and last Wednesday the Board of Health finally got to hear the details. At the quarterly Health Board meeting, members of the Dix River Watershed Council, comprised of representatives from UK, an environmental consulting firm and local landowners, presented their report on the condition of the Hanging Fork. None of the news was good. Twenty-four miles of the creek, which runs through the heart of the county, are unsafe for swimming, wading or fishing because of high levels of E. coli bacteria, according to the report by the UK Water Resource Research Institute.

Dear Editor, I am afraid for our town because of what pollution and littering are doing to the nature in our town. I am learning about our town in Mrs. Stamp's class at Jennie Rogers Elementary School. I want the people who are building streets to not build very much. I want people that are polluting to stop. I want people who are littering to stop. We need to find a way to stop this. I am afraid for nature because people are building buildings, a parking garage, and houses in Danville.

As part of Bluegrass PRIDE's Bring on the Barrels project, five rain barrels are displayed throughout Danville and will be there until the end of May. They can be found at Danville's city hall, the Community Arts Center, the Historic Antique Mall, The Hub Coffee House & Cafe and The Maple Tree Gallery. These rain barrels were painted by artists and students from Mercer County. Bring on the Barrels is a project that encourages citizens to become aware of water quality issues, especially in the springs.

FRANKFORT (AP) - A coal-fired power plant in Mercer County could be shut down if the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency prevails in a lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in Lexington. The suit alleges that Kentucky Utilities Co. violated the Clean Air Act by operating its plant in Mercer County without using the "best available" emission control technology. The result has been massive amounts of nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter released into the atmosphere, according to a 21-page complaint filed by government attorneys.