Chattanooga greenway creaks along

A greenway connecting Brainerd Levee to the Tennessee Riverpark moved nearer completion with construction of a bridge across South Chickamauga Creek and completion of one and one-quarter miles of paved trail. Brainerd Levee is an earthen embankment along a straightened segment of the creek near the Chattanooga airport, popular with runners and bikers. Eventually seven miles of greenway will link the levee and park, and the new trail spans the middle of that segment. The city is still acquiring rights-of-way for the remainder. Future improvements near the new segment include a boat launch and trail head on Harrison Pike. The creek drains some 250,000 acres, most of it in North Georgia, and has suffered declining water quality due to development and poor agricultural practices, but it still supports a variety of aquatic wildlife.

Bear tries to eat boy

A yearling bear attacked an eight-year-old boy Aug. 12 on the Rainbow Falls Trail near Gatlinburg. The 86-pound bear bit and clawed the boy and his father, who twice pulled open the bear's jaws to free his son. The boy's older brother used rocks and sticks to fend off the bear. The father lost his shoes during the struggle, and one was found in the bear's stomach during its necropsy. The bear later charged rangers and was shot. The boy needed 35 stitches, but his wounds were not serious, and he was released from the hospital after treatment. The Florida family cut its vacation short. The bear was not rabid, and the unprovoked attack occurred when the boy got ahead of his father and brother on the trail, leading Park officials to conclude the attack was predatory.

Nuke plants in hot water

July brought afternoon thunderstorms and above normal rainfall to parts of the Tennessee Valley, but not enough to break the drought. Tributary reservoirs came within 10 feet of normal levels, but most did not fill before the summer drawdown began. Dry soils limited runoff to nearly half normal, and some streams remain at record low flows. Extreme drought persists on the western slopes of the Appalachians. To meet temperature and navigation needs, TVA doubled the flow rate at Chickamauga Dam on Aug. 1 and upped releases at all its dams. The main channel must remain deep enough to support barge traffic, and both nuclear power plants and aquatic life need water temperatures to stay mild. Browns Ferry nuclear plant ran at low power to prevent release of overheated effluent into the Tennessee River after a cooling system failure. A transformer powering the cooling tower failed, and before it could be repaired, the backup transformer failed, forcing TVA to slow all three reactors. The Unit 1 reactor, restarted last year, developed a steam leak and had to be fully shut down. At Watts Bar, a slowdown to check a hydrogen leak triggered a steam valve failure and a reactor shut down. Hydroelectric production has also been down due to the drought.

Snake traders busted in Kentucky

Ten men were charged in July with illegal possession or trafficking of wildlife following a two-year undercover operation by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. More than 100 snakes were confiscated, with more than half taken from the home of Pastor Gregory Coots of the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus Name church in Middlesboro, Ky. In 1995, a woman died after being bitten by a rattlesnake during worship in that church. Snakes were confiscated from private homes, and it was not clear whether any were used in church services. Kentucky wildlife officers bought more than 200 snakes during a sting operation codenamed "Twice Shy." Many of the snakes were native species -- copperheads, cottonmouths and timber rattlers -- likely taken from the wild, but a few were exotics from Africa or Asia. An alligator was confiscated along with the snakes, and all the reptiles were given to the Kentucky Reptile Zoo. Most of the arrested men faced dozens of charges. Coots plead guilty to some of the charges and agreed to pay $6,400 in fines.

Oil in the Obed

Clear Creek will take 172 years to recover from an oil-well fire in July 2002, according to a damage assessment published by TDEC and federal agencies. Restoration of natural resources was estimated at $28,772, lost fishing and paddling days at $56,446 and costs to public agencies responding to the incident totaled $151,835. The agency recommended the responsible parties contribute about $500,000 toward improving aquatic resources in Centennial Park in Crossville as mitigation for the damage. Pryor Oil, owner of the well, will be given an opportunity to settle the matter before any lawsuits are filed. The fire and spill occurred when a test drill by Highland Drilling Company, Inc. of Kingston struck a pressurized oil pocket about 2,500 feet below the surface. Thousands of barrels worth of oil rose to the surface, catching fire as crews attempted to contain the spill. The fire burned a swath about an acre in area so intensely the soil and seed bank were destroyed. Though the well was capped as soon as the fire was extinguished, oil continues to leak into Clear Creek, particularly when water levels drop. Pryor Oil maintains absorbent booms along the bank, though the report said the equipment appears neglected. The company did not respond to several invitations to participate in assessment. Clear Creek is the major northern fork of the Obed River, and the well was drilled atop the northern bluff between Double Drop Falls and the confluence of White and Clear Creeks. A federal Wild and Scenic River, the entire Obed system is managed as wilderness. In a recent publication, the National Parks Conservation Association cited the Obed as one of ten Park Service units most vulnerable to degradations from inholdings of private land. Oil and natural gas wells are often drilled on such land, and luxury homes built along the rim are often visible to paddlers and hikers. Because of inadequate Congressional appropriations, the Land & Water Conservation Fund sometimes turns away willing sellers of such inholdings. Managers of several state and federal lands in East Tennessee are studying whether to allow new and refurbished wells on public lands, and a Canadian firm began drilling adjacent to the site of the fire last summer, hoping to tap the same pocket of oil, which they believe could produce over 10,000 barrels of high quality oil per day.

How do you like those dumplins

Having spent the past year flattening the hills on either side of a Dumplin Creek tributary, Kodak Land Partners, LLC of Knoxville proposes to restore the stream as mitigation for burying another. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation will hold a public hearing at the Sevierville Civic Center on June 6 at 7 p.m. to explain the Aquatic Resource Alteration Permit. Comments will be accepted until June 16. A 665-foot stream will be buried and replaced by underground drains for the parking lot and stores built on top of it, if the permit is granted. A 1,770-foot stream with an earthen-dam farm pond will be restored to more natural conditions. The dam will be removed, and riparian vegetation will be established along the stream, which is currently partially forested. The stream will accept runoff from some of the surrounding development. TDEC has ruled the project will not degrade water quality. Dumplin Creek joins the French Broad River near Kodak and carries runoff from several miles of Interstate 40.

Eagle double bogeys

The Sevierville Public Building Authority proposed filling 17 wetlands along the free-flowing Little Pigeon River to expand Eagle Creek Golf Course and straighten Old Knoxville Highway. The project would relocate more than 2,000 feet of Gist Creek and a tributary, eliminate two unnamed tributaries and culvert additional stream footage. To mitigate this impact, the PBA offered to restore 1,500 feet of a nearby stream and create more than 9 acres of wetlands along the fringes of golf-course water hazards. Other golf course expansion projects included adding fill atop a river island to support fairways and greens.