Public Hearing: Arsenic in Wateree River

Tuesday, March 9th at 6:30PM SC DHEC will hold a public hearing to see if anyone cares that they are removing the limits of arsenic levels going into the river from the coal plant in Lower Richland. The same plant that DHEC recently permitted a 17 story high coal ash waste storage facility. The same location that recently had a leak from one of it’s unlined storage ponds.

Help protect the citizens of Richland County. Come to the meeting and say “set limits on discharge arsenic levels” or write DHEC by March 12th. Send letters to: SC DHEC attn: M. Vickers Bureau of Water notice # 10-014-M, 2600 Bull Street, Columbia, SC 29201 vickermg@dhec.sc.gov

Emails are accepted as official public comment to the permit.

March 9, 2010 Posted in: ACTION ALERT, Environmental Concern, Public Hearing No Comments

March 24th Banff Mountain Film Festival

Wednesday, March 24, 7pm – 10pm

University of South Carolina, Russell House Ballroom

The Banff Mountain Film Festival, held annually in Banff, Canada, celebrates mountain film culture. After the official festival ends the films are sent on a world tour. Half-Moon Outfitters will host the world tour stop here in Columbia. For tickets contact Half-Moon Outfitters: (803) 929-0771 All proceeds from this event will be donated to The SC Nature Conservancy.

March 4, 2010 Posted in: Public Events No Comments

Feb 25th DHEC hearing Alpine Utilities

Attend the DHEC hearing on Thursday at 7:00PM , 2600 Bull Street, 3rd Floor,
Peeples Auditorium. The Q&A session will begin at 6PM.

To read a briefing paper issued by Alan Mehrzad, Congaree Riverkeeper, just click on the line to the left titled ”Alpine Utilities Briefing”.

February 25, 2010 Posted in: ACTION ALERT, Public Hearing No Comments

March 4th “Focus on Transit”

Our March 4th meeting will be at the Capital Senior Center .

Mitzi Javers, Executive Director of CMRTA, will be our guest speaker at our meeting next Thursday. She will outline the recommended upgrades to the transit system and explain the process that will determine the ballot question on funding that will hopefully be presented for a vote in November.

Citizen support is key in implementing a successful public transportation system in the Midlands. This meeting is open to all who are interested.

February 25, 2010 Posted in: Alternative transportation, Member event, Public Events No Comments

Register to Vote

The City of Columbia will hold elections for Mayor and other council members on April 6th. You must be a registered voter at least 30 days prior to an election. Click HERE for instructions.

February 19, 2010 Posted in: ACTION ALERT, Public Events Comments Closed

Feb 22, Mayoral Candidate Forum on Environment

Join us at 701 Whaley Street in the Olympia Room next to the Gallery, to hear the candidates weigh in on creating a sustainable city and addressing environmental concerns. We will begin with a meet & greet at 5:30 till 6PM when the forum begins.

The 701 Center for Contempoary Art will have a bar set up in the Gallery and a live auction of art from the Olympia Exhibit following the Forum.

Come and join the excitement at 701!

February 14, 2010 Posted in: Education Opportunity, In the news, Member event, Public Events Comments Closed

Recycle Your Phone Books

Phone Book Recycling

From February 1 through March 15, phone books will be accepted at all 11 Collection and Recycling Centers in Lexington County for recycling. For additional locations, visit the Keep the Midlands Beautiful website at:

www.keepthemidlandsbeautiful.com

Did you know?

The EPA estimates that 650,000 tons of phonebooks are delivered annually to 100 million households in the United States. Producing those 650,000 tons of phone books uses 11.6 billion gallons of water and sends 1,650,880 tons of Carbon Dioxide into the air (CO2 is a greenhouse gas and contributes to global wa…rming). The EPA estimates that only 18% of the phone books that are discarded in the United States each year are recycled. That leaves 533,000 tons to take up 1,758,900 cubic yards of landfill space.

February 12, 2010 Posted in: Public Events Comments Closed

Feb 25th Public Hearing for Alpine Utilities

On Thursday, Feb 25 DHEC is holding a public hearing regarding Alpine Utilities and their discharge to Stoop Creek. There will be an informal Q/A session and summary presentation of the draft permit before the hearing. Alpine Utilities Inc. is the private wastewater treatment facility that spilled untreated and partially treated sewage into the lower Saluda in the Summer of 2008. They were recently fined by the EPA. See the article in The State.

This link accesses DHEC’s public notice and the proposed permit (in PDF format)

HEARING DETAILS:

Thursday, February 25, 2010 at 7:00 PM, 3rd Floor, Peeples Auditorium, 2600 Bull Street, (preceded by an informal Q/A meeting) Columbia, SC 29201.
Before the hearing, at 6:00 PM, DHEC will hold an informal meeting to summarize the draft permit and answer questions.
Enter SCDHEC building from the main entrance on Bull Street side.

HEARING PURPOSE:

DHEC is seeking public input on this proposed permit reissuance, and invites interested people to a public hearing and/or to provide written comments on this surface water discharge permit.

NOTICE PURPOSE:

On December 1, 2009, SCDHEC issued Public Notice #09-198-R. Subsequently, we are scheduling a public hearing. DHEC proposes to reissue the discharge permit for disposal of treated wastewater from the Alpine Utilities Inc., Stoop Creek Wastewater Treatment Facility. Good news

February 11, 2010 Posted in: Public Events Comments Closed

Backyard Chickens

As part of the Slow Food and Food Security movement backyard chickens are gaining popularity in many of our nations “best places to live” cities. Chickens, not roosters, are being welcomed as the pet that gives back. Eggs for your table and fertilizer for your garden. If you support this movement you may want to contact your Columbia City Council Representative and tell them to vote YES for the upcoming ordinance. See our Government directory page for contact information.

February 11, 2010 Posted in: In the news, Land Use Comments Closed