MCKINNEY WANTS TO STOP FURTHER CONSTRUCTION
OF WALDROP
HILLS SUBDIVISION TO ASSESS ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE
July 2, 1999
WASHINGTON D.C. -- On Monday,
Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) requested
DeKalb CEO Liane Levetan to place a stop-work
order on the Waldrop Hills subdivision development
so as to assess environmental damage at the site.
The developer of the site has cleared vegetation
and disturbed land within 25 feet, and for a length
of more than 100 feet, of the South River, a violation
of Georgia's Erosion and Sedimentation Act of
1975.
"The South River is the main
watershed of our County. It is essential
to DeKalb County and its residents that it is
protected from pollution and sedimentation - and
from developments such as Waldrop Hills.
This encroachment on the river not only undermines
the quality of the river and our local environment,
but it also puts in doubt the enforcement capability
of the county," McKinney stated.
The DeKalb Soil and Water
Conservation District has recommended to DeKalb
County that work on the site be stopped until
"proper retribution for this encroachment" can
be assessed.
McKinney has pressed upon
CEO Levetan on this site in the past. The
site, which was approved before DeKalb's new tree
ordinance, has been clear-cut on its 86 acres,
rendering it prone to erosion and making it a
culprit in the pollution of the South River.