Hunter Mistake?
Last night the Sierra Club hosted a presentation on the proposed Hunter Lake given by two leaders of a new group that is tentatively named "Save the land, stop the dam." Although, I think they should reconsider naming it Stop The Dam group or "STD" for short.
Their central argument is that Springfield's water needs can be better met through other methods for lower costs financially and fewer costs to the environment. Over the past few decades, water consumption has fallen nationally and has grown slowly in Springfield. It sounds odd to say that water consumption has fallen, but its true due to conservation measures and more efficient use of existing water resources. For example, low-flow toilets and more efficient industrial practices have made significant reductions in water use.
City Water Light and Power recently made a commitment to massively expand its energy conservation and efficiency programs as part of its clean energy agreement with the Sierra Club. A similar program for water use could eliminate the need for a second lake.
Additionally, the presenters argued that we could acquire additional water resources more cheaply by building new wells in the area. Either of those options would ease the pressures on our water supply without the rate increases that will be required for Hunter Lake.
The only potential large increases to local demand for water are the new ethanol plants proposed for the area. Ethanol plants require tremendous amounts of water and the proposed plant at Waverly was approved before questions were answered about where their water supply would come from. That lead to renewed discussions about building Hunter Lake, which was first proposed in the 1950's. Bill Crook made the point that it makes far more sense to place ethanol plants on major rivers where you don't have to move large amounts of water through pipelines.
For me, the highlight of the program was the slide presentation showing the beauty of the area where the new Lake is proposed. Apparently, if you ran a trail along both sides of the two creeks, it would amount to about 90 miles of trail.
Besides the natural wooded areas, the land also includes several historic structures. The first settler in Sangamon County lived on this land. It also includes an old tavern that is still standing where Stephen Douglas spoke to a gathering of Democrats during his 1860 campaign for President.
Cities that have the most successful tourist industries are ones that offer a variety of attractions. Springfield is lucky to have the Lincoln sites and the new Presidential Museum, but what else are we offering visitors that will entice them to spend more than a day here?
If the land CWLP owns at the proposed site is turned into a nature preserve, with hiking trails, potentially camping, and even restored historic sites, it would offer a wonderful attraction for visitors and area residents. Other counties of similar size, such as Champaign County, have their own nature preserves. Why not Sangamon? It would provide more recreational opportunities than the proposed lake, which will be too shallow to be used in the same way as Lake Springfield.
There are other options for what to do with the land if the dam is not built, such as selling it on the market. However, I like the idea of improving the quality of life in the area and the potential to add another attraction for visitors that would accompany the creation of a Hunter Nature Preserve.
This was the first showing of the presentation but I know they would like to speak to other groups. It's definitely worth seeing for anyone who wants to learn more about this issue.