Kitty Creek in the news again

Please click on image to ENLARGE view of Kitty Creek as photographed on December 5, 2008, by a resident of a neighborhood along E. Stearns Street. Fayetteville city equipment was dredging the stream just west of N. Downing Court (see by the aerial view below that the stream has been dredged and straightened in the past). Neighbors complained to ADEQ, which learned that the city has planned to dredge more of the stream south of the street as well. Apparently, the city now will be required to get a Corps of Engineers permit for further dredging. The irony, of course, is that the city should be the agency PREVENTING such violations of Stormwater II regulations, not the jurisdiction violating the intention of the regulations.


Email from a concerned resident of the Kitty Creek area of north Fayetteville:
The creek that runs by my house (Kitty Creek) has been attacked within the last few days by heavy equipment. First they cleared most of the riparian vegetation and vegetation in the creek, and in the last few days have made a mess with a track hoe and other equipment directly in the creek. It’s all mud right now.

The City of Fayetteville just completed a stream restoration project in Gulley Park that cost over $200,000 and used outside consultants/designers/contractors…but Kitty Creek is getting trashed by who? The city? Some guys with track hoes that they paid to clean it out?

I’m planning on contacting ADEQ as well…maybe a newspaper or two. It seems like we spend the money making a show of restoring one stream, but go for trashing when other creeks run to Oklahoma. Or it only counts if it’s visible in a park.

Aubrey's note: Thanks for the heads up and the photos.