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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2009 > October > 09 > Entry
Kevin Riley: Swedish visitors impressed by Dayton
A group of officials from Sweden visited Dayton last week, traveling halfway round the world to find out about the Miami Valley’s waterways.
The Swedes met with folks involved with caring for and planning for our rivers — and even spent a little time paddling down the Mad River in kayaks.
Watch a video of their trip down the river
So why exactly were they here?
The group included representatives of the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, local governments and farming industry.
In their part of the world, there is great concern over pollution of the Baltic Sea, they said.
Sweden has a long coastline along the Baltic. The unique nature and geography of the Baltic make it especially vulnerable to pollution. Matters are further complicated because at least nine different countries border the sea and five more countries are within the Baltic Sea’s watershed.
The Swedes believe they must find innovative ways to protect the water’s health.
The Baltic’s oxygen levels — and ability to sustain marine life — are being damaged by discharges and runoff from wastewater treatment plants, agricultural operations and other industry.
We have similar challenges in the United States in important watersheds — the Chesapeake Bay, Gulf of Mexico or Great Lakes, for example.
It’s an issue long ago recognized in the Great Miami River Watershed, and the Swedes were here to understand a program we have in place to protect the water through cooperation of the interests involved — and a free-market system.
The system is called the Great Miami River Watershed Water Quality Credit Trading Program. OK, it’s a mouthful — and I didn’t ask how you say that in Swedish.
It’s also a little complicated to understand — and you can pass over these next few paragraphs of explanation, but still get the ideas behind the Swedes’ visit.
Obviously the local program is getting international attention. It works like this:
- The goal is to reduce overall pollution “runoff.” Much of that runoff comes from farmers’ fertilizer and manure that gets into rivers and streams.
- Farmers agree to change their operations to reduce runoff; they get the money they need to finance the changes.
- The money comes from wastewater treatment plants downstream from the farmers. The plants receive credit for expected reductions in pollution.
- By getting credit for the reduced pollution, wastewater treatment plants hope to spend less money to upgrade equipment needed to treat the wastewater and meet government standards.
- The farming changes provide better environmental results over a larger area and in more rivers and streams than the wastewater treatment plant improvements would provide.
The Dayton-area program is considered a big success. Part of the trick is to get people working together when they’re not used to it.
For example, farmers — often independent sorts, suspicious of government and regulators — can believe they bear too much of the blame for environmental problems.
Wastewater treatment plant operators are reluctant to invest large sums of money in equipment that will only provide a partial solution.
According to Dusty Hall, of the Miami Conservancy District, the Swedes’ agenda had them spending time with the EPA, government officials, farmers and the people who run wastewater treatment plants.
They also met folks at the University of Dayton’s River Institute, a unique program that seeks to engage students with the region’s rivers.
A highlight of the visit was a kayak trip down the Mad River from Eastwood Lake to downtown, courtesy of Whitewater Warehouse.
The Swedes were chatting as they paddled down the river, clearly impressed by both our waterways and our methods for protecting them.
Almost on cue at one point during the trip, a great blue heron glided over the group as one member fumbled with a camera, hoping to get a picture.
As Linda Karlsson of the Swedish EPA put it: “You get a whole different view from the water.” The group saw things about us that we sometimes overlook.
Karlsson said she came away with a positive view of Dayton, and said the Rivers Institute concept was one the group would take back to Sweden.
“We’re impressed by the community … how everyone is working together on improving the rivers,” she said.
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Comments
By Bob540
October 13, 2009 12:50 PM | Link to this
Sometimes it is hard for locals to see the good things in their own backyard. Nice story.