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| By tricities.com - James Shea |
| Published: 12/29/2011 |
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BRISTOL, Va. - -- The grass sprouted throughout the former cattle pasture in a matter of weeks, spreading across the valley like a green carpet. Spectra Energy had installed a gas pipeline through the field north of downtown Bristol in the 1960s and it was later expanded in the 1980s. The company is undergoing another expansion project, including a separate line to the John Sevier fossil power plant. As part of the expansion of the main line, Spectra officials talked about funding a conservation project. At the same time, local conservation officials wanted to find a way to get cattle away from a spring-fed stream that ran through the middle of the pasture. The grazing cattle had destroyed the riparian zone along the stream and it was believed that moving the cattle would help restore the land. Long been used by the Bristol, Va., Sheriff’s Office to raise cattle that feed inmates at the city jail, the farm also serves as a work project for prisoners. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and the Holston River Soil and Water Conservation District saw the property as an opportunity for a public-private partnership to restore the land and improve water quality. Holston River Soil and Water Conservation District Conservation Specialist Meg Short said the partners in the project worked well together to protect water quality in the region. “They are setting a good example in this watershed,” Short said. The project cost $80,000 and Spectra Energy donated around 60 percent of the cost. Virginia’s Water Quality Improvement Fund from the Department of Conservation and Recreation paid the rest of the bill. “There are efforts to address agricultural runoff,” city Sheriff Jack Weisenburger said. “We began a cooperative effort, a partnership if you will.” A deal was reached with an adjacent property owner, and the sheriff’s office signed a 10-year lease to graze its cattle. The land is above most of the water drainages in the area, which helps protect water resources. Spectra Energy dug the trench for the larger pipe over the summer and replanted the pasture land with native grasses after the cattle were moved. Read More. |
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