I have known that there was a controversy brewing regarding plans by "movers and shakers" in Paducah who have a riverfront development plan that in some way was going to impact some federally endangered mussel species in the Ohio River. I didn't have the time to get deeply involved in the issue, but I knew that other people did have concerns that the development was going to impact these species, and that politics would rule over the environment and that these mussels would be quietly destroyed and no one would ever know.

Although I have been aware for a couple months that someone, and I do not know who nor do I really care to know, apparently approached the Center for Biological Diversity about the issue. The CBD looked at the situation and some emails went out to some people (like me) who are known to have been concerned about the environment asking for people to sign on as plaintiffs in challenging the development plan. Apparently they found some folks who said yes.

Just a couple weeks ago there was an article in the Paducah Sun reporting that the CBD had filed some kind of administrative action against the city and the Corps of Engineers I guess challenging their development plan. There wasn't a lot of detail in the story, and up to that point, I still didn't understand exactly what actions the city was planning that was going to impact the mussels. I assumed it was a boat dock for large riverboats that involved putting pilings into the bed and allowing boats with overly deep drafts which would dig into the mussel beds. But in the back of my mind, that didn't seem like enough to really shut down the development because large boats already nose right up to the foot of Broadway, and the tugs are all over the place.

Last night, though, while visiting some friends, I got a much more detailed informal presentation on exactly what is going on with the situation, and I understand much better now why the controvery has built and why the CBD got involved.

Basically, what the city is planning is to fill into the Ohio River right on top of the mussel bed. That fill will purportedly, although I doubt it, block the current coming off the Tennessee River right after the confluence and allow the city to install some boat slips behind the fill. There are more details which I won't go into right now, but when I heard that the city thought that they could fill right on top of a mussel bed with endangered mussels, I understood why the CBD got involved. Apparently, Sen. McConnell has promised the city $10 million in one of his "earmarks" (aren't those no good anymore?) to move forward with this development if they can get the plan approved. I don't see that happening anytime soon.

I also got to see an alternative development plan drawn up by a local retired architect that would avoid the mussel bed, free up 12 acres that are now outside the flood wall, and expand the main downtown area. Unfortunately, up to this point, city leaders are too stubborn to consider it. It's going to be an interesting several months as this issue progresses. I'll write more about it later.