Sam McCoy and Scott Gurley at the City of Bessemer Storm Water Department Lunch & Learn on Wednesday, Oct. 14.
Nearly 40 people attended the City of Bessemer Storm Water Department Lunch & Learn program on Wednesday, Oct. 14.
The educational event was held in the Multipurpose Room at Bessemer City Hall.
Scott Gurley is the director of the Bessemer Storm Water Department.
Freshwater Land Trust Land Stewardship Director Sam McCoy was the guest speaker.
A graduate of Western Carolina University with a Master of Biology, McCoy spoke on stormwater benefits of stream restoration.
The mission of the organization is to protect environmentally significant land in central Alabama and to grow the Red Rock Trail System in Jefferson County.
Their motto is “Protect land for better water.”
The number one pollutant in waterways is sediment.
McCoy, 36, said, “The Freshwater Land Trust can do stream restoration to improve the aquatic habitat for the flora and fauna, but it also has important benefits for the people around the streams.”
He discussed stormwater benefits of stream restoration including primary flood mitigation and water quality improvement by reducing erosion.
Now in their 30th year, the Freshwater Land Trust continues working toward the restoration of Turkey Creek, Beaver Creek and the Cahaba River at Grants Mill. The Cahaba River is the most biologically diverse in Alabama.