As you may already know the TPC Mitchell Pond is the preferred fishing ground for our Eagles Glen and Piper. Unfortunately thanks to NC DOT and the 485 Toll Lane Construction their food source has been under attack.
This aerial photo was taken in January of 2022. The color something close to coffee with a triple helping of creamer. Two years earlier is was a dark olive drab color with a visual depth of about 2.5 feet vs zero visibility in January of 2022.
And the source?
An open culvert 4/10ths of a mile south surrounded by highway construction site work, that is part of the new I-485 Toll Lane expansion.
By April of 2023 thanks to the efforts of the TPC Golf Course Superintendent in convincing NCDOT that the mud was coming from their project, the flow had slowed and the pond started showing a slight improvement.
But that damage had already been done. The lake is now shallower, the bottom covered in thick yellow muck. The water temperature may have changed as well. No fish kills have been reported, that we are aware of, but it remains a concern to our waterfowl and eagle's long term health.
North Carolina Fish and Wildlife is also aware of this concern.
Still the fact that this happened is troubling. It is frankly unimaginable that the largest, most regulated, inspected and monitored construction project in Southern Mecklenburg County history could for months spew uncontrolled hard surface runoff, unrestricted silt and mud into a 20 acre lake. This is a stunning failure of regulatory and municipal enforcement.
Our fear, is that given the massive size and scope of the Gillespie Rea Road Project and that the adjoining wetlands are less than 200 yards away, that this environmentally critical area will suffer the same or worse fate.
We continue to ask Charlotte City Council to deny the rezoning request, protecting the area's wildlife, preventing additional burdens to our infrastructure, including public safety, roads and our schools and to preserve the character of our neighborhood.
Thank You for signing our Petition and spreading the word about our Eagles and this property, the last remaining green space of this size inside the 485 beltway.
Read more about our Eagles Glen and Piper here: https://rearoadneighborhood.blogspot.com/