Dog River Trash Pollution Woes Continue

So, how is Mobile's new $660,000 Litter Trap doing after a trash gushing rain? Here is the view in front of Dog River Park on Sunday Dec 27th, 2015 about 1.25 miles Downstream of the expensive Stormwater Systems' Bandalong Litter Trap. 

To this kayaker the Dog River Storm Water Trash pollution problem still sticks out like like the ugly pollution problem it is. Why? It is obvious the City of Mobile and State of Alabama STILL have no plan to clean up the City's Storm Water Trash pollution deposited in Mobile's public waterways after each environmental trash pollution disaster (Heavy Rain). Where is ADEM? Where is the US EPA? Where is the Media?

Two Wrongs Bees Ugly

First wrong is the homeowner overstuffed his or her garbage cart in violation of City of Mobile garbage collection rules. 

Second wrong is someone has dogs running around loose in violation of City of Mobile rules. Net result is a littered environment and if it rains before the ground litter is picked up, it will be More Ugly garbage in the local watershed.

Ugly Infrastructure Neglect

Two Ugly things observed. 

First, whoever is in charge of keeping Fire Hydrants accessible in Mobile is failing to do their job. Many Hydrants in Mobile are hidden by weeds which could hinder the time it takes fire fighters to locate a hydrant during a fire. It is irresponsible to let weeds overgrow fire fighting infrastructure.

Second, whoever is in charge of maintaining roads in Mobile are allowing weeds to grow over the roads. In this case, the road's two foot wide curb and gutter is not even visible due to weeds. Curb and gutters are part of the City's storm water drainage system. It is irresponsible to let weeds grow several feet into the road hindering both visibility and rain drainage.

The crazy thing here is this neglected infrastructure is across from the Sheriff's offices and a couple of blocks from the City of Mobile jail. Blight in Mobile? Look no further than the City maintained roads to see abandoned infrastructure. That is an Ugly reflection on Mobile leadership.

Neglected Stormwater System

A 20 foot high tree grows in the end of a drainage pipe. This is a consequence of a City that is very neglectful of their storm water system. Another consequence is impaired storm water drainage because half the pipe is filled with dirt and tree roots. When rain water drainage is crippled it can lead to flooding. But who cares? Mobile is a City of Blight and that includes the City's own abandoned infrastructure. That is the Ugly truth.

Mow That Trash

Another example of UGLY mowing services. Someone mows through the trash at this Mobile County Public School Systems facility off Military Road leaving trash strewn on the ground. No one gives a damn about the appearance of the Mobile community anymore.

Ugly Garbage Collection Service

Why is the City of Mobile so littered? Look no further than the City garbage collection service itself. The pathetic City of Mobile garbage collection service leaves roadsides littered with trash. When the City of Mobile is too lazy to pick up garbage collection trash, it sends a message to its residents and businesses. It is okay to bury your community and its waterways in garbage. That is the ugly truth.

Ugly Roadside Maintenance

In Mobile the roadsides are littered with trash and it is standard for those maintaining the right-of-ways to mow thru the trash instead of removing it. (Middle Road)

Leaving roadsides littered encourages more public littering as the public accepts a trashy City as normal. That is Ugly. (Dauphin Island Parkway)

Is mowing thru roadside trash acceptable? Not in a community that cares. (Dauphin Island Parkway)

If someone covered up a stop sign it would be considered a crime. If someone covers up road traffic paint, it is normal in Mobile. Someone left grass a foot high on the road covering the white line in violation of City municipal code but no one cares. Ignorance, apathy, and stupidity are on the increase in Alabama thanks poor leadership. (Dauphin Island Parkway)

Ugly Helen Wood Park Maintenance

Hazardous nails waiting for someone to step on them. This October storm debris has been ignored by the Park's Department for over six weeks.

What is pathetic is the wood debris is blocking access to the park signage. Of course, it is no surprise to see the lid-less garbage can overflowing with trash in violation of the City's own municipal litter code.

For over six weeks the City of Mobile has ignored several overturned garbage cans at the Helen Wood Park along with all the trash that was once in them.

I can only conclude the Shity of Mobile Parks Department does not give a Shit about this neglected park. That is the Ugly truth!

Ugly Mowing Standards

Someone mowed Conception Street Road recently. As usual, they mow through the trash instead of picking it up first. Nothing seems to change in Ugly Mobile.

Ugly Ditch Maintenance

Clogged drainage ditches in Mobile is certainly one reason why flooding is problematic when it rains in Mobile. 

Just who is responsible for maintaining drainage ditches in Mobile? They are doing an ugly ass job. That is the consequence of having a pathetic Storm Water Maintenance Program Plan.

Mobile Deptartment of Duh!

Putting in an outdoor ice skate rink in Mobile makes as much sense as putting your refrigerator outside and leaving the door open all day long. What a stupid waste of electricity...

Beautiful near 80 degree day today but not many people ice skating. I wonder why?

Ice Skating or Water Skating?

Definately Water Skating.

When you fall you get soaked. That is no doubt why Ice Skating is not popular in Mobile. What were Mobile leaders thinking? File this outdoor water venue under the Department of Duh!

Ugly Rain

Only one waterway trash filter in Mobile despite there being hundreds of litter discharge points?

No mandatory vehicle inspections in Alabama to limit vehicle fluids from leaking onto roads and parking lots?

No inlet filter requirements to limit first flush parking lot contaminants from being discharged into public waterways?

Despite a previous lawsuit, MAWSS continues to be responsible for raw sewage overflows going into public waterways almost every month and sometimes several times a month in quantities reaching into Millions of gallons of untreated toilet water?

Yeah boy, when it rains in Mobile the public waterways continue to get polluted with oil, trash, muddy erosion, chemicals and raw sewage.

Racial Diversity?

Because of the recent ousting of University of Missouri leadership due to racial diversity protests, it is obvious schools need to be racially diverse.

So in the racial diversity respect, when local Mobile area school bands or clubs or groups are all black or white, they should be prohibited from participating in public parades.

No racial diversity in this band.

No racial diversity in this band.

No racial diversity in this group.

Discouraging Tourism in Mobile

Discouraging Fee now required to park at the Gulf Quest Museum in Mobile.

Not many people are interested in the Maritime industry so it was stupid of Mobile City leaders to sink millions into the risky museum venture which stands little chance of meeting its near 1000 visitor count per day expectations.

Now the powers that be stuck another obstacle in the ability of the Gulf Quest Museum to succeed.

Not only does Gulf Quest Museum charge an expensive entrance fee, now it charges for parking too. The pathetic thing is the Museum says its parking lot is NOT secure. Tourists are offered no parking security in consideration to the entrance and parking fees. That is UGLY.

So, it is no surprise to see many of the Gulf Quest Museum parking spaces generally empty.

Ugly Park Garbage Service

Typical Scene at parks in Mobile is overflowing open barrel garbage cans with no lid on them.

The consequence of the City of Mobile's not frequent enough garbage collection is the polluting of the nearby waterway which in the above photo is Mobile Bay. 

Trash blown from this overflowing garbage can is scattered next to the water.

The City of Mobile merits another award for  its Continued pollution of Mobile Bay in violation of the federal Clean Water Act. Welcome to Mobile, Alabama, USA, known as the Mobile Bay of Pigs. 

I am so proud of how Mayor Sandy Stimpson and the Mobile City Council have gotten so tough on littering as promised two years ago. Now the City of Mobile can wallow in glory for being the biggest asshole responsible for polluting Mobile Bay because it is too cheap to use garbage cans with lids on them and too cheap to empty their overflowing garbage cans.

Mosquito Ponds

New Detention Pond holding water at Wright Trucking created during the Company's recent parking lot expansion.

While riding the bicycle yesterday the mosquitoes were so abundant that the irritating blood suckers were attaching to the legs in mass every time I stopped or even slowed down. The mosquitoes were ferocious. Why all the mosquitoes?

Leaders urge the public to empty any standing water to remove mosquito breeding sources. Unfortunately most engineering rules mandate developers build "detention ponds" in order to slow down rain water discharge into local creeks. Rain water that would have normally seeped into the natural ground. Natural ground that the developer replaced with buildings and parking lots. The end result is now there are multitudes of detention ponds all over the City. Ponds that detain (hold) water after it rains. Standing pond water that serves as breeding grounds for mosquitos. City engineering standards actually contribute to the mosquito breeding problem. 

To make the mosquito breeding problem worse, many of the City drainage ditches have not been maintained in years. Because water will not drain as designed in many of the unmaintained ditches, some ditches hold water instead of draining after rains. Ditches holding water are also mosquito breeding grounds. The City's failure to maintain its drainage system contributes to the mosquito breeding problem.

Then there are the tons of trash trapped along most of Mobile area trash polluted waterways. Trash like styrofoam cups and plastic containers hold water if sitting upright like many are. Failure of the City to deal with their MS4 trash also contributes to the mosquito problem.

Why is it no surprise that the Ugly City of Mobile worsens the mosquito problem instead of reducing it? 

Ugly Mobile River

Just who is responsible for maintaining the Mobile Convention Center grounds? No one picks up the obvious shoreline trash. But, that is no surprise in a Ugly City that wallows in trash.

Ugly Unmaintained Mobile Streets

Leaving streets littered and inlets clogged as is the norm in Mobile contributes to the community apathy toward littering.

Just who is responsible for maintaining Mobile streets and drainage inlets? Someone is failing to do their job. Why?

Ugly Arlington Park

Big pile of shoreline trash visible from the Arlington Park pier. I wonder how long the City of Mobile is going to ignore the Park trash. 

Typical overflowing garbage barrel at Arlington Park because the City of Mobile will not empty Park gabage barrels often enough thereby contributing to the Uglyness of Mobile.

Litter Chunkers

Lions and Tigers mark their territory by pissing everywhere. Animals of darker skin color mark their territory with litter.

One look at this littered shopping center (Family Dollar) on South Broad Street in Mobile Alabama makes it clear dark skinned people behave differently than lighter skinned people. I don't think Martin Luther King's dream was seeing 'his people' use their freedom to trash their neighborhoods.

No wonder why Police treat blacks differently than whites. Littering is a crime. Crime is obviously way out of control in this black neighborhood.

It is also obvious that the City of Mobile's tough new litter codes have provided absolutely no incentive for businesses and shopping center owners to pick up the litter around their business or property. This photo shows the result of the City's tough new municipal litter code. Pathetic huh?

No wonder why businesses avoid locating in black neighborhoods as a general rule. The cost of picking up behind the litter chunkers must cost too much money to justify opening a business in such uncaring communities.

Yet the dark skinned litter chunkers are quick to whine about high unemployment in their community due to lack of businesses. Duh!

Create a desirable community atmosphere for businesses and they will come. Behave like a bunch of criminal litter chunkers by creating a trashy blighted neighborhood and business will NOT come.

How do you educate a stupid ass litter chunker class of hoodlums who love to throw trash (Mardi Gras Mentality) into the well they drink from? You have to start in Kindergarten but without being able to dispense painful consequences for unacceptable behavior in public schools, you will never change litter chunker behavior. Respect for rules and laws starts in public school and thanks to lawyers PAINFUL punishment for bad behavior can not be dispensed any more.

So, let the litter chunker hoodlum communities reap what they sow. Same for the City of Mobile. 

Keep ignoring the litter problem Mayor Stimpson so even more good people will move away leaving Mobile with an even higher percentage of uneducated ignorant miserable litter chunkers addicted to sucking on the nipple of entitlement programs. Hahaha!

Ugly Mobile Storm Water System

Despite years of Storm Water System controversy in Mobile, Mobile's Storm Water drainage system still remains horribly neglected. Why?

The good news is Fox10tv did some investigating and found out the City of Mobile is responsible for maintaining the City's storm water drainage system. Duh! Fox10tv got City officials to admit to being negligent in keeping their ditches clean. Now it is costing Mobile taxpayers big dollars to correct the long time storm water system neglect.

http://www.fox10tv.com/story/30396960/fox10-news-investigates-the-cost-to-clean-neglected-ditches

The bad news is despite the knowledge of ditch neglect and the now higher cost to taxpayers in way of private contracts to properly maintain the City's storm water drainage system, plenty of Mobile's storm water inlets remain clogged and plenty of ditches remain polluted with trash despite years of complaints.

How can rain water drain into this main downtown street inlet filled with dirt and gravel? Can you say, "Hydroplane?" or "Flooding?"

This Baybridge Road center of road drainage inlet certainly will not drain water as fast when it remains clogged with dirt and grass.

Grass is typically left in drainage gutters after mowing along Baker Street by the City or the Railroad or the State Docks or whoever is contracted out to do the mowing. This illegal grass litter contributes to clogged gutters and drainage inlets.

I often wondered why the City did not require an inlet in this low spot along Baker Street often flooded after rain. Construction in the area recently uncovered an inlet that has been buried for years. There is apparently no program to regularly clean street gutters and inlets in Mobile. Mobile City Council members seem to believe it is more important to build unpopular museums, install plastic and rubber crumb soccer fields, and fund an outdoor ice skating rink when temperatures are still in the 70s and 80s rather than to maintain important City drainage infrastructure.

Another clogged drainage inlet seen along a major road in downtown Mobile. No wonder why there is so much flooding in Mobile.

Just who is responsible for keeping drainage ditches free of trash? This is the ever trashy ditch next to the I-65 Walmart.

Just who is responsible for maintaining storm water ditches like Maple Street Canal? Apparently it is the City based on the Fox10tv investigation. This trashy ditch has NOT been cleaned a single time in at least 4 years despite 4 years of complaints to the City of Mobile and ADEM.

The media should be asking why the City of Mobile official(s) responsible for the long time and continued neglect of the City's important municipal stormwater drainage system (MS4) is not in jail for contributing to the Pollution of State waters in violation of the federal Clean Water Act and for putting the public at unnecessary risk for vehicle hydroplaning and flooding.

No Storm Prevention Equals Pollution

Because the City of Mobile neglected to secure waterfront trash cans and Porta-Potties at Helen Wood Park now the Park's wetlands are polluted with trash and maybe toilet water.

All the portable toilets and all the overflowing trash cans at Helen Wood Park were turned over and washed into the wetlands.

It would have been easier to remove the trash cans before the storm. Apparently the City of Mobile Parks Department has no protocol on what to do in the event of predicted gale force winds at their waterfront parks.

Who is going to remove all the City's trash from the wetlands? I know the City of Mobile certainly does not clean the wetlands it pollutes with its MS4 trash. 

Where might this ditch trash near Dog River Marina have come from? Across the street.

Whoever maintains the trash cans under Dog River Bridge also neglects their overflowing trash cans and they too failed to secure the trash cans prior to the wind storm. This street was underwater due to wind generated high tides. 

Another neglected trash can. The net result for irresponsible trash can maintenance and no storm prevention is the trash pollution of Dog River Wetlands and waterways.

Predictable Reporting

Strong winds from the southeast and rain raised the coastal water levels. As usual the local media outlets head to the Causeway and Dauphin Island. They show predictable video of water and debris on the roads and parking lots with 6 inches of water in them.

Here are some reality images you will never see the local media broadcast because they are afraid to offend the City of Mobile which contributes greatly to the waterway trash pollution.

Even though high winds and flooding waters were forecast days before the City of Mobile left their overflowing garbage cans in the flood zone. Wind eventually blew this can over spreading trash into the water at McNally Park.

The half dozen or so trash cans, several overflowing with trash, at Helen Wood park were turned over and swept into the wetlands along with two porta-potties. There are two cans in this image but hard to see. It sure was irresponsible for the City of Mobile to ignore trash and sewage objects subject to flooding when flooding was predicted.

Of course, when waters get high and the wind blows a lot of Dog River residents will find a ring of trash along their shoreline when the waters recede.

Here is the densely littered shoreline of Arlington Park (Mobile Bay shoreline) seen from the wooden walkway. Much of this trash was already in the wetlands. High water raised the floatable litter and winds blew it all further inland.

The ugly view of trash in Mobile River next to Cooper Riverside Park. This is what visitors to the new 60 or so Million Dollar GulfQuest Museum get to see.

The shoreline at Mobile Convention Center is littered with trash.

Even a small gap in the Bayfront Road seawall allowed waves to wash debris on the road. Included in that debris is trash washed all the way into the grass on the other side of the road.