Ugly Zika Virus

Recently heard on the news: “Mobile poised to be ground Zero for the Zika virus.” Wow! The media is already generating hysteria about the Zika mosquito virus. If Local Media in Mobile is at all concerned about the potential health hazard of the Zika virus, the Media should constantly air hard hitting investigations and stop being so nice to the City of Mobile leaders and other governmental entities. As the City of Mobile ignores mosquito breeding grounds so will the public.

Only the Media can put duress on the City of Mobile leaders and others to make them accountable for their less than marginal performances and maintenance of infrastructure.

Standard engineering practices required by the City of Mobile force some developers to build detention ponds. Detention/Retention ponds are now located all over Mobile. Maybe creating ponds where stagnant water sits is not a good practice. Some detention ponds retain water long enough for mosquitoes to proliferate.

Image 1. Above photo shows a Detention Pond holding water at Wright Transportation off DIP. Nov 2015. 

The City of Mobileʼs neglect of its storm drainage system yields another mosquito breeding nightmare. Many ditches fail to properly drain due to lack of maintenance. The City of Mobile is only one of many Governmental entities at fault for neglect of the drainage on their properties. Blocked inlets and pipes, overgrown curb and gutters, concrete ditches with trees growing in them, ditches blocked from illegal dumping and the list of causes of drainage blockages goes on.

Image 2. Above photo taken at Rabbit Creek Drive and Hamilton Blvd. This trashy ditch is unable to drain to the creek about 100 yards away and has been like this for years. Either ALDOT or the City of Mobile is not keeping the Hamilton Blvd. drainage system functional. The City of Mobile stopped maintaining Rabbit Creek Drive shortly after it annexed the roadway into the City. May 2016.

Image 3. The above image shows a concrete Gutter on Gill Road in Mobile that does not drain due to lack of maintenance. Nov. 2015.

Image 4. Watersheds in Mobile are highly neglected and poorly monitored. Not only are many boats sitting in the water without having a current license decal, some boats are mosquito breeding grounds. Stagnant water in this boat was seen in Paynes Creek (Dog River Watershed). Apr 2016.

Image 5. Above image is storm water trash polluted shoreline of One Mile Creek that I have been complaining to dozens of authorities (and the media) to clean up since 2011. 5 years later and no change despite all the complaints. That is pathetic. Items like this cooler are mosquito breeding grounds. With the mosquito threat, now maybe there is reason to remove the trash. Mar 2016.

Image 6. Shoreline of Dog River. This mosquito breeding storm water trash is about 100 yards from Dog River Park and is ignored year after year. I wonder where that required City of Mobile litter boat that I have never seen is and why it is ignoring shoreline trash like this. Feb 2016.

Image 7. City of Mobileʼs Schwartz Park off Riviere Du Chien Road. This City property is used by the public. It is a Dog River Scenic Blueway kayak launch site. Mobile needs to eliminate mosquito breeding places. The only way that will happen is if the Media shames City leaders, the public, and businesses by airing stories on the existing problems being ignored. The media needs to get tough on the City of Mobile! May 2016.