The Middle Nolichucky Watershed Alliance agreed Wednesday to hold a creek cleanup on Saturday, April 6, along Holley Creek, from Snapps Ferry Road to Tusculum Boulevard.

The group hopes to repeat the success of last year’s March 17 creek cleanup, when 80 volunteers, some from other counties, picked up 300 large garbage bags of litter from Richland Creek, Holley Creek and Moon Creek.

The Alliance is a collection of groups and individuals interested in preserving and improving water quality in the drainage area or watershed of the Nolichucky River in Greene County.

The section targeted for this year includes part of the creek behind Kmart and Proffitt’s in the Greeneville Commons that was cleaned up last year, but adds a larger section upstream, on the north side of U.S. Highway 11E.

‘Looks Like A Landfill’

One Alliance member said part of the creek north of the highway “looks like a landfill” in some places, because it has been neglected so long.

Candy Adams, representing Keep Greene Beautiful, said she hopes the event will become an annual one.

Mike McElroy, district conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, said that the watershed area that drains into Holley Creek in that area also could be cleaned.

Board members agreed that including at least part of the watershed in the cleanup could increase the educational aspects of the effort.

McElroy said that cleaning up as much of the watershed area as possible during the time available would demonstrate to participants and onlookers that not all of the trash that they pull out of the creek was thrown there directly, even though it wound up there.

County Commissioner Tim Armstrong, who is president of the Alliance, said that Greene County Sheriff Steve Burns told him last year that assistance would be provided any time a cleanup is on a Saturday, and he planned to ask the sheriff for help.

Various members agreed to contact businesses in the vicinity of the creek about providing prizes that could be used to encourage participation in the cleanup.

Wal-Mart Wetlands

Armstrong reported that Steve Robbins, an executive with the Vaughn & Melton engineering firm, is still trying to negotiate a permanent easement or access to the Wal-Mart wetlands off Pottertown Road, so that development plans there can proceed.

The Alliance has agreed to help the Greene County Fishing & Hunting Club maintain the 40-acre wetlands, which belongs to Greene County.

Greene County agreed to create the artificial 40-acre wetlands as part of the enticement package needed to convince Wal-Mart to locate the million-square-foot distribution center here in 1996.

Since then, the dams that impound water on the site have begun to fail.

Group Has $5,750 Available

Treasurer Fred Kaufmann reported that the group has $5,750 on hand, after a deposit of $2,500 forwarded by the Appalachian Resource & Conservation Council from the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Armstrong reported receiving a letter from Pat Noland, Greene County’s budget director, about the Alliance’s funding from Greene County. Last year the Alliance received a $1,000 donation from the county.

Armstrong said Noland told him that the group needs to request funding for fiscal year 2002-03 by Feb. 22. After discussion, the group directed Armstrong to ask for $2,000.

Alice Loftin, representing the Greeneville chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society, said that the Alliance’s major project, the restoration of the county-owned wetlands, directly benefits the county. “If they can help us, it would be logical, right?” Loftin said.

McElroy said he should be able to report next month on a design for the wetlands improvements: a design that is being prepared by Terry Horne, an environmental engineer with the state.

Armstrong said that when the cost of preserving the wetlands is finally determined, “The county (government) may have to step in and help,” though he said he was uncertain of legal requirements.