Comment EI-32230
Received or sent (printed as 9/21/2022)
I am a resident of Davenport and also serve as the Executive Director of Nahant Marsh Education Center, a non-profit nature preserve that owns land on both sides of the CP-owned railroad tracks. Over the years, the community has invested millions of dollars to restore this unique ecosystem, to connect people to it and the Mississippi River, and to provide education for over 20,000 people annually. Nahant Marsh is home to over 1,000 documented plant and animal species, including 3 federally listed species, and at least 21 state-listed species. We are greatly concerned about this merger's impacts on the marsh and river ecosystems, visitor impact, and our overall ability to manage and access all parts of the preserve. We have concerns about the potential for increased noise, air, and water pollution from the increase in train traffic. We are concerned about the agreement signed with the City of Davenport that would permanently close the crossing at Wapello Ave since this is our main link to 1/3 of our property and the Mississippi River. It is also the main link between Nahant Marsh and the Mississippi River Trail. We are greatly concerned about the overpass that would be constructed on South Concord Avenue because this could impact our recently-completed wetland mitigation bank and the rare species that live there. Furthermore, since a major CP railyard is located immediately next to Nahant Marsh and is located within the Mississippi River floodplain, we are concerned about the impact of future floods on the railyard, the marsh, and the Mississippi River. For instance, during the record flooding in 2019, a large fuel separator located at the CP railyard was overwhelmed and spilled an unknown large quantity of diesel that ran into a parcel that had been recently acquired by Nahant Marsh.
Submitted by: Brian Ritter · Nahant Marsh Education Center · Davenport, IA
The Board publishes this comment in its environmental-comment table for this proceeding. It is quoted here as printed; nothing is inferred from it, and it states the commenter's own position in their own words, not this record's.
Permanent address docketyard.org/d/FD-36500/comment/EI-32230 · back to the docket sheet