Signing the Petition to Keep Mountain Island Lake Clean!

Mountain Island Lake, a glorious view from my backyard.

Sustainable Healthy Living, by Sheila Mullen – Dec. 6, 2012

Health and wellness go far beyond what you are putting in your mouth or the number of times you get to the gym. Our environment, in which we live, has a major impact on our well being. Clean water is essential to healthy living. Water nourishes and maintains our vital body systems. It also feeds our spirit and our soul, when we sit serenely observing the water lost in our thoughts or at play on a hot summer day.  

As a resident of Mountain Island Lake, I expect healthy and clean water. I want the main source of Charlotte's drinking water to be healthy and clean. Unfortunately, over the last year I have become increasingly aware of the threats to our river, thanks to an active group of River District residents, who organized and created We Love Mountain Island Lake (WLMIL).  
WLMIL was established by Sara Behnke's leadership and passion to educate Mountain Island Lake residents about the current and potential threats to Mountain Island Lake water due to the Riverbend Steam Station, a coal-fired power plant. The group began educating themselves and others through the vigilant work and research of the Catawba Riverkeeper organization, Sierra Club and Greenpeace.

Tests finding dangerous substances

We all should be alarmed about what state authorities are discovering about the source of our drinking water - after finally being pushed to look at the issues by the Riverkeeper's privately funded studies. Friends of the Catawba River is advocating for change. The Catawba Riverkeeper has been the main driver of the research that has uncovered the heavy metals and chemicals in sediment near coal-ash ponds in Mountain Island Lake. There is plenty of info on the catawbariverkeeper.org website (see recent articles on chemical seepages from the ponds, on the left side of the page dated Nov. 13 and Nov. 8).

I would also like to bring to your attention a petition that is circulating to be allowed to create constructive dialogue with the North Carolina Utilities Commission.  Please educate yourself and consider signing the pledge. The link is provided below.  

Hello!

We Love Mountain Island Lake has started the petition "North Carolina Utilities Commission: Hold a public hearing on energy rate increases in Charlotte." and need your help to get it off the ground.

Will you take 30 seconds to sign it right now? Here's the link:

http://www.change.org/petitions/north-carolina-utilities-commission-hold-a-public-hearing-on-energy-rate-increases-in-charlotte

Here's why it's important:

Duke Energy operates Riverbend Steam Station on Mountain Island Lake near Charlotte, North Carolina. Riverbend is the oldest, dirtiest coal-fired power plant in the region, emitting toxic mercury and other chemicals into the air, as well as cancer-causing arsenic and other toxins directly into Mountain Island Lake, drinking water for 860,000 Charlotte residents. Riverbend’s two massive coal ash waste containment dams are leaking dangerous poisons into our drinking water, threatening our health, our water, our lake, and our property values. Duke Energy should quit investing in dirty energy and invest in the renewable technologies and efficiencies they claim to support. We are asking Duke Energy to properly clean up the ash ponds at Mountain Island Lake and protect our drinking water. As residents directly affected by Riverbend Steam Station on Mountain Island Lake and Duke Energy's proposed rate increases to fund more dirty energy, we believe we deserve a public hearing held in Charlotte (in addition to the hearing already scheduled in Raleigh) so that our community's voice can be heard by the Utilities Commission.

You can sign the petition by clicking here.

 Be Well!

About Sheila Mullen – The founder of Continuous Motion Consulting, Sheila is passionate about engaging friends, family and community in improving their lives and the lives of those around them. Sheila spent more than 20 years in technology sales, marketing and development. She also has a background in organizational development, innovation and executive wellness coaching.