Metro Waterways Study - Laserfiche WebLink

New Search

• • • Listed below are some of the key findings from the citizen involvement effort for the Metro Waterways Study through February 2005. A complete record of questionnaire responses and workshop comments is listed later in this report. • The majority of the questionnaire respondents and workshop participants for the Cedar Creek planning corridor own property in close proximity to the creek and approximately half indicated that they have had problems with their property directly attributable to the waterway. Only about one-third of the questionnaire respondents and workshop participants for the Amazon planning corridor indicated that they owned property near the waterway and most indicated they did not have problems with their property that were directly attributable to the waterway. • The majority of questionnaire respondents indicated that the waterways running through the Metro area provided large or very large benefits for high quality of life (71 percent), scenic enjoyment (59 percent) and access to natural areas (71 percent). Amazon planning corridor respondents also indicated that waterways provided large or very large benefits for increased access to parks and. hike/bike trails (84 percent). • 76 percent of all questionnaire respondents strongly disagreed to the statement: "the Metro area waterways have no particular importance to me personally". Only 4 percent of the respondents agreed with this statement. • The majority of questionnaire respondents for both priority planning corridors agreed or strongly agreed with the following statements: o The waterways are important to me in knowing they are there (90 percent). o The waterways are important fo me because of their prominence in our history and culture (79 percent). o The waterways are important to me because of their value to commerce, industry, and agriculture (68 percent). o The waterways are important to me because they offer many types of recreation (86 percent). o The waterways are just inviting to me (90 percent). o The waterways' ambience and aesthetics are important to me (94 percent). o It is important to take care of the waterways so that we are able to pass them along to future generations for their enjoyment (97 percent). o The waterways are important to me for their fish, wildlife, and natural features (96 percent). ,o The waterways are important to me because of their economic value to our communities (73 percent). • When asked if the environmental quality of the waterways concerns you, 83 percent of the Amazon Creek corridor respondents, 77 percent of the Cedar Creek corridor respondents, and 100 percent of the general respondents answered very much. • When asked to rate the current efforts to improve environmental quality in the Metro area waterways, 85 percent answered too little, one percent answered too much, and 14 percent answered about right. • When asked if they would support measures to improve the health of waterways enforced through laws enforced by the government, 73 percent of respondents answered that they would strongly favor. • Comments and questions from the Cedar Creek planning corridor public workshop generally focused on issues such as flooding, erosion, water rights, accuracy of floodplain mapping, and biological health. • Comments and questions from the Amazon Creek planning corridor public workshop generally focused on issues such as recreation, habitat restoration, water quality, headwater stream protection, and fish passage. In addition, there was a great deal of interest at this workshop in the details of the study work program and how existing water quality and habitat data was going to be incorporated into the study. • In general, participants at both workshops were supportive of the study and anxious to see projects on the ground. 2 Metro Waterways Study -Citizen Involvement Summary Report -March 2005