An excerpt from the “The Nightly Newsletter With Mayor Sandy Stimpson:
The Mobile Bay National Estuary Program recently released a new video highlighting all of the efforts that have gone into improving Mobile’s stormwater system and waterways over the last decade. When I took office in 2013, the City was being sued by ADEM for violations of the Clean Water Act and had to operate under a consent decree for years. Last year, the renewal of our stormwater permit was a clear indication the City is now meeting, and in many cases exceeding ADEM’s requirements.
With assistance from Dog River Clearwater Revival, the City installed a major bandalong litter trap in the Dog River Watershed that has made a significant impact in that area. Over the past several years, grant funding has also allowed us to be a part of installing 12 smaller litter traps and contract with Osprey Initiative to maintain them. I am proud of the work we’ve done, but we haven’t done that work alone.
The improvements we’ve seen in our local watersheds have taken strong partnerships with groups like Mobile Bay NEP, Dog River Clearwater Revival, Mobile Baykeeper and many others. It has also taken hundreds of community litter cleanups led by local leaders as well as civic, social and faith-based organizations. The video below does a good job of highlighting the impact this work has had and the challenge still ahead of us if we are going to create a “Clean Water Future” for the City of Mobile.
With it being the 16th day of the month, I scanned Proverbs 16 this morning, and the third verse caught my eye. It reads: “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” There’s a great footnote to this verse explaining different people’s levels of commitment to that philosophy.
It reads: “Some commit only superficially; some say the project is for the Lord when really it is only for themselves; some give God temporary control then take it back when things don’t go the way they expect. And then some commit fully to the Lord but put forth no effort themselves and wonder why they do not succeed. Ultimately, we must maintain a delicate balance: trusting God as if everything depended on him while working as if everything depended on us.”
Sleep tight,
Mayor Sandy Stimpson