The Response from AMU

Allen Bonderman, the General Manager of Atlantic Municipal Utilities responded to the NT version of this Blog. Below is his unedited response.


To the Editor

I am writing in response to your March 4 “From the Blogs” editorial, in an effort to provide more information to the community.
AMU owns a large parcel of land, north of Troublesome Creek, and east of Olive Street, on which there are a number of wells supplying drinking water to the community. This is the area where the surfacing of trails is being discussed, and the topic of your editorial.
Over the past 20 to 30 years, public water systems have been encouraged by regulators to take steps to avoid contamination of the aquifers we use. One of the earliest actions was to establish zones around all wells, in which no herbicides or pesticides would be used. In Atlantic, this was accomplished by planting bluegrass in a circular area around each well, and not allowing the farm tenant to apply chemicals in that area.
As time went on, more and more emphasis was placed on expanding the zones near wells, and where possible, stop use of chemicals on other adjacent land that “directly influences” the wells. In the late 1990’s, AMU came up with a plan to stop utilizing the wellfield land for any type of agricultural crops, and the related application of fertilizers and chemicals. The plan involved planting a large portion of the land in native prairie grasses and forbs (prairie flowers), as well as development of walking trails throughout the property. With the help of some grants, AMU was able to follow through on that plan.
The purpose of removing the land from agricultural use was to improve the protection of our community’s water supply. Not farming the ground was just one part of that effort. AMU determined that it would not itself use herbicides or other chemicals, and would avoid other forms of contamination.
AMU also wanted to allow the public to utilize the land for various recreational purposes, as long as those uses did not cause any risks to the water supply. The softball and soccer fields are on AMU’s wellfield property, and are subject to the ban on use of chemicals. The rocked and concrete trails within the wellfield are used by a number of people, for walking, jogging, bicycling, and horseback riding. Dog owners greatly appreciate having a place to exercise their dogs, and nature enthusiasts enjoy the prairie grass and wildlife.
Several years ago, there were scientific studies which indicated that road oils can and do leach into the groundwater. Certain varieties of road oil contain known and suspected carcinogens, so AMU opted to not utilize them in the wellfield development. The portions of the trails in the wellfield that AMU chose to be hard-surfaced were constructed of concrete, to avoid the use of any road oils. This was not due to any law or regulation, but was a common sense decision.
Asphalt paving usually includes spraying a “tack coat” of road oil on the underlying rock or gravel, prior to laying the asphalt in place. Obviously, this is something AMU should have concerns about. The asphalt itself, as far as we can determine, should not be a cause for concern, as long as the tack coat can be left out. If the tack coat is essential to the process, then we would be extremely reluctant to allow asphalt to be installed. This is partly why there has been no absolute answer provided to the City, or Councilman Jones, or anyone else. There also are unanswered questions regarding the source of funding for any surfacing work, as well as responsibility for ongoing maintenance and repairs. These things will, I believe, all be worked out in due time.
I would like to remind your readers that AMU’s primary responsibilities are to provide safe, affordable, and high quality drinking water, and reliable electric power and energy, to our customers. To the extent possible, we also want to help provide recreational opportunities, and to cooperate as best we can with trails developers and other organizations. In the same respect, the wellfield is primarily a wellfield. As the designated steward of this very important resource, AMU must consider its protection a high priority.
As the T-Bone Trail is expanded into Atlantic, I personally believe that at least a portion of AMU’s trail should be included - whether surfaced with asphalt or with concrete – to connect the rural portion of the trail and Atlantic. Consideration also needs to be given to a pedestrian bridge across Troublesome Creek, so that users of the softball complex or the trails can avoid the use of Olive Street. Meeting the financial challenges involved will require all interested parties to work together constructively.
Finally, I would like to point out that there is no such thing as an “AMU councilman”. Kern Miller is a private citizen, elected by the voters of Atlantic, who happens to be an employee of AMU. His words and actions as an elected official are not dictated, or even suggested, by AMU. In this instance he was stating what he believed to be true regarding longstanding policy of AMU.

Allen Bonderman
General Manager
Atlantic Municipal Utilities


I appeciate Mr. Bonderman taking the time to respond and would like to point out that we share the same goals. I too value safe drinking water and agree that it might not be necessary to pave the entire trail. And as someone who has crossed the Olive Street bridge, think a pedestrian bridge across Troublesome Creek is a GREAT idea. Thanks again