Published March 19, 2009 By ROBERT WILONSKY
What good timing. Perhaps, by now, you've read Alexa's cover story on the grand canyon separating what the city says and what the city actually does when it comes to planting new trees and protecting the ones we've got. As in, the mayor says he wants more "Dallas trees and forests," while at the same time doing little to nothing to bring about an office of urban forestry and a tree inventory. And that story does relate to this item this a.m.: Mayor Tom Leppert's in Washington, D.C., this morning to testify before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure's Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
The subject? "Efforts to Address Urban Stormwater Runoff." Which relates to trees how? Well, trees "mitigate the impacts of stormwater." And when you don't have 'em, well, you get floods. And bad water. And according to studies cited by the committee in this morning's briefing, it's only going to get worse in coming years as developers turn "urban land" into nearly 300 billion square feet of buildings by 2050. Not that former construction executive Tom Leppert is in D.C. to talk about any of that. He's more than likely in D.C. to tell reps how "green" the city is and to tout The City of Dallas Stormwater Management, whose Web site does provide a soothing noise for those who can't get to sleep.