Nuclear Waste & Saving Trees

One of the great benefits have being a member of Bentley Village-Waterchase Neighborhood Association is that you get to hear about emerging issues and concerns from other surrounding neighborhood and homeowner associations. Two issues have recently come to our attention. We are currently gathering more information about the issues, what our neighbors are doing across Fort Worth, and what we can do to ensure our local officials are aware of our concerns. So keep an eye on this post for updates!

Saving Trees

We are in an "ancient" forest that runs from southern Kansas to Waco, and in this forest are oak trees 100 to 200 years old. This eco-region is called "Cross Timbers" or "The Iron Forest" and is important to the aesthetic and ecological well-being of our local community -- only in East Fort Worth.

Because of the demand for residential and commercial development, many of the old growth trees that are unique to eastern Tarrant County are being cut down. Some of the issues include: a fault in the city permitting process that does not take into account mature or old growth trees; lax enforcement or ineffective fines; no true knowledge of the number of mature or old growth trees; and conflicting codes in Tarrant County cities.

Nuclear Waste

A great part of our country east of the Mississippi River rely on nuclear energy and the 40+ nuclear plants that generate that energy. There are two (2) nuclear plants in Texas and another four (4) nuclear plants west of the Mississippi. The waste from these nuclear plants can no longer be stored at Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository in Nevada. Until a permanent location can be found, temporary sites are being identified - one in Andrews County, Texas (about 5 hours west of here) and another in New Mexico just beyond the Texas state border.

The folks in Andrews County and in New Mexico and all those served by the Ogallala Water Aquifer have concerns about nuclear waste being stored in their backyard. The concern many Tarrant County and Fort Worth residents have is the waste from the east coast will travel on Union Pacific rail lines which run approximately 3 miles south of Bentley Village. To transport all the waste in specially designed cases would take approximately 20 to 30 years. Tarrant County and Fort Worth residents are concerned if there is a rail accident and what the "fall-out" could be to our community and to our neighborhood.

These are complex issues that require input from many people to address identified concerns, to mitigate other potential impacts, and to find possible solutions. We will do our best to keep you informed as more information is available on these important topics. You are welcome to email updates, comments and suggestions to us at info@bvwha.org.