Questions and concerns about possible environmental impact on Daphne’s waterways were raised during last week’s special called city council work session.

Ashley Campbell, Daphne’s environmental programs manager, informed the council and public about potential issues involving wetlands and streambeds near the city’s expansion site for the Sportsplex.

Campbell said that while she was heavily involved in the early stages of the Sportsplex planning to make sure wetland buffers were established and protected, in this newest phase of development, she was not notified what was going on.

“A few weeks prior to the Planning Commission’s approval of the new plans, I was notified we needed to disturb the 30-foot wetland buffer,” Campbell said. “This was the first time I was notified about any issues there. I was not brought in at the beginning of the planning for this phase.”

Campbell said after studying the proposal for the newest phase, she saw that possible variances might be needed for four “small areas” near the wetlands and within some of the buffer zones.

However, when she returned to the site, she was shocked to find what had occurred.

“When I got there, I heard logging noises and saw there was someone actually in the wetlands clearing the site and taking down trees,” Campbell said. “I contacted the public works director and asked him to stop any activity in the 30-foot buffer zones.”

When Campbell went back to check on the site some time later, she found that a “majority of the wetland buffers had been cleared.”

Campbell said she was told by developers and some city staff that the removal and changes were a part of a silviculture plan, but she said her concerns led her to contact the Corps of Engineers and the state’s Forestry Commission to find out if the city had possibly violated some environmental regulations.

“We are violating our own rules by doing things like this,” Campbell said. “We established these rules to protect the environment and water quality. We spent a lot of money protecting the Yancey Branch, and our goal in establishing these rules was to protect water quality and environment. Doing things like this goes directly against that.”

Many of the council members said they were surprised to learn tree removal and other possible environmental changes were made in that area.

“I’m counting on our department heads to bring us the information to bring us as a council to decide what we want to move forward with,” Councilwoman Angie Phillips said. “This is very disheartening to me. You have to trust what is brought before you abides by the ordinances we established.”

Mayor Dane Haygood said miscommunication between some of the city’s departments could be to blame for the situation.

“Part of the problem is that we have is department heads submitting this directly to the clerk without anyone knowing about it,” Haygood said. “I think if Ashley had laid eyes on it, it would have been immediately caught, but there was no opportunity to review it and modify it any further. We have to make sure these things are reviewed in advance.”

Councilman Robin LeJeune added that there was an added urgency to having the work done when it was done.

“There was an opportunity for the council and city to have some clearing done by a reputable company, but there was a time sensitivity to it with having equipment there,” LeJeune said. “By doing that, we prevented the city from having to finance something of that nature. I don’t want people to think this is something the council has done maliciously.”

Campbell asked the council to consider using the money from the proceeds to help correct and repair any potential damage that may have been done to the wetlands or streams near the area.

Many on the council said they could consider supporting such an idea.