Leafing through the sewer systems of Eugene
■ In order to combat this fall’s
leaves, Eugene offers its
residents disposal alternatives
By Lindsay Buchele
Oregon Daily Emerald
Leaves can be deceiving.
To the average Joe, they are mere
ly brightly covered indicators of the
fall season, but to Eugene Public
Works, leaves can create a major
disaster to sewer and river systems.
“After falling from trees and onto
the streets, leaves often get into the
sewer systems and decay, causing
additional pollutants to be added to
the river system,” said Richard
Zucker, maintenance crew supervi
sor for the City of Eugene.
So how can the city handle these
little menaces? Due to a citywide
ban on outdoor leaf and debris
burning, options may seem limited.
First and foremost, the city encour
ages residents to use their leaves for
mulch and fertilizer, Zucker said.
For those lacking a green thumb,
the city’s 20-year-old leaf collection
program offers another alternative.
“We allow people to put their
leaves in the street, at a reasonable
distance from the road and bike
lanes, and we will come along and
pick them up,” Zucker said.
Picking up leaves is one of the
main things the city can do to keep
storm drains clean. Last year, about
3,375 tons of leaves were collected
by the city, Zucker said.
In the early 1990s, the program
became considered a storm water
service, Eugene Public Works
spokesman Eric Jones said.
“It became time for cities the size
of Eugene to do more with storm
water,” Jones said.
Funded by the fees residents pay
for sewer maintenance, the pro
gram is able to use tractors, front
loaders, and dump trucks to gather
and distribute leaves, Jones said.
“None of our equipment is high
ly sophisticated, but it gets the job
done,” Zucker said.
The city is divided into five sec
tions, with each section visited
twice during a 10 week period,
Zucker said.
After the leaves are picked up,
the city does one of three things
with them. The first and most pop
ular is to deliver the leaves to Eu
gene residents who will use them
for mulch and fertilizer.
“People can notify us if they
want leaves delivered and we’ll
take the leaves to their homes im
mediately after we pick them up
(from other locations),” Zucker
said.
The second option is to drop the
leaves off at one of the commercial
recycling centers, such as Lane
Forest Products and Rexius Forest
By-Products.
The third option is to stockpile
the leaves at one of the newer parks
where unwanted yard debris can
be separated from the leaves and
then picked up by one of the
commercial recycling centers.
The collection crews emphasize
they will only pick up leaves. Any
other yard debris, such as grass
clippings or pruned branches, will
be left behind.
“The residences we deliver to
have a high demand for leaves, but
not yard debris,” Jones said. “We
only want clean loads.”
The University does not use the
city’s program, but has it’s own
recycling method.
“We collect our own leaves and
put them into a compost program
that is used for the entire campus,”
University landscape maintenance
supervisor Tim King said.
King said the main objective is to
keep walkways and bike paths
clear for the safety of students.
“Because the campus has so
many oak trees, along with other
trees that lose their leaves
PLAV games and
Wet Lands
k 922 Garfield Street
Wednesday, November 1
9 PM - 1 AM
* ■
*
I
■
■
BELTLINE
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CENTRAL
iEUGENE
!11TH AVE.
source: City of Eugene Public Works Department
2000 LEAF COLLECTION
Oct 30 - Nov 3 Central
Nov 6 - Nov 10 Southeast
Nov 13-Nov 17 Southwest
Nov 20 - Nov 22 West
Nov 27 - Dec 1 North
Dec 4 - Dec 8 Central
Dec 11 - Dec 15 Southeast
Dec 18-Dec 22 Southwest
Dec 26 - Dec 29 West
Jan 2-Jan 5 North
progressively through the winter,
our job starts in early fall and lasts
all the way through April,” King
said.
Although the campus remains
independent from the city’s pro
gram, the city still picks leaves in
the areas surrounding campus.
One more week to go
By Ron Fournier
The Associated Press
A1 Gore reminded voters in pivotal
Great Lakes states Monday that eco
nomic good times returned to Ameri
ca under Democratic leadership and
said changing course could ‘‘drive
our economy into the ditch. ”
Republican George W. Bush coun
tered that a big-spending Gore would
squander the nation’s economic rich
es but said the election rests on bigger
questions: “Can we bring America to
gether? Can we move beyond petty
arguments to get real results for the
American people?”
Thus both Bush and Gore began
the final full week of their nip-and
tuck campaign, fighting on Democ
ratic turf and honing their close-the
sale messages.
“He’s not ready to be president,”
Democratic running mate Joe
Lieberman said of Bush while intro
ducing Gore in Wisconsin.
Florida is considered vital to
Bush, though nervous GOP strate
gists now say he could win the pres
idency without the state’s 25 elec
toral votes by snagging
Pennsylvania (23 votes) or Califor
/Tonoooooor
nia (54 votes) from Gore’s column.
Polls show the Pennsylvania race
tied or Gore ahead, and give the vice
president a lead of 5-to-10 percent
age points in California.
National surveys put Bush ahead
or tied with Gore in the popular
vote, and the race for electoral votes
is just as tight. Neither side can af
ford to let an attack go unanswered.
Gore’s campaign denied reports
that he told Arab-Americans in a pri
vate meeting Sunday that he, unlike
Bush, opposes moving the U.S. Em
bassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to
Jerusalem. Jewish groups, important
in states like Florida, were sure to ob
ject so Gore aides rushed to clarify:
The vice president, they said, told the
group he has not supported moving
the embassy at this time, but did not
rule it out in the future.
In a speech in New Mexico, a
tossup state with just 5 electoral
votes, the Bush criticized Gore’s plans
for schools, taxes, Social Security and
the military. “Should I be elected
president, I’m going to confront the
hard issues,” he said. “I won’t take the
easy way — the Washington way. I
will act. And I will lead.”
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Calendar
Tuesday, Oct. 31
— Model United Nations: Weekly
meeting offers students an opportu
nity to learn about various cultures,
current international issues and how
the United Nations works. 5 p.m. Cen
tury Room D, EMU Free.
vere'ere'e'erere'
— International Film Festival:
France's “Ma Vie En Rose” is part of a
“Coming of Age" series of films shown
in their original language with English
subtitles. Will be shown from 7 p.m.
to 9 p.m. in Room 122, Pacific Hall.
Free.
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