Cardinal Valley’s restoration is a story that needs to be told says filmmaker

The Webb City Council on Monday watched a movie trailer for what its creators hope will become a half-hour documentary about the restoration of the Cardinal Valley Habitat.

Meredith Ludwig, of Boonville, told council members about her passion for compost, which she credits as a major component of the 10-acre habitat that until 17 years ago was covered with chat piles and otherwise contaminated with mine waste.

After the EPA removed the contaminated soil, much of the habitat’s surface was clay. Key to the return of native plants and wildlife, she said, was applying compost on top of the clay.

The compost is created at the Center Creek 201 Wastwater Treatment Plant, where sludge is mixed with manure and wood chips. Adding the additional material lessens the percentage of zinc in the mixture so it is not harmful.

Using sludge for compost helps the cities, Webb City, Carterville and Oronogo, keep from having to pay landfill fees.

“I’m very excited by compost,” Ludwig said.

She called the Cardinal Valley an obvious success story. “It’s a story that needs to be told.”

Ludwig has received $5,000 so far from sources including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife agency, which is one of the Cardinal Valley partners. That has allowed her to hire a videographer, Aaron Phillips, of Columbia, to make a sample of what the completed documentary will be like.

She said the project will require an additional $28,500 in funding.

Once the documentary is completed, Ludwig said its premiere will be in Webb City, and Ozark Public Television is among those expressing interest in airing it to a wider audience.

Mayor Lynn Ragsdale, a member of the Center Creek 201 Board of Directors, agreed the compost process especially needs to be more widely known. He suggested a field trip for council members to the plant, with William Runkle, waste water utilities director, as the guide.

City Administrator Carl Francis said as the Cardinal Valley budget is discussed, “We’ll see how much we can provide to move it (the documentary) along.

For more updates on the documentary, visit the Facebook page.