Come On In, the Water's Fine?
File this one under knowing-too-many-stats. A huge and impressive cleanup of the Cumberland River over the last dozen years has led to a yearly pr event demonstrating the cleanliness of the water as area swimmers throw on life vests and take a lap across. I'm sure it is, as they say, clean enough to swim in. For my money though, Councilwoman Emily Evans might want to abandon the precise statistics, you know, because of the imagery.

Emily Evans, who started organizing the event last fall, said the river was safe and pointed out that every swimmer would wear a life vest.

Evans, one of five council members who swam, also said sewage overflows into the river have decreased from 2.3 billion gallons in 1989 to 16 million gallons in 2007.

That's quite a decrease..I suppose...but come on, don't tell me there are 16 million gallons of sewage flowing into the river. It might not be much by river standards, but it sure sounds like plenty.