June
12, 2000
UNDER
ASSAULT: Tennessee's Streams and Wetlands The
Tennessee Water Quality Control Board will be considering proposed regulations
in early JULY governing the protection of state streams and wetlands.
Weakened by the road-building industry, these laws will actually
allow more pollution to the waters of the state if it is determined the
water is not important or provides a specific public benefit.
In other words, if the water is already polluted, or does not have
some specific purpose, pollution will be permitted.
Any community living near polluted water therefore will become
a target for more development, sprawl, and pollution.
Tennessee
has over 14,000 miles of rivers and streams already impacted by pollution.
The state has a duty under the Water Quality Control Act to avoid
future pollution in EVERY stream and wetlands.
IN SHORT, every permit applicant who proposes altering or destroying
a stream or wetland should be placed under a specific duty to demonstrate
that there is no practicable alternative. The
proposed regulations are dangerously weak, BUT we CAN turn them around!!
Here's
What You Can Do: Call
or write Members of the Water Quality Control Board. Here's what you might
say:
I am calling about the Aquatic Resource Alteration Permit regulations
being considered by the Tennessee Division of Water Pollution Control.
These regulations are extremely important to me because they address
issues of sprawl and impacts to our state streams and wetlands.
I would therefore like the final regulations approved by the Water
Quality Control Board to be as strong as possible. Specifically,
*I would like to be assured that every applicant be required to
demonstrate they cannot avoid negatively impacting the stream and wetland *IF the applicant cannot avoid impacting the stream,
I would like TDEC to require permit applicants to evaluate alternatives
that minimize impacts to the stream or wetland.
* The two points above
should apply to every stream and wetland in Tennessee - no matter where
they are located. [For
a copy of this notice of rulemaking hearing or of the draft general permits,
contact Dan Eagar, Natural Resources Section, Division of Water Pollution
Control, 7th floor, L&C Annex, 401 Church Street, Nashville, Tennessee
37243-1534, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, 615/532-0708.] [For
more information, contact Danielle Droitsch at [email protected]] MEMBERS
OF THE WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARD Ms.
Leslie Cain Cain
Autoplex Hwy.
96 & I-65 South Franklin,
TN 37068-0789 615-794-2572 Department
of Health, Tennessee Mr.
Robert Worthington
Laboratory
Services
7th
Fl., Ben Allen Road
Nashville,
TN 37247-0801
615-262-6302
Dr.
James Cunningham University
of TN - Chattanooga 615
McCallie Avenue Chattanooga,
TN 37403 423-755-4361 Mr.
Michael Countess Assistant
Commissioner Department
of Agriculture Ellington
Agricultural Center Nashville,
TN 37204 615-837-5311 Mr.
Eddie Floyd 3165
Foster chapel Road Columbia,
TN 38401 931-388-6752 Ms.
Geneil Hailey Dillehay, P.E. 88
Difficult Rd. Carthage,
TN 37030 615-774-3633 Mr.
John Charles Wilson 560
Orr Road Arlington,
TN 38002-4324 (901)
867-7468 Dr.
Don Byerly University
of Tennessee Department
of Geological Science Knoxville,
TN 37996-1410 865-974-6007 Mr.
Frank Brogden 3716
Arrowhead Trial Kingsport,
TN 37664 423-246-9197
(area code could be 865) Mr.
John Leonard Bureau
of Environment 21st
Floor L&C Tower Nashville,
TN 37243 615-532-0225 |
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