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

[email protected]  

615-794-2572

 

Department of Health, Tennessee

Mr. Robert Worthington     

Laboratory Services                

7th Fl., Ben Allen Road                

Nashville, TN 37247-0801           

[email protected]

615-262-6302               

 

Dr. James Cunningham

University of TN - Chattanooga

615 McCallie Avenue

Chattanooga, TN 37403

[email protected]

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

[email protected]

931-388-6752

 

Ms. Geneil Hailey Dillehay, P.E.

88 Difficult Rd.

Carthage, TN 37030

[email protected]

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

[email protected]

865-974-6007

 

Mr. Frank Brogden

3716 Arrowhead Trial

Kingsport, TN 37664

[email protected]

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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Tennessee Clean Water Network
P.O. Box 1521
Knoxville, TN 37901
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