The 2011 Schuylkill Watershed CongressSaturday, March 12th,Montgomery County Community College Pottstown, Pennsylvania
The Schuylkill Watershed Congress is an annual gathering of citizens interested in understanding, protecting and restoring local watersheds and streams. This event features a diverse program with concurrent and poster sessions covering a broad range of watershed topics.
This year’s program features 28 concurrent sessions and 7 poster sessions covering a broad range of watershed topics:
* Drinking Water Protection
* Hands-On Macroinvertebrate Identification
* Meeting With Legislators
* Natural Gas Drilling
* Restoration Case Studies
* Water Monitoring
* Green Infrastructure
* Abandoned Mine Drainage Treatment System
* Illegal Dumpsite Clean-up
* Working with Volunteers
During this Conference , I presented the following: "Getting the Waters Tested- The Marcellus Shale Factor". The presentation included information on geology, hydrology, the available groundwater data in the Citizens Groundwater Database for a portion of the study area, concepts for baseline testing, and much more. The main topic was how citizens can be part of this effort to document current conditions and ultimately help to track changes.
During the talk, we also discussed issues with the following:
1. Production water management
2. Water Management Issues - ie. accuracy of flow monitoring and importance of tracking waste cradle to grave.
3. Need for using degraded water sources as an alternative to clean freshwater - sources may include mine drainage, treated wastewater, stormwater, and designing drilling pads to be rainwater capture systems to reduce the need for hauling, or other well stimulation methods.
4. We also discussed the importance of casing installation and cementing and need for pre and post-drilling monitoring. We discussed the low cost informational and education services for Wilkes University and how this may be a cost effective alternative to screen private wells post drilling.
5. Finally we discussed the problem that many private well are currently contaminated prior to drilling and may act as conduits to cause contamination to migrate and facilitate groundater contamination.
6. Using Sourcewater Protection and not "feel good" un-enforceable ordinances (My opinion)to help to protect and manage are surfacewater and groundwater resources.
A copy of my presentation can be found in a pdf format at the Water Research Center
Showing posts with label watershed management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label watershed management. Show all posts
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Eighth Annual PennFuture Watershed Workshop Gas and Our Water: Legal tools for watershed advocates dealing with drilling in the Marcellus Shale
Event Name:
Gas and Our Water: Legal tools for watershed advocates dealing with drilling in the Marcellus Shale
Date & Time: Saturday, April 16, 2011 8:00 AM
Duration: 4 hours, 0 minutes
Location: King's College
This workshop will give grassroots conservation and watershed groups, concerned citizens, and volunteers, the legal tools necessary to protect our water and ensure drilling is done right. Hear from leading environmental professionals and attorneys from some of the most effective environmental organizations about the opportunities to address land use, permitting and enforcement of our laws and regulations. You will also learn more about ways to participate in the permitting process and effective tools to have your voice heard to decision-makers.
Space is limited - cost is $ 10.00 (non-members)
The cost of the workshop is FREE to PennFuture members; $10 for non-members. A light breakfast and all materials are included.
Space is limited and registration is required; register online today or by calling 717-214-7920.
Date: Saturday, April 16, 2011
Time: 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Location:
King's College
Burke Auditorium
133 North River Street
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711
Gas and Our Water: Legal tools for watershed advocates dealing with drilling in the Marcellus Shale
Date & Time: Saturday, April 16, 2011 8:00 AM
Duration: 4 hours, 0 minutes
Location: King's College
This workshop will give grassroots conservation and watershed groups, concerned citizens, and volunteers, the legal tools necessary to protect our water and ensure drilling is done right. Hear from leading environmental professionals and attorneys from some of the most effective environmental organizations about the opportunities to address land use, permitting and enforcement of our laws and regulations. You will also learn more about ways to participate in the permitting process and effective tools to have your voice heard to decision-makers.
Space is limited - cost is $ 10.00 (non-members)
The cost of the workshop is FREE to PennFuture members; $10 for non-members. A light breakfast and all materials are included.
Space is limited and registration is required; register online today or by calling 717-214-7920.
Date: Saturday, April 16, 2011
Time: 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Location:
King's College
Burke Auditorium
133 North River Street
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711
Saturday, March 5, 2011
New Best Practices Manual for Natural Gas Development in the Delaware River Basin
Marcellus Shale
"Protecting Watersheds During Natural Gas Development" - by the Pinchot Institute for Conservation
"The Marcellus Shale Formation is one of largest proven reserves of natural gas in the US. Image courtesy of USGS.
Natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale Formation, which underlies most of Pennsylvania and is one of the largest proven reserves of natural gas in the US, has the potential for significant impacts on land and water resources throughout the Commonwealth. Of particular concern are potential impacts on water quality and water consumption in the upper Delaware River basin, the premier source of clean drinking water for millions of people in Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey. Understanding the potential cumulative effects, using the most comprehensive and authoritative information available, is a critical first step in setting policies that will minimize the environmental impacts of developing this significant energy resource.
Development of “unconventional” shale gas formations generally requires hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”), which uses large volumes of water that then must be treated to remove solvents and other pollutants. Spills or leakage of these fracking fluids would have serious impacts on water quality in the Delaware River. Local economies in the middle and upper Delaware River basin are also dependent upon clean water and healthy forests as the basis for outdoor recreation. Land use changes associated with the development of gas wells could lead to widespread forest fragmentation, habitat loss for interior forest species, water quality and quantity impacts, and loss of scenic beauty important to the local economy.
Despite the range of potential impacts, there is only disjointed and inconsistent information available to the general public. Many organizations and entities are active in developing and/or disseminating information to landowners in the Delaware River Basin. This project will not reinvent all of this previous work. It will draw information together into a single, objective, user-friendly resource to meet the needs of landowners and local governments.
With funding from the Heinz Endowments, William Penn Foundation, and Nestlé Waters of North America, the Pinchot Institute is working with regional stakeholders through the Common Waters Partnership to facilitate a dialogue about proposed gas development within the watershed, and how to best minimize the potential for impacts on water quality. While it is likely the Marcellus Shale gas field will be developed, there is still significant uncertainty in the region about exactly where development will take place and under what conditions. "
Website - Pinchot Institute for Conservation
Common Waters Partnership
In the months ahead, the Pinchot Institute will undertake a series of activities aimed at providing the best available scientific and factual information relating to the development of unconventional natural gas resources, and facilitating a dialogue between the community and the gas companies that is as open and inclusive as possible. In addition, an agreement on critical landscapes where the development of natural gas drilling platforms should be avoided or limited will be developed, and a clear understanding of what questions need to be answered through a follow-on scientific assessment of gas drilling in the region.
"Protecting Watersheds During Natural Gas Development" - by the Pinchot Institute for Conservation
"The Marcellus Shale Formation is one of largest proven reserves of natural gas in the US. Image courtesy of USGS.
Natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale Formation, which underlies most of Pennsylvania and is one of the largest proven reserves of natural gas in the US, has the potential for significant impacts on land and water resources throughout the Commonwealth. Of particular concern are potential impacts on water quality and water consumption in the upper Delaware River basin, the premier source of clean drinking water for millions of people in Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey. Understanding the potential cumulative effects, using the most comprehensive and authoritative information available, is a critical first step in setting policies that will minimize the environmental impacts of developing this significant energy resource.
Development of “unconventional” shale gas formations generally requires hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”), which uses large volumes of water that then must be treated to remove solvents and other pollutants. Spills or leakage of these fracking fluids would have serious impacts on water quality in the Delaware River. Local economies in the middle and upper Delaware River basin are also dependent upon clean water and healthy forests as the basis for outdoor recreation. Land use changes associated with the development of gas wells could lead to widespread forest fragmentation, habitat loss for interior forest species, water quality and quantity impacts, and loss of scenic beauty important to the local economy.
Despite the range of potential impacts, there is only disjointed and inconsistent information available to the general public. Many organizations and entities are active in developing and/or disseminating information to landowners in the Delaware River Basin. This project will not reinvent all of this previous work. It will draw information together into a single, objective, user-friendly resource to meet the needs of landowners and local governments.
With funding from the Heinz Endowments, William Penn Foundation, and Nestlé Waters of North America, the Pinchot Institute is working with regional stakeholders through the Common Waters Partnership to facilitate a dialogue about proposed gas development within the watershed, and how to best minimize the potential for impacts on water quality. While it is likely the Marcellus Shale gas field will be developed, there is still significant uncertainty in the region about exactly where development will take place and under what conditions. "
Website - Pinchot Institute for Conservation
Common Waters Partnership
In the months ahead, the Pinchot Institute will undertake a series of activities aimed at providing the best available scientific and factual information relating to the development of unconventional natural gas resources, and facilitating a dialogue between the community and the gas companies that is as open and inclusive as possible. In addition, an agreement on critical landscapes where the development of natural gas drilling platforms should be avoided or limited will be developed, and a clear understanding of what questions need to be answered through a follow-on scientific assessment of gas drilling in the region.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Delaware River Basin Commission - Are the regulations going to far - Do we really understand the risk or are we running scared?
"DRBC regs go too far (editorial in the River Reporter)
By PETER WYNNE
The natural gas regulations proposed by the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) have impacts and implications that go far beyond putting a short leash on drilling companies. A group of more than a dozen landowner groups, businesses and business associations from the Upper Basin region have joined forces to mount an initiative to call this to the public’s attention.
In the coalition are Cherry Ridge Realty, the Lackawaxen-Honesdale Shippers Association, the Lower Wayne Property Owners Association, the Northern Wayne Property Owners Alliance, Reilly Associates Engineers, the Rural Bethel Landowners’ Coalition, Schaefer Enterprises of Deposit, The Starlight Forum (landowners group), the Sullivan-Delaware Property Owners Association, the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce, the Wayne Economic Development Corporation, the Wayne Pike County Farm Bureau and Woodland Design Associates.
The way these rules are written would amount to a de facto ban on gas exploration and production in our region. The regulations stipulate, for example, that drilling pads must be separated by at least 500 feet from any body of water or wetland, no matter how tiny or seasonal it may be. Based on studies of several Upper Basin properties done by a professional engineer, this would rule out gas activity on roughly 99% of the open land lying in the river basin in Wayne and Sullivan counties. Moreover, the few areas that would qualify for use under these rules are typically too small for the purpose and couldn’t be reached with access roads.
The rules also assign vast decision-making powers to the DRBC’s executive director and the commission staff. In effect, this gives them unbridled authority to stop gas activities at any time for almost any reason. There are also no time limits for the commission to act on permit applications. Contrast that with Pennsylvania’s Oil and Gas Act, for example, which specifies that permits must be issued within 45 days of receipt of properly completed applications. The state act also allows distance restrictions to be waived in certain circumstances if the drilling company is willing to take extra steps to reduce the risk of accidents.
It is also a matter of concern that the DRBC establishes legal precedents with its rules and determinations. If the regulations now under review are adopted without significant change, the commission could then use them as precedents to impose similarly crippling rules on agriculture and timber harvesting as well as commercial and even residential development. The governance of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in matters of land use and economic development would be superseded by a super-agency that has shown little or no concern for the economic well-being of the people living in the Upper Basin.
The DRBC has offered no real reason for intruding into the commonwealth’s domain. The proposed rules say the goal is to protect the waters of the Delaware and the forests in the environmentally sensitive headwaters region, but there’s no documentation included to show that the states’ oversight in these areas has been deficient. As measured by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) criteria, stream quality in Wayne County has been improving year after year. The percentage of land covered by forests has been increasing for decades and, in its 2010 revision of the state’s Chapter 102 Erosion and Sediment Control regulations, the DEP has greatly tightened rules that had done a good job already.
Residents of the Upper Delaware region are urged to make their feelings known to the DRBC and to the federal and state legislators who ultimately have a say in the conduct of the commission. Information on the DRBC’s hearings in Honesdale, PA, Liberty, NY and Trenton, NJ and guidance on how to submit written comments can be found at www.NaturalGasNow.info/DRBC online. Written comments on the proposed regulations can be posted directly at the National Park Service website at parkplanning.nps.gov/commentForm.cfm?documentID=37829 .
[Peter Wynne is media spokesman for the Northern Wayne Property Owners Alliance, whose membership includes 1,300-plus land-owning families and organizations having title to upward of 100,000 acres.]
By PETER WYNNE
The natural gas regulations proposed by the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) have impacts and implications that go far beyond putting a short leash on drilling companies. A group of more than a dozen landowner groups, businesses and business associations from the Upper Basin region have joined forces to mount an initiative to call this to the public’s attention.
In the coalition are Cherry Ridge Realty, the Lackawaxen-Honesdale Shippers Association, the Lower Wayne Property Owners Association, the Northern Wayne Property Owners Alliance, Reilly Associates Engineers, the Rural Bethel Landowners’ Coalition, Schaefer Enterprises of Deposit, The Starlight Forum (landowners group), the Sullivan-Delaware Property Owners Association, the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce, the Wayne Economic Development Corporation, the Wayne Pike County Farm Bureau and Woodland Design Associates.
The way these rules are written would amount to a de facto ban on gas exploration and production in our region. The regulations stipulate, for example, that drilling pads must be separated by at least 500 feet from any body of water or wetland, no matter how tiny or seasonal it may be. Based on studies of several Upper Basin properties done by a professional engineer, this would rule out gas activity on roughly 99% of the open land lying in the river basin in Wayne and Sullivan counties. Moreover, the few areas that would qualify for use under these rules are typically too small for the purpose and couldn’t be reached with access roads.
The rules also assign vast decision-making powers to the DRBC’s executive director and the commission staff. In effect, this gives them unbridled authority to stop gas activities at any time for almost any reason. There are also no time limits for the commission to act on permit applications. Contrast that with Pennsylvania’s Oil and Gas Act, for example, which specifies that permits must be issued within 45 days of receipt of properly completed applications. The state act also allows distance restrictions to be waived in certain circumstances if the drilling company is willing to take extra steps to reduce the risk of accidents.
It is also a matter of concern that the DRBC establishes legal precedents with its rules and determinations. If the regulations now under review are adopted without significant change, the commission could then use them as precedents to impose similarly crippling rules on agriculture and timber harvesting as well as commercial and even residential development. The governance of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in matters of land use and economic development would be superseded by a super-agency that has shown little or no concern for the economic well-being of the people living in the Upper Basin.
The DRBC has offered no real reason for intruding into the commonwealth’s domain. The proposed rules say the goal is to protect the waters of the Delaware and the forests in the environmentally sensitive headwaters region, but there’s no documentation included to show that the states’ oversight in these areas has been deficient. As measured by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) criteria, stream quality in Wayne County has been improving year after year. The percentage of land covered by forests has been increasing for decades and, in its 2010 revision of the state’s Chapter 102 Erosion and Sediment Control regulations, the DEP has greatly tightened rules that had done a good job already.
Residents of the Upper Delaware region are urged to make their feelings known to the DRBC and to the federal and state legislators who ultimately have a say in the conduct of the commission. Information on the DRBC’s hearings in Honesdale, PA, Liberty, NY and Trenton, NJ and guidance on how to submit written comments can be found at www.NaturalGasNow.info/DRBC online. Written comments on the proposed regulations can be posted directly at the National Park Service website at parkplanning.nps.gov/commentForm.cfm?documentID=37829 .
[Peter Wynne is media spokesman for the Northern Wayne Property Owners Alliance, whose membership includes 1,300-plus land-owning families and organizations having title to upward of 100,000 acres.]
Sunday, November 7, 2010
County Protects Important Watershed and Reservoirs in Northeastern Pennsylvania
"County’s steps to protect drinking water are touted
Urban calls land buys near reservoirs from ’03-’06 even more important in Shale era.
MATT HUGHES mhughes@timesleader.com - Author
Though threats to Luzerne County’s drinking water from natural gas drilling have drawn the concern and ire of some residents, a county commissioner said the county has already taken steps to protect the drinking water of more than 70,000 county residents.
Times Leader Photo StoreBetween 2003 and 2006, Luzerne County used $4.2 million of a $5 million bond to purchase several thousand acres of property near the Crystal Lake and Ceasetown reservoirs.
County Commissioner Stephen A. Urban, the only sitting commissioner elected then, said the county purchased the property to protect the county’s natural resources.
“With the gas drilling and everything else going on, I think this is one thing we don’t have to be concerned about,” Urban said.
About 40,000 acres of land around the reservoirs was transferred in 1996 to Theta Land Corp. following the sale of Pennsylvania Gas and Water’s water division to Pennsylvania American Water Co. Theta was later sold to a private buyer, whom a Dauphin County grand jury in 2008 revealed to be Louis DeNaples, of Dunmore.
In 2003 the county bought 2,600 acres surrounding Crystal Lake and in 2008 transferred ownership of the land to the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The county also purchased about 1,000 acres around the Ceasetown Reservoir and Pike’s Creek, which – combined with land owned by the water company and state forest land – form a sizeable buffer around two of the county’s primary water supplies.
Urban said the development of the Marcellus Shale was not on the county’s radar at the time it purchased the land, but that the influx of gas drillers has made the need to protect municipal drinking water all the more urgent.
He said state and federal regulations protecting water supplies lack teeth because they do not provide for buffers around reservoirs and the creeks and streams feeding into them.
“Our legislators have been asleep, the Democrats and the Republicans,” Urban said. “They haven’t focused on protecting the land around reservoirs. … They seem to act only when a crisis develops. There’s no forward thinking. I think the county was forward thinking in this purchase.”
Though Theta maintained wind rights and the timber rights through 2028, mineral and gas rights were never severed, meaning the land remains off limits to drillers without the county’s approval.
The same is not true of one of the county’s other major reservoirs, the Huntsville Reservoir, Lehman Township, where several private, waterfront properties have been leased for natural gas drilling by EnCana Natural Gas.
Urban said he doesn’t know why the land around Huntsville Reservoir had been developed, but said he supports the county purchasing more land around the reservoir to create a buffer should the land ever go up for sale.
Pennsylvania American Water’s Ceasetown plant provides water for about 67,500 county residents in 16 municipalities, including the cities of Wilkes-Barre and Nanticoke.
The Crystal Lake plant provides water to 14,000 in Mountain Top and Rice, Fairview and Wright townships."
The above is not my work, the following are my comments:
1. We need to develop detailed watershed management and land developing plan - this would include detailed sourcewater protection plans for all reservoirs and major aquifers.
2. We need to put out signs and train individuals driving truck that contain hazardous chemicals, like gasoline, oil, fuels, etc about the proper response to a leak in these areas. If possible, we should divert vehicles containing large quantities of potentially dangers chemicals to roadways that would less likely impact the reservoir directly.
3. We should limit land development by purchasing all rights including wind, development, gas, etc. This land should be put in the hands of the people. A portion of the funding to protect these lands should come from the Water Company that uses the water to serve residents in the vicinity of the reservoir and outside the watershed.
4. We should establish a real-time and citizen based watershed monitoirng effort and train citizens in the proper disposal of hazardous waste and pharmalogical waste.
5. We should limit the use of road salt and deicing agents in areas that are highly vulnerable to impact.
6. If necessary, we should install detention basins upgradient of the reservoir in cases where there is an activity that may have a direct impact on the reservoir.
7. There may be a need to change the practices of individuals and businesses that currently exist in areas within the watershed that are vulnerable to contamination.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Issue of Chloride in discharge Permits
"State rule targets chloride levels
By Robert Swift (Harrisburg Bureau Chief)
Published: July 17, 2010
HARRISBURG - A proposed state rule to limit the concentration in waterways of a salt compound produced by the Marcellus Shale drilling process is under challenge.
The proposal by the Department of Environmental Protection would align the state standard for allowable chloride levels with national criteria used to protect freshwater plant and animal species. The existing state chloride standard was developed mainly to protect water supplies
Fish and aquatic life can't survive when high levels of chloride are present. Chloride can corrode metals and affect the taste of food products.
The rule is being considered by the Environmental Quality Board as environmentalists warn that increased drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale formation will produce wastewater contributing to high levels of chloride to streams and groundwater.
Chloride occurs naturally in ancient rock formations that once formed seabeds and are reached by the drilling for deep gas pockets.
But chloride can also contaminate waterways through agricultural runoff and discharges from industries and wastewater treatment plants.
The chloride rule is a separate issue from a broader rule to limit pollution in wastewater from natural gas drilling in the final stages of regulatory action. The rule gives drillers several options to treat wastewater.
Under the chloride rule, the DEP would follow toxicity data on the impact of chlorides on plant aquatic life set by the federal Environmental Protection Agency in a 1988 study.
Both environmental and industry groups argue the 1988 data is outdated.
A coalition of environmental groups, including Clean Water Action and the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, note that DEP has the authority to adopt standards more stringent than federal criteria. They want new studies on chloride contamination that focus on aquatic life in Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Coal Association suggests other industries are adversely affected by the focus on Marcellus Shale drilling.
"The proposed regulation does have the potential to again sweep in a wide range of many other Pennsylvania industries, including the mining industry, who to date have not been generally required, to sample for, or treat, chloride in their wastewater discharges," the association said.
This week the state Independent Regulatory Review Commission urged DEP to rewrite the proposal.
"We agree that basing the new criteria on outdated data when more recent data is available is not reasonable," the commissioners said.
rswift@timesshamrock.com"
This is not my work,but here are my comments:
1. I have commented on NPDES Discharge Permits - I think it is critical we take a hard look at the permit limits we set for parameters such as chloride and sulfate.
2. We should be concerned with applying this very conservative limit to all industries - for example it could be very difficult to treat mine drainage if this standard had to be meet.
3. If this standard was applied to all NPDES permits - it may be a challenge to manage stormwater runoff and may require us to change how we deal with snow.
4. I would strongly recommend we take into consider the side effects of regulation.
5. If the concern is in-stream levels of contamination - we should also target and be concerned about urban runoff and the increasing the amount of groundwater recharge that sustains stream baseflows
My thoughts
PS: I will approve only comments that are constructive - so if you want to just vent - post on your own blog
By Robert Swift (Harrisburg Bureau Chief)
Published: July 17, 2010
HARRISBURG - A proposed state rule to limit the concentration in waterways of a salt compound produced by the Marcellus Shale drilling process is under challenge.
The proposal by the Department of Environmental Protection would align the state standard for allowable chloride levels with national criteria used to protect freshwater plant and animal species. The existing state chloride standard was developed mainly to protect water supplies
Fish and aquatic life can't survive when high levels of chloride are present. Chloride can corrode metals and affect the taste of food products.
The rule is being considered by the Environmental Quality Board as environmentalists warn that increased drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale formation will produce wastewater contributing to high levels of chloride to streams and groundwater.
Chloride occurs naturally in ancient rock formations that once formed seabeds and are reached by the drilling for deep gas pockets.
But chloride can also contaminate waterways through agricultural runoff and discharges from industries and wastewater treatment plants.
The chloride rule is a separate issue from a broader rule to limit pollution in wastewater from natural gas drilling in the final stages of regulatory action. The rule gives drillers several options to treat wastewater.
Under the chloride rule, the DEP would follow toxicity data on the impact of chlorides on plant aquatic life set by the federal Environmental Protection Agency in a 1988 study.
Both environmental and industry groups argue the 1988 data is outdated.
A coalition of environmental groups, including Clean Water Action and the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, note that DEP has the authority to adopt standards more stringent than federal criteria. They want new studies on chloride contamination that focus on aquatic life in Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Coal Association suggests other industries are adversely affected by the focus on Marcellus Shale drilling.
"The proposed regulation does have the potential to again sweep in a wide range of many other Pennsylvania industries, including the mining industry, who to date have not been generally required, to sample for, or treat, chloride in their wastewater discharges," the association said.
This week the state Independent Regulatory Review Commission urged DEP to rewrite the proposal.
"We agree that basing the new criteria on outdated data when more recent data is available is not reasonable," the commissioners said.
rswift@timesshamrock.com"
This is not my work,but here are my comments:
1. I have commented on NPDES Discharge Permits - I think it is critical we take a hard look at the permit limits we set for parameters such as chloride and sulfate.
2. We should be concerned with applying this very conservative limit to all industries - for example it could be very difficult to treat mine drainage if this standard had to be meet.
3. If this standard was applied to all NPDES permits - it may be a challenge to manage stormwater runoff and may require us to change how we deal with snow.
4. I would strongly recommend we take into consider the side effects of regulation.
5. If the concern is in-stream levels of contamination - we should also target and be concerned about urban runoff and the increasing the amount of groundwater recharge that sustains stream baseflows
My thoughts
PS: I will approve only comments that are constructive - so if you want to just vent - post on your own blog
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Riparian Zone Buffer Program in Northeastern Pennsylvania
The Pike County Conservation District (PCCD) will be sponsoring a program on Tuesday, October 27th from 7-9pm to educate residents and municipal officials about the benefits of riparian, or streamside, buffers. The program will be held at the PPL Wallenpaupack Environmental Learning Center on Route 6 in Hawley, PA.
PCCD will host educators from the Stroud Water Research Center who will present the findings of their research on the importance of Riparian Buffers in preventing sedimentation to streams, curbing non-point source pollution, and providing nutrients to the aquatic food chain on a watershed-wide basis. Stroud Water Research Center Scientists study the physical, chemical, and biological processes of streams and rivers, the life histories of individual organisms, and the ecology of watersheds. Stroud is internationally acclaimed for its pioneering research on streams and rivers.
Riparian buffers are important for good water quality and help to prevent sediment, pesticides, and other pollutants from reaching our streams. Riparian buffers may include multiple types of vegetation along the stream. This vegetation, from grass to trees, is a major source of energy and nutrients for stream communities and is especially important in small headwater streams. Overhanging riparian vegetation keeps streams cool which helps maintain native trout populations and habitats. Buffers also provide valuable habitat for wildlife and are an important travel corridor for a variety of wildlife. Buffers slow floodwaters, thereby helping to maintain stable streambanks and protect downstream property. These, and numerous other benefits, will be discussed throughout the program.
For more information and to register, please contact Nick Spinelli at the Pike County Conservation District, 556 Route 402, Hawley, PA 18428 at 570-226-8220. Financial and other support for this project is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Pike County Conservation District
556 Rt. 402 Suite 1
Hawley, PA 18428
570-226-8220
570-226-8222
mulmer@pikepa.org
www.pikeconservation.org
For more details - visit
http://www.pnercd.org/
Online Distance Learning Programs
http://www.bfenvironmental.com/
PCCD will host educators from the Stroud Water Research Center who will present the findings of their research on the importance of Riparian Buffers in preventing sedimentation to streams, curbing non-point source pollution, and providing nutrients to the aquatic food chain on a watershed-wide basis. Stroud Water Research Center Scientists study the physical, chemical, and biological processes of streams and rivers, the life histories of individual organisms, and the ecology of watersheds. Stroud is internationally acclaimed for its pioneering research on streams and rivers.
Riparian buffers are important for good water quality and help to prevent sediment, pesticides, and other pollutants from reaching our streams. Riparian buffers may include multiple types of vegetation along the stream. This vegetation, from grass to trees, is a major source of energy and nutrients for stream communities and is especially important in small headwater streams. Overhanging riparian vegetation keeps streams cool which helps maintain native trout populations and habitats. Buffers also provide valuable habitat for wildlife and are an important travel corridor for a variety of wildlife. Buffers slow floodwaters, thereby helping to maintain stable streambanks and protect downstream property. These, and numerous other benefits, will be discussed throughout the program.
For more information and to register, please contact Nick Spinelli at the Pike County Conservation District, 556 Route 402, Hawley, PA 18428 at 570-226-8220. Financial and other support for this project is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Pike County Conservation District
556 Rt. 402 Suite 1
Hawley, PA 18428
570-226-8220
570-226-8222
mulmer@pikepa.org
www.pikeconservation.org
For more details - visit
http://www.pnercd.org/
Online Distance Learning Programs
http://www.bfenvironmental.com/
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