The past 4 years, Virginia has had multiple fish kills throughout the spring and summer seasons. It originally started in the Shenandoah Valley but has now spread to the James River drainage. This article explains how little is being done to prevent these in Virginia when our neighboring state of Maryland has already implemented changes.
http://www.insidenov...n_season/31227/
Fish kills in Virginia
Started by
Guest_Drew_*
, Mar 05 2009 05:59 PM
7 replies to this topic
#3
Guest_Drew_*
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Posted 05 March 2009 - 07:49 PM
Are you saying that they didn't pass in the way the author states? Or there were more restrictions and this is what was left?
I had read somewhere that they had also found battery dumps close to the water but never heard anything about it since.
I had read somewhere that they had also found battery dumps close to the water but never heard anything about it since.
#4
Guest_ashtonmj_*
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Posted 05 March 2009 - 08:04 PM
Yeah, I'm not quite sure what was stated accurately reflects what was passed. It makes it sound a little more all encompassing and stringent that probably is, but in not in comparison to VA. The original proposal in late 2008 bill and what was passed in early 2009 ended up being a little different if I remeber correctly. It also only applies to CAFO's.
#5
Guest_ashtonmj_*
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Posted 15 March 2009 - 06:33 AM
Drew, a little update for you.
This is a national standard, I'm guessing NPDES, that is going to be enforced (what a concept). It briefly mentions what the state was and wasn't able to legislate last year regarding poultry litter holding/disposal. There is a little bit of contradiction how encompassing the regulation will be, e.g. CAFO's or all poultry farms. So the real question might be why aren't these rules being applied in VA, regardless of the lack of state regulation. A nice point is made that these regulations go above and beyond the states, so why have the duplicity. EPA & Poultry Farms
This is a national standard, I'm guessing NPDES, that is going to be enforced (what a concept). It briefly mentions what the state was and wasn't able to legislate last year regarding poultry litter holding/disposal. There is a little bit of contradiction how encompassing the regulation will be, e.g. CAFO's or all poultry farms. So the real question might be why aren't these rules being applied in VA, regardless of the lack of state regulation. A nice point is made that these regulations go above and beyond the states, so why have the duplicity. EPA & Poultry Farms
#7
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Posted 15 March 2009 - 12:36 PM
The will or manpower certainly doesn't exist at the state level in Maryland and likely not in Virginia either. Saying it's a "clarification of already existing regulations" is really a cop out to saying we weren't funded in the past sufficiently to enforce the regulation and it was such a low priority we just didn't enforce it.
Something that gives me a chuckle is any assertion of being scapegoated or targeted when the contributions of nutrients, bacteria, and hormones to water from litter is well documented and not disputed. We have to hose down our vehicle and waders immediately after leaving a CAFO, and that is an industry requirement. If you're wearing a respirator or mask when you shovel, hose the stuff down, or spread it, isn't that a blatant addmission that you know it should probably be stored and disposed of with some level of care?
Something that gives me a chuckle is any assertion of being scapegoated or targeted when the contributions of nutrients, bacteria, and hormones to water from litter is well documented and not disputed. We have to hose down our vehicle and waders immediately after leaving a CAFO, and that is an industry requirement. If you're wearing a respirator or mask when you shovel, hose the stuff down, or spread it, isn't that a blatant addmission that you know it should probably be stored and disposed of with some level of care?
#8
Guest_fundulus_*
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Posted 15 March 2009 - 06:46 PM
CAFOs can exist as they do in most states purely because that industry has a gaggle of lobbyists in each state with PAC money to hand out. Maryland has a well-heeled state government compared to Alabama; the ADEM (Department of Environmental Management) in this state doesn't even pretend to be able to enforce such laws as are on the books since they're in a permanently stunted condition. No one really wants to know how much multi-drug resistant bacteria strains are in the state's groundwater; it's probably the same in Virginia and Maryland, etc.
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