This is an incredibly complex issue with more aspects than most of us mortals can even begin to envision.
My pond is probably considered "Interstate Waters" since my pond and property are in West Virginia, but most of my watershed is in Virginia -- my eastern property line is also the state line.
The language in the proposed bill scares the heck out of me. I especially fear "striking 'navigable waters . . .' " from the definitions. My current pond, and a smaller wildlife pond are in pasture watershed, but I also have "navigable water" elsewhere on my property, even though the stream is dry about 4-5 months during most years. It is in an area where I plan to excavate my next pond.
But, I do not think this bill has a chance of getting out of committee the way it is worded -- that is where we may have some influence.
On the other side of things, we have rampant water pollution problems in my area that have devastated sport fishing in public waters. Suburban sprawl with its many issues, and factory farms with massive manure and hormone seepage are just a few of the water issues that must be dealt with. Stupidity and bureaucracy on the enforcement side must also be dealt with somehow.
As private water managers, we not only need a voice, but we a level head who can report from Washington.
I also think we need to start another thread on this issue with suggested typical letters we will be sending to our congressional representatives. We also need to find out who is on the committee that will be reviewing this proposed bill, and we need to really plaster those representatives with e-mails. They don't necessarily have to be your representative -- we just need to get our views to all of them. The letters must be very to-the-point, and we can't sound like crackpots.
Anybody want to be a lobbyist?
