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HomeNewsArchivesPublic Invited to Discuss Regulatory Changes for Salt River Bay Watershed

Public Invited to Discuss Regulatory Changes for Salt River Bay Watershed

July 19, 2007 — An upcoming town meeting will give residents, farmers and business owners in the Salt River Watershed and surrounding community an opportunity to learn about regulatory changes for the watershed.
The town meeting is scheduled for 4 – 6 p.m. next Thursday at the National Park Service’s Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve Visitors Contact Station, according to a news release from the Department of Planning and Natural Resources’ Division of Environmental Protection (DPNR-DEP).
The Clean Water Act and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's water-quality planning and management regulations require states to develop total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for bodies of water that are not meeting their designated uses — even when companies or farms creating pollutants have implemented technological controls.
“A TMDL establishes the allowable load of a pollutant or other quantifiable parameter based on the relationship between pollutant sources and in-stream water quality,” the release said. “A TMDL provides the scientific basis for a state or territory to establish water-quality based controls to reduce pollution from both point and non-point sources, and restore and maintain the quality of the water resources.”
Based on the establishment of the Salt River Bay TMDLs, it is anticipated that the following initiatives will be implemented by DPNR-DEP:
— designation of a federal no-discharge zone for the entire Salt River Bay system;
— inspections of existing septic systems to identify systems in need of repair or replacement;
— additional requirements of best-management practices (BMPs) to reduce land-based runoff and other sources of organic material to the bay;
— increased construction BMPS to reduce storm-water and sedimentation from reaching the bay; and
— possible changes in mooring locations and allowed boating speeds.
Estates affected by these documents and initiatives include Salt River, Little Fountain, Betzy’s Jewel, Colony Cove, Clairmont, Friedensfeld, Jealousy, Greig Hill, Kirkegaard Hill, Windsor, Mon Bijou, Frangi Pangi, Lebanon Hill, Caanan, St. John, Concordia, Morningstar, Montpellier, Glynn, Bonne Esperance, Gentle Winds Condominium and Judith’s Fancy.
For additional information regarding the town meeting, call the Division of Environmental Protection at 773-1082.
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