Anyone that is interested in this issue, may find the resources in the "Zoomer" function on the Sierra Club's National website, to be useful and interesting. The links below will take you to the "Watershed" and "Water Quality" resources using Sioux City as an example. If you like the resources you see, use the Primary Zoomer link at the bottom to get to enter your own local zipcode. FYI, I had trouble getting the pages to connect when typing in the zip code, but found that the "zip code locator" link that allows you to scroll to your nearest town, works well.
Watershed Sioux City Example
http://zoomer.sierraclub.org/getlocal.html?reportID=1040&zip=51111&x=13&y=7
Water Quality Sioux City Example
http://zoomer.sierraclub.org/getlocal.html?reportID=1008&zip=51111
Primary “Zoomer” link displaying the wealth of topics available--allows local zip codes to be located
http://zoomer.sierraclub.org/
Elisa
erin jordahl IA <[log in to unmask]> wrote: WHAT WATERS ARE AT RISK UNDER THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION'S PLAN TO CRIPPLE THE
CLEAN WATER ACT?
PLEASE HELP US FIND OUT!
On January 15, 2003, the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers issued new
guidance to their field staff instructing that wetlands, streams, ponds and
other waters that are non-navigable, located wholly within one state, and
"isolated," are not considered automatically protected under the Clean
Water Act. ("Isolated" is not defined in the Clean Water Act.) They also
announced that they plan to propose changes to the regulations determining
what, if any, isolated waters are within the jurisdiction of the Clean
Water Act, and invited additional comment on changes regarding other
waters. If waters are deemed to be outside of the jurisdiction of the
Clean Water Act, they may be filled and waste may be discharged into them
without a permit. (For more background on this, see Sierra Club's website:
http://www.sierraclub.org/cleanwater/bush_cripple.asp)
Persuading the EPA to rescind this guidance and to stop the rulemaking are
top Sierra Club priorities. If we are to succeed, we urgently need to
collect examples of waters where Clean Water Act protections could no
longer apply. We need your help to do that. We think that presenting
legislators and the public with local examples of waters put at risk will
be one of the most effective ways to stop these Bush administration
initiatives.
What waters might be affected?
Streams, ponds and wetlands that are not navigable, are very small, do not
flow year-around above the ground, appear "isolated" from waters that flow
year-around, or are connected by ditches, channelized segments or pipes,
and are contained within a state. Examples include small headwater streams,
intermittent and ephemeral streams and adjacent wetlands.
What we need:
We are in search of:
Pictures (preferably digital) of those "isolated" wetlands or streams.
The pictures could show a stream in its natural state (with water and
without), or a stream receiving pollution or being destroyed by
development, mining, or some other activity.
A short narrative explaining the location of the stream or wetland, how
it's connected to other waters in ways that might not be obvious, its
function (for example: species habitat, filtering pollutants, reduction of
floodwaters), and the consequences of filling or polluting the water;
A contact to whom we can refer journalists for more information.
We particularly want to highlight the connections between wetlands or ponds
and other waters even if only through a drainage ditch or a tile discharge.
It would be very useful to show ponds, wetlands or small streams that
receive point source discharges from a sewage treatment plant, factory farm
or other source. Showing point sources with small streams nearby would
also be helpful to illustrate how the point sources could simply redirect
their discharges into smaller streams if they become unregulated.
Please forward your examples to Ananda Hirsch at
[log in to unmask] If you have questions, please contact Robin
Mann at [log in to unmask] or 610-527-4598 or Ed Hopkins at
[log in to unmask] or 202-675-7908.
Thank you for your help.
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