To add to Steve's comments, the DNR must also be stopped from arguing that downgrading streams from A1 to A2 still gives them more protection than they had two years ago, before the new water quality standards. Of course they are! Before the new standards, 83% of the streams in Iowa had absolutely no protection. So anything is obviously more than nothing. That does not mean that A2 designation complies with the requirements of the Clean Water Act. Wally Taylor In a message dated 12/28/2007 10:32:25 AM Central Standard Time, [log in to unmask] writes: Hello Mike, Good job on the TV interview. Here's what people need to keep in mind though. The A1 designation does not just encompass swimming. The DNR's constant use of "swimming" in all of their press is a false premise they deliberately perpetrate in order to make their actions seem reasonable. A1 has three determinatives 1) prolonged contact with the water, 2) risk of ingesting water, and 3) ingestion in quantities that could cause harm. Swimming is not a determinative, it is just an example of one type of activity the rule is supposed to protect. My comeback to the DNR spin is that kids splashing and playing in the water need protection too. We must always challenge their false premise as part of our response. DNR will also say that the A2 designation being given most of these streams will effectively protect for A1 activities as well, since disinfection is "all or nothing" from an engineering standpoint. They fail to mention that the scientific basis for protecting for A2 (incidental contact) activities is being challenged nationally by the wastewater industry, and EPA may remove their guidance that states protect A2 designated streams. Even now it is not an EPA requirement. If that happens, states that define "primary contact" activities inclusively will still protect for most activities in most streams. States, like Iowa, that are trying to define "primary contact" activities very narrowly will NOT be protective of most activities in most streams. Based upon DNR statements to the wastewater folks, the half-life for implementing these new standards into permits will be ten years or more. There is a great risk that disinfection will never be implemented for streams designated A2. That's why we have to fight to keep as many streams as possible designated A1. Keep up the fight. Steve **************************************See AOL's top rated recipes (http://food.aol.com/top-rated-recipes?NCID=aoltop00030000000004) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/