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| April 17, 2003
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Vol. 10 No.
4
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| Regulatory
Turmoil Continues at the Local, State and Federal Levels |
| Chesapeake
Bay Preservation Ordinances Updates |
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Tayloe Murphy, Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources,
has formed an ad-hoc advisory committee to advise the
Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance Board (CBLAB) in addressing
issues that have arisen during implementation of the revised
regulations. The members of the committee include:
Darryl Cook, James City County; Bill Duncanson, Richmond
County; Eric Martin, City of Chesapeake; Matt Myers, Fairfax
County; Joan Salvati, Chesterfield County; Roy Hogland,
Chesapeake Bay Foundation; Nikki Rovner, Nature Conservancy;
Pat O'Hare, representing HBAV; and Michael Rolband (WSSI).
Russ Baxter, Assistant Secretary of Natural Resources
for Chesapeake Bay Coordination, will chair the committee
and several staff members from CBLAD, as well as Dr. Ellen
Gilinsky of VADEQ, have been designated to assist the
panel. Donald Davis of CBLAB will serve as liaison
to the committee. The first meeting is scheduled
for April 25, 2003.
Click
here to read more |
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| Local
Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinances Updates |
| Following
the Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance Board's (CBLAB)
announcement of a deadline extension to December
31, 2003 for all Virginia localities to implement
revisions to their Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinances,
several Northern Virginia jurisdictions have decided
to defer their adoption processes. Among these jurisdictions
are: City of Alexandria, Fairfax City, City of Falls
Church, Town of Herndon, and Stafford County.
Click
here to read more |
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| RPA
Mapping in Fairfax County |
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The biggest issues in Fairfax County's Chesapeake Bay
Preservation Ordinance relate to RPAs and their perennial
stream component, namely:
- Vesting.
The currently proposed vesting guidelines do not provide
for any vesting of approved RPA plans. Thus,
even if you have expended the funds to accurately
locate an RPA under the current Ordinance and have
proceeded diligently in reliance upon this approval,
it is not vested (unlike Prince William County).
Click
here to read more
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| Clean
Water Act Grassroots Efforts |
| April
16 is the deadline for comments on the Corps' and
EPA's advance notice of proposed rulemaking on Clean
Water Act jurisdiction. This rulemaking presents
a critical opportunity to define the limits of federal
regulatory power over "waters" including, for example,
ephemeral drainages, manmade ditches, erosion ruts
and the like.
Click
here to read more |
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| DEQ
Crackdown |
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The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)
appears to be starting a significant crackdown on Virginia
Water Protection Permit Program permit holders (i.e.,
wetlands permits) and Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System (VPDES) permit holders (i.e., erosion and sediment
controls, BMPs, and toxics). The "word" is that DEQ is
looking for a large builder to make an example of for
non-compliance to send everyone a message.
Click
here to read more
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About Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc. (WSSI):
WSSI is the leading provider of wetland science and water
resource engineering consulting services in Northern Virginia.
The firm has worked on over 1,200 sites, comprising more
than 70,000 acres, and has created hundreds of acres of
wetlands and restored miles of streams in the area. Our
team of 40 engineers, scientists, technicians, GIS/survey
specialists, and administrative staff yield a unique combination
of disciplines focused on wetlands and water resources
and provide creative solutions for integrating the constraints
of economics and land plan requirements with local, state
and federal environmental regulations. For more information
about WSSI, visit our web site at www.wetlandstudies.com.
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