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Committee Structure
The Water Issues Committee is co-chaired by Thomas
Au and Barbara
Benson. The rest of the committee is comprised of Group water
issues and conservation chairs.
Newsletters
The Water Issues newsletter provides readers with a snapshot
of the water committee’s current concerns, as well as sources
for further information. Published since early 2007, the newsletter
is distributed to members of the water issues committee, Group chairs,
and other individuals who have indicated an interest in receiving
the newsletter. If you would like to be added to the distribution
list for this newsletter, contact Barbara
Benson. To read back issues, click on the links below:
July 2008
June 2008
March 2008
January
2008
November 2007
September
2007
July
2007
May
2007
February
2007
Partnering with the PA Campaign for Clean Water
To help keep our waters clean, the PA Chapter has joined the Pennsylvania
Campaign for Clean Water. We participate as members of the PCCW
Steering Committee and the Stormwater, Wetlands, and Exceptional
Value Waters Workgroups.
Buffers 100 Campaign - Protecting our Streams
Find out more about our new campaign to improve water quality by
requiring 100 foot buffers along all streams. Learn more at the
Buffers
100 website. Use our sample
letter as the basis for an email to DEP secretary Kathleen McGinty
in support of the campaign.
Chapter 102 and 105 Rulemaking Changes
This PCCW webpage provides links to our recently prepared recommendations
to DEP Deputy Secretary Cathy Myers for improvements to Chapter
102, Erosion and Sediment Control and Chapter
105 Stream Encroachment rulemaking.
Clean Water Act Passage
The Clean Water Act is the federal law which governs the pollution
of our nation’s rivers and streams. Recent actions by the
federal government have limited protection for our small streams
and for so-called isolated wetlands. This would place 59% of stream
miles in our state at risk and endanger the drinking water of 110
million Americans! The PA Chapter has partnered with the PA Campaign
for Clean Water to write our state representatives on several occasions,
urging them to support legislation that would make it restore the
full authority of the Clean Water Act, and we have also directly
communicated on this matter with our Water Issues Committee. The
Clean Water restoration Act would ensure that all of the waters
in United States are protected. See our April 2007 Letter
to Congress.
Where
Rivers are Born: The Scientific Imperative for Defending Small
With the federal protection of small streams and wetlands in question,
the Sierra Club and American Rivers asked eleven scientists to summarize
the services wetlands and small streams provide society and the
consequences of degrading these waters. This report provides an
excellent overview and should be widely read and circulated.
Get on the National clean water email list
Want to stay tuned to national clean water efforts? Join the Sierra
Club’s clean water email list by sending a request to Navis
Bermudez.
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