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Re: E-M:/ Sugar Island and Lake George
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Enviro-Mich message from "Alexander J. Sagady" <ajs@sagady.com>
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At 04:50 AM 04/24/2007, you wrote:
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>Enviro-Mich message from Gary Stock <gstock@net-link.net>
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>
>
>Really? Seriously? Just:
>
> ...floating material washing up on beaches...
>
>No further description?!? That's the best data?!? Floating?!?
>
>GS
Dear Gary:
MDEQ's action represents an effort to enforce Rule 50 for the
waters named in the press release. Rule 50 provides:
R 323.1050 Physical characteristics.
Rule 50. The surface waters of the state shall not have any of the
following physical properties in unnatural quantities which are or may become
injurious to any designated use:
(a) Turbidity.
(b) Color.
(c) Oil films.
(d) Floating solids.
(e) Foams.
(f) Settleable solids.
(g) Suspended solids.
(h) Deposits.
History: 1954 ACS 77, Eff. Dec. 13, 1973; 1979 AC; 1986 MR 11, Eff.
Dec. 2, 1986; 2006 MR 1, Eff. Jan. 13, 2006.
Now, if we could just get MDEQ to acknowledge that many southern
Michigan rivers are actually in violation of Michigan water quality standard rule
50 for turbidity and suspended solids, we would be making real progress.
Unfortunately, MDEQ has been unlawfully evading the federal Clean Water
Act Section 303(d) requirements for many years by pretending that less than
3-4 river/stream miles in the entire state violate turbidity/suspended solids
water quality standards. This allows agriculture to continue to pollute streams
and rivers with sediment and soil from crop operations carried out without
any best management practices, without compliance with the soil sedimentation
and erosion control statutes of Michigan and with continual failure to use
Natural Resources Conservation Service soil erosion control practices.
MDEQ's practice also unlawfully allows permitted wastewater dischargers
to evade requirements to conform to water quality based effluent limitations
and waste load allocations for the discharge of suspended solids into southern
Michigan rivers.
As a result, the Grand River, Saginaw River, St. Joseph River and
the Kalamazoo River systems are on the top ten list in all of the Great Lakes Watershed
for potential generation of sediment pollution. See:
http://www.glc.org/tributary/pubs/documents/JournalPaperJofAmericanScience.pdf
This then is the grand scheme for bailing out agriculture by allowing the Great Lakes to
be used as the final clarifier to control poor sediment control practices in the agriculture
sector. Watch as this problem gets worse with the ethanol plant inspired changes in
crop practices with more lands in corn production, abandonment of crop rotation in
favor of continuous corn production.....from the increases in corn prices from market
demand. Because Michigan does not do comprehensive environmental review of its pending decisions,
Michigan is not in control of natural resources and environmental protection management
planning addressing this type of big picture problem.
>"Alex J. Sagady & Associates" wrote:
>
>> MDEQ News Release
>>
>> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>> April 23, 2007
>>
>> Contact: Robert McCann
>> (517) 241-7397
>>
>> Sugar Island and Lake George Channel Public Symposium
>>
>> In 2006, Sugar Island residents reported periodic episodes of floating material washing up on beaches along the Sugar Island reach in the Lake George Channel of the St. Marys River. In addition, elevated bacteria levels in the water caused the closure of the Sugar Island beach and the issuance of a no body contact advisory in Michigan waters. As a result, a number of United States and Canadian agencies convened work groups, conducted independent investigations, and shared and discussed results.
>
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Alex J. Sagady & Associates http://www.sagady.com
Environmental Enforcement, Permit/Technical Review, Public Policy,
Expert Witness Review and Litigation Investigation on Air, Water and
Waste/Community Environmental and Resource Protection
Prospectus at: http://www.sagady.com/sagady.pdf
657 Spartan Ave, East Lansing, MI 48823
(517) 332-6971; (517) 332-8987 (fax); ajs@sagady.com
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