Louisiana SAF takes serious look at water policy at state convention Following on the theme set by the Louisiana Forestry Association a month earlier, the Louisiana chapter, Society of American Foresters talked and heard a lot about water, at the Society's annual convention in Lafayette September 25-27. One panelist, Dr. Rhett Jackson, assistant professor of hydrology at University of Georgia, said, "You can make a lot of people really mad really fast," when discussing causes and solutions to problems in water quality. "People have the impression that when Columbus got here to the New World, every stream had clear, clean water with no pollutants. The fact is, some streams because of natural conditions, don't have good water, no matter what you do." Dr. Jackson listed factors that affect water quality - water temperature, air temperature, underground geology, stream velocity, depth, sun angle, and shade - with shade being the only manageable variable for streams in many cases. "An oversimplified view of fish life leads to bad standards," he said, referring to the Clean Water Act goal of every stream being "drinkable, swimmable, and fishable." "We need new laws from Congress to make the 303(d) lists a doable regulation," Dr. Jackson said, indicating the Total Maximum Daily Load requirements by which states are mandated to identify and list streams and waterbodies requiring reduction of pollutants. Regarding TMDL measurements, he said, "You can have it cheap, quick, and accurate - but only any two of the three. You can't have all three," because of the limitations of resources and the science required to measure infiltration levels. Dr. Jackson and other presenters on the two-day program emphasized that the urgency of TMDL identification and relief in state water bodies is driven by court decisions brought on by environmentalists' lawsuits, and not by the regulations adopted by the EPA. Emilese Cormier, Environmental Scientist with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, said the court order affecting Louisiana is in limbo temporarily, as the state works to expand identification of TMDL needs in streams and water bodies. "Louisiana's challenge," Ms. Cormier said, "is warm temperatures, low slope, low stream flow," which affects levels of dissolved oxygen. She named one North Louisiana stream, Flat Creek, which in order to meet all clean water regulations, would require a reduction of 115% of non-point source loading - a practical and mathematical impossibility. "The DEQ is striving to produce scientifically sound TMDL, more appropriate water quality criteria, methodology, and data to de-list water bodies" which do not require work, she said. Dr. G.H. Weaver, professor of forestry at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, said that in Louisiana, one major source of stream silting is runoff from rural unpaved public roads. Dr. Weaver, and other presenters said that agriculture produces the greatest amount of stream pollution, from infiltration of fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. This coincides with national and regional studies showing agriculture as the major producer of nitrate infiltration, while forestry operations account for less than 10 percent of overall pollution. Prior to the convention sessions, delegates to the LASAF convention toured timberlands, logging operations, manufacturing plants, and wildlife management areas in the Central Louisiana area. Other presenters included Buck Vandersteen, executive director of Louisiana Forestry Association, John Lovelace, U.S. Geological Survey; Bill Branch, LSU Extension Service; Dr. Bill Kelso, LSU School of Forestry; John Sullivan, Bennett & Peters Consulting foresters; Dr. Jim Shepherd, Sustainable Forestry Program manager, SCASI; Fred Bryan, U.S. Geological Survey; Scott Nesbit, Nesbit Ecological Services; and Sandra Thompson DeCoteau, Atchafalaya Basin Program. Senator Fred Hoyt of Abbeville, a co-author of water legislation in the Louisiana Senate, spoke at the noon luncheon on Wednesday. |