Agenda - 09-21-2010 - 4g - Laserfiche WebLink

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16 ~~~ Located at the foot of Chesapeake Bay, Mathews County has recognized the ~! importance of all the waterways-headwaters, intermittent streams and wetlands that flow into the Bay and past their doorstep. On May 26, 2009, r hi f u ervisorJ nin B rn h Board f rvi r under the leade s o S a e u s t e o Su a so s p p p adopted the following resolution. Supervisor Burns says she is happy for their resolution to be used as a model for other counties. ,. ~ ~~~.L ~- ._ .~~. ,_ _ T. - -.~_ Mathews County websKe RESOLUTION: Clarification of Federal Jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act Whereas, wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems in the world, providing habitats for many kinds of plants and animals, including more than one-third of the United States' threatened and endangered species; and Whereas, wetlands play an important role in providing a number of ecological services, including flood protection and control; erosion and sedimentation prevention and control; surface water filtration; groundwater recharge; and support for economic activity that depends on healthy populations offish and wildlife; and Whereas, wetlands provide opportunities for recreation, education, and research as well as measurable economic contributions to the Chesapeake Bay Region; and Whereas, the maritime heritage and the future of Mathews County, Virginia, are inextricably linked to water quality and the health of the Chesapeake Bay, and Whereas, 70-90% of fish and shellfish in the Bay are dependent on wetlands for a life cycle phase, and Whereas, more than one-half of the natural Chesapeake Bay Region wetlands have already been filled in or drained for agriculture, urban uses, shoreline development, recreation and resource extraction, compromising and sometimes eliminating the natural storage and cleansing functions of wetlands around the Bay; and Whereas, the Clean Water Act's jurisdiction over wetlands and all waters of the United States has been made uncertain by U.S. Supreme Court decisions in Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) v. United States Army Corps of Engineers and related cases Rapanos v. United States and Carabell v. United States; and an estimated 20 million acres of wetlands and 500 of all stream miles in the lower 48 states are jeopardized by the Supreme Court decisions, and Whereas, despite the issuance by the U.S. Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of supplementary guidance concerning Clean Water Act jurisdiction, confusion over federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act persists, adding substantial delays to valid permit actions and otherwise undermining the ability of the federal government and the states (whose wetland programs are legally intertwined with the Clean Water Act) to protect intermittent streams and isolated wetlands, placing large areas of Chesapeake Region wetlands and streams at risk of pollution and destruction. Therefore, Be It Resolved that the Board of Supervisors of Mathews County, Virginia, supports continued and consistent definitions of federal jurisdiction of wetlands and water of the United States; and Be It Fnally Resolved, that the Board of Supervisors of Mathews County, Virginia, encourages the U.S. Congress to act immediately to reestablish Clean Water Act jurisdiction to the full scope of waters protected prior to the recent Supreme Court decisions, and to work in cooperation with the Chesapeake Region States and other interested organizations to resolve Clean Water Act jurisdiction issues. 13 Clean Water For All: County Leaders Speak Out for Clean Water