40 CFR 122.27 (the EPA’s “silviculture rule”) exempts from NPDES permitting all discharges from silvicultural (forestry) activities such as thinning, prescribed burning, pest and fire control, harvesting operations, surface drainage, or road construction and maintenance resulting from natural runoff. But recent opinions from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit have restricted the [...]
Archive for the ‘Stormwater’ Category
7 Jan
Clearing Up Oregon’s Definition of Turbidity
Marten Law published an article earlier this week describing the challenges facing Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) as they revise their 30-year-old definition of “turbidity.” What is turbidity? Turbidity is a measure of water clarity or cloudiness, caused by material that is suspended in the water. The material can range from soil particles from [...]
23 Dec
Icky Sickly Water Woes
Two recent news stories showcase the often uninvited residents of our nation’s water resources. Waterways through and surrounding the city of Boston have been receiving unwelcome and illegal dumps of raw sewage and other pollutants, according to a citizen lawsuit filed by the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) in February of 2010. CLF alleges that defendant [...]
23 Nov
Snow, Salt, and Sand
Here in Seattle, we’re bundling up our extremities, blasting our heaters, and preparing for the treacherous and snail-paced commutes that come hand-in-hand with the first snowstorm of the year. A predicted 1.5 inches might not sound like much to the snow-savvy, but here in the Northwest, we’re ill-equipped to clear our roads in a hurry. [...]
