Board of Supervisors Public Hearing on Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act Regulations Monday, May 24
The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on the proposed Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act regulations at 6:30 p.m., Monday, May 24, 2010, in the Board Room of the Loudoun County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E. in Leesburg. More information is online at www.loudoun.gov/chesapeakebay.
The health of the Chesapeake Bay is directly related to the health of our local streams, rivers and water table. Loudoun is considering adopting a policy that would require it, by statute, to take efforts to reduce point source pollution and implement measures to preserve and improve the health of the Bay through our own tributaries.
That may sound onerous, but click below to read just how simple and basic the requirements would be. This is quite literally the easiest step we could take to start improving the quality of the water we share with our neighbors along the Potomac.
Loudoun has been examining its role in protecting the Bay since the new Board took office in 2008. For the past year, a series of stakeholder meetings have been held to gather public input about proposed changes to development requirements that would reduce Loudoun’s pollution of the Bay. The essence of the Act is to provide a 100 foot buffer around waterways and wetlands that feed the Bay. It’s the most basic and simple of protections, but one which has been sorely ignored by Loudoun’s development culture.
Supervisor McGimsey has been a strong voice for the environment throughout her career, and on this issue, she is out in front, as usual.
Many of you have already spoken with me about your thoughts on the proposed Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act regulations. The official public hearing is on Monday evening (more information below), which is your chance to speak directly to all nine supervisors. I hope you will take advantage of this important opportunity to communicate with us.
Andrea McGimsey
Interested members of the community should come to the hearing at the Loudoun Government Center on Monday evening. If you are wondering how adoption of a program under the Bay Act would impact you, the County has provided an excellent presentation explaining what is involved and an interactive map of areas of the County that would be impacted.
Our neighbors in Fairfax and Alexandria have already adopted their programs for the Bay Act. As the northernmost County in Virginia feeding into the Potomac, our ability to influence the water quality going into the Chesapeake (From Broad Run and Goose Creek, just to name two tributaries) is great.
The health of our water is the health of all of us. Providing a buffer around streams and wetlands is a way for us to do our part for our future, and the future of the Bay. The Board should adopt a program of action under the Bay Act.
Here’s what she added to her e-mail, which was basically a re-send of a “Loudoun Alert”, with her comments at the end:
“This proposed ordinance will impact many homeowners in the Broad Run district.”
I’m gonna guess that she’s not in favor of the changes.
Just like we shifted all our mental models to start recycling, stop littering, and curb our dogs, we need to start shifting our mental models of our property to realize that nothing artificial should be done within 100′ of a waterway, period.
If we can get upset at our neighbors through our HOAs because they want to paint their house lime green, we can certainly take issue with disrupting the vegetation that cleanses 75% of the pollutants flowing into the Bay.
But that’s just my opinion.
“It’ll require a special exception for us to put up playsets for our kids!!”
People, if there is poison in the wood of the playset you’re putting up for your kids, is that really a playset you want to use?