As a college student living in Virginia, one of my favorite characteristics of the state is its natural beauty. I spend a great deal of time enjoying Virginia's natural beauty, including its rivers--particularly the Rivanna. I urge you to support the new stormwater regulations in order to protect this important natural resource, and supply Virginians with the clean water they are entitled to. As one of the basic requirements of all people, clean water is a right that should not be denied. With urban and suburban runoff and stormwater serving as the only source of pollution in the Chesapeake Bay watershed that's increasing, these regulations are the obvious place to start in improving water quality by decreasing levels of heavy metals and other pollutants. The science from the Chesapeake Bay Program, National Research Council, and EPA all show that stormwater has led to degraded water quality, and that regulating phosphorous is a good proxy for gauging water quality, as it is an indicator of other pollutants. These proposed statewide regulations are necessary in order to coordinate all localities on water quality issues. The interconnected nature of the state's waterways renders it imperative that the state unite to solve these important issues; the drinking water of a family can be effected by the actions of a locality on the other side of the state. Clean water is not something that should be denied to Virginians--or anyone--so the state must work together to fix this problem. Please do the right thing and pass these regulations! Thank you for your consideration of this issue.

Regards,

Rachel Baker

Charlottesville, VA