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I am a resident of Frederick County, VA, a water monitor for the Friends of the Shenandoah River, Past VP of Education for the Virginia Council of Trout Unlimited, an active member of the Winchester VA chapter of Trout Unlimited, and an avid conservationist and fly fisherman.  As such, I strongly support:

1. Strengthening of the stormwater regulations to improve water quality in Virginia;

2.  Adoption of the proposed development design criteria limiting runoff from developed and developing land to 0.28 pounds of phosphorus per acre, and;

3.  Regulations that support smart growth development strategies and do not provide disincentives for redeveloping previously developed land or high-density projects in more urban areas.

We desperately need these regulations to:  

·    protect our drinking water: The majority of Shenandoah Valley residents obtain their drinking water from surface waters.

·    protect fishing, recreation and tourism: The hot, dirty water that comes off parking lots, roads, and roofs after a rainstorm damages good fishing and our streams.

·    save our water supply: Improved stormwater management helps recharge groundwater by letting the rain soak into the ground while heavy run-off from developed areas makes periods of flooding more intensive and damaging.

Please support the proposed stormwater regulations now because:       

   - Runoff from poorly designed development contaminates drinking water sources and adds to the cost of providing clean drinking water. The karst topography in the Shenandoah Valley leaves our water resources particularly vulnerable to contamination.   

   -  Most of the rivers and streams in the Northern Shenandoah Valley are already impaired. If run-off caused by land development is not reduced now, pollution will continue to harm our water quality and fishery resources. 

   -  While pollution from municipal waste water treatment plants and agriculture have been reduced considerably, pollution from stormwater run-off is rising at an alarming rate.   

More needs to be done to prevent increased pollution from stormwater run-off. While local residents are paying higher fees to construct new sewage treatment plants, run-off pollution from developed land is increasing. The proposed regulations require developers to join the agricultural community, industry and local governments in taking additional steps to reduce pollution in our streams and rivers.  

of the stormwater regulations to improve water quality in Virginia.

2.  Adoption of the proposed development design criteria limiting runoff from developed and developing land to 0.28 pounds of phosphorus per acre.

3.  Regulations that support smart growth development strategies and do not provide disincentives for redeveloping previously developed land or high-density projects in more urban areas.

1. Strengthening of the stormwater regulations to improve water quality in Virginia.

2.  Adoption of the proposed development design criteria limiting runoff from developed and developing land to 0.28 pounds of phosphorus per acre.

3.  Regulations that support smart growth development strategies and do not provide disincentives for redeveloping previously developed land or high-density projects in more urban areas.