To the Secretary of Natural Resources and the State Water Control Board,

I fully support the State Water Control Board's efforts to regulate plasticulture operations.

I am a 39 year-old Eastern Shore native and have never seen top soil blow away and wash away like it has on some of the tomato fields in Northampton and Accomack Counties.  On January 2, 2010 we experienced 25-30 knot winds from the northwest.  A certain field in mid-Northampton County looked like a sand storm in the Sahara Desert.  I have never seen anything like it and there was no cover crop in place to keep this from happening.  I understand that a lot of cover crops were washed out due to the excessive rainfall earlier in the year, but cover crops should have been planted and established in the early fall to prevent this.

Sincerely,

Peter N. Henderson

Bridgetown, VA