It has come to my attention that DEQ has proposed authorizing pollution discharges into the Shenandoah-Potomac in excess of the “pollution caps” already determined by the Environmental Protection Agency to be protective of water quality in the Bay downstream.

I am specially speaking of the proposal that would allow Merck Pharmaceuticals and the Frederick-Winchester Service Authority to increase their pollution limits for nitrogen and phosphorus. These are the 2 main pollutants that are contributing to the degradation of the Chesapeake Bay.

Virginia’s commercial watermen have been saying for decades that the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay has been ruining the once vibrant seafood industry. By the Commonwealth’s own assessment over 10,600 miles of rivers and nearly the entire Chesapeake Bay DO NOT meet state water quality requirements.

In 2007, 88% of the Bay and its tidal tributaries did not meet water quality standards. 40% of the Bay was considered a dead zone. Many marine animals can swim out of a dead zone but larvae and the microscopic life that are so important to a rich and productive Bay are at the mercy of the tide and currents.

There are 2,980 commercial watermen in the Commonwealth of Virginia, down from 3,858 in 1993. These watermen depend on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries as their source of income. Not only does an unhealthy Bay affect these 2,980 watermen, but it also affects those people who process the catch and deliver the processed product. The effect is dramatic as it goes through the distribution chain.

Despite this reduction of watermen and record low catches, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission placed stricter regulations on the commercial watermen this year to achieve a 34% reduction in the female crab catch. The watermen are expected to abide by these new regulations.

I am sure the Secretary of Natural Resources expects VMRC to enforce these new regulations, just as I am sure he expects DEQ to live by the “pollution caps” and not authorize additional pollution to be addressed later in a future Bay cleanup plan.

Enclosed you will find a letter from Secretary Bryant where he tells me that he has every reason to believe that long established goals and pollution REDUCTION goals will be met.