DIRECTOR'S CORNER
DEQ’s budget priorities: Funding to strengthen environmental protection in Virginia
The 2006 General Assembly will adopt a two-year budget for the Commonwealth, and the budget proposed by Governor Mark Warner includes numerous items that support the Department of Environmental Quality’s work to protect our land, air and water from pollution.
The Governor’s budget proposal includes money to implement efforts that will reduce nutrient pollution in the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal rivers, improve the quality of waterways throughout Virginia, increase environmental protection at landfills and underground storage tank sites, strengthen state partnerships, and increase environmental education opportunities.
The following includes highlights of proposed funding for environmental efforts:
Cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay and other waters:
- $217 million to the Water Quality Improvement Fund for nutrient reduction technology at wastewater treatment plants in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
- $25 million for sewage treatment outside the Bay watershed.
- $7.5 million for combined sewer overflow projects in Richmond and Lynchburg.
- $2.9 million for the Virginia Institute of Marine Science to monitor progress in restoring the Chesapeake Bay.
- $39 million to the Water Quality Improvement Fund for improvements to non-point pollution sources or sources without a single point of origin such as rainwater runoff from agricultural fields and city streets.
Water quality monitoring efforts: Funding and nine staff positions for DEQ’s biological monitoring efforts, which would support the total maximum daily load and water quality monitoring and assessment programs. The TMDL program is Virginia’s effort to clean up waters on Virginia’s “impaired waters” list. A TMDL is the maximum amount of a pollutant a waterway can contain and still meet water quality standards. To restore water quality, the pollutant has to be reduced to the TMDL amount.
Shenandoah River fish study: $270,000 to investigate fish lesions and deaths that occurred in more than 100 miles of the South Fork Shenandoah River between April and July 2005. The fish kill resulted in the loss of an estimated 80 percent of the adult smallmouth bass and redbreast sunfish. Determining the cause of the fish kill could help prevent future ones from occurring. Nearly identical fish kills were observed in the South Branch Potomac in 2002 and the North Fork Shenandoah River in 2004.
Elizabeth River Project: $156,476 in the first fiscal year and $90,000 in the second to enhance water monitoring of the Elizabeth River. This includes monitoring the health of organisms on the bottom of the river, chemicals used in paint, and fish cancer in the mummichog minnow.
Additional monitoring in the Shenandoah River: A staff position to investigate mercury contamination in the Shenandoah River.
Ground water management and permitting: Funding and six staff positions to expand services to implement the Ground Water Management Act. This program will ensure that the greatest amount of water resources is available to support existing withdrawals and to maintain future sustainability.
Oversight of landfills and solid waste management compliance: Funding to improve the Commonwealth’s ability to ensure compliance at landfills, including increasing inspection frequency; decreasing unauthorized waste disposal; ensuring that landfills do not exceed their permitted operating levels; and adding five staff positions to support these efforts.
Document management system: $1.2 million to develop and implement a system to manage documents that are critical to DEQ’s mission. A benefit of this effort is quick, efficient and reliable electronic access to documents by DEQ staff, permit holders, government agencies and members of the public.
Online government services: $600,000 each year to assist in the development of a system to allow electronic submissions of permit applications and monitoring reports from facilities regulated by DEQ which will lead to more complete and accurate submissions, and more efficient use of staff resources.
Underground storage tanks: 18 staff positions to implement new federal requirements for underground storage tanks, including increased inspection frequency and operator training. Federal funding is anticipated to support the positions.
Wetlands permitting inspection and compliance program: Funding (from a state match to a federal grant) for three staff positions each year to ensure that an increased focus on permit compliance and inspections will result in better protection of wetlands and more definitive information on how Virginia is achieving no net loss of wetland acreage and function. This will also allow permit writers to focus their efforts on evaluating permit applications.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation education program: An increase of $50,000 each year for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Virginia Education program to provide on-the-water education and field training for students and teachers. This will increase student achievement, support Virginia’s Standards of Learning in natural resources sciences, and assist the Commonwealth in meeting its obligations under the Chesapeake 2000 agreement.
Clean air, water and land are critical to Virginia’s sustainability and quality of life, which are important to me and everyone that values the state’s economic and environmental resources. I hope I can count on you – the people of Virginia – to support these budget priorities while the General Assembly makes the final decision on funding. More information about DEQ’s work to protect the environment is available on our agency’s web site at www.deq.virginia.gov.