I am a water monitor with the Friends of the Shenandoah River, an active member of Trout Unlimited in Virginia, and an fly fisherman living in Winchester, VA.  I spend a lot of time in and around the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers, and have seen first-hand the effects of poultry waste on these bodies of water.  The phosphorous that enters our streams and rivers from poultry waste is likely to be the single highest source of pollution in the Shenandoah, and has undoubtedly contributed to the massive fish kills experienced the last few years on the river.

 

Since the Potomac and Shenandoah are major tributaries to the Chesapeake watershed, pollution from poultry litter is also causing great harm to that magnificent body of water.  We may soon reach a tipping point of no return if something is not done to correct the problems associated with our pollution.

 

I strongly support pending regulations to monitor and control the pollution from poultry litter, and hope to observe the positive effects on our watersheds as I continue to monitor in the near future.

 

Sincerely,

 

Dr. Mark Zimmerman

309 Huntersridge Rd.

Winchester, VA  22602