As an avid fisherman and outdoorsman, I am appalled by the lack of enforcement concerning violations within our watershed as far as sediment runoff is concerned. Just this year on the South Fork of the Shenandoah in Page County, VA I personally witnessed a 953 Caterpillar Track Loader builing a boat ramp on the bank of the Shenandoah. The operator placed riprap, concrete, loose dirt and even a few tree stumps into the river. A spoil pile remained on the bank of the river (less than 10 feet from the waters edge) for approximately three weeks. There was no silt fence in place and after contacting Jeff Kelble, I found out that he had placed numberous phone calls to the Page County building permit offices and found absolutely no interest in following up on the infraction. This is, I feel, a slap in the face to every sportsman and woman in Virginia.
I strongly support the Shenandoah Riverkeeper and Potomac Rivedrkeeper's efforts to change the Construction General Permit so that Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPPs) are made available to the public for every constructions site in the Commonwealth.
Please enact these steps now instead of waiting. The peril of several of Virginia's "Blue Ribbon Streams" and, don't forget, many constituents drinking water continues to dangle from a thread with the constant tinkering of politicians.