Mr. Weeks:

Please ask the SWCB to look at the attached 5 pictures taken Dec 21st, 2008.  They are from the Northampton County tax map parcel 31-1-B and taken on Birdsnest Drive looking south.  I believe this is exactly the problem Mr. Terry is trying to have the SWCB address.

 The USDA/NRCS Technical guides are the primary scientific references for NRCS. The section under Virginia Conservation Practice Standards at the following link

http://www.va.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/va_standards.htm

addresses such things as

     Drainage Water Management (Code 554),

            Purpose-- Improve water quality

   Nutrient Management (Code 590)

            Purpose--To minimize agricultural nutrient contamination of surface and groundwater resources.

               Filter Strip (Code 393)

            Purpose---To filter sediment, particulate organics, and other pollutants  in runoff

The above are examples of many clear guidelines of the agricultural practices that, if followed, would have obviated the need for this petition.

 I believe the real problem to be the lack of a few agricultural community members to follow the NRCS Virginia Conservation Practice Standards.  There are others who follow them completely.  Unfortunately there is no current method of requiring these practices to be followed.  If such a requirement were developed with appropriate deterrent penalties, much could be done to improve coastal waters.  I envision appropriate penalties that would require dedicated land use with expenditure of money and time to ensure water quality improvement well beyond a minimum requirement.

 I emphatically support Mr.Terry’s petition.

                                                                   RH Meyers