Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (March 2, 1978)
MORROW SWCD ANNUAL REPORT The Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon, Thursday, March 2, 1978 SEVEN Afflriciilture subcoinmiittee proposals res "n . lution Benefit Dcnce in Hcrdmsn Soturday , Mcrch 11 Featuring Dwcne & The Plsinsmsn $5 per couple $2.50 per person Proceeds to go to Pioneer Memorial Hospital for needed equipment. " This Message Sponsored "1 Paul Pettyjohn Oil Company lone The Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) is the proper local agency for the management of soil erosion, siltation and sedimentation and water quality where water quality problems are originating in non-point sources. The management program of the SWCD will be based on the use of best management practices. These BMPs will be developed at the local level with final adoption by DEQ as part of the statewide water quality plan. In view of the fact that it takes time for BMPs to be developed and that time is also needed for evaluation and change of BMPs there should be a phase in program with a voluntary and mandatory part. During the voluntary period the BMPs will be developed, refined, adopted and voluntarily implemented. The mandatory phase will begin at some designated future time for the purpose of requiring compliance of those who are adversely impacting water quality and have not made an attempt to comply. The SWCD is to lead in the development of a NATURAL RESOURCE CONSERVATION PROGRAM. This NRCP is to be compatible with the county comprehensive plan and an integral part of it. The NRCP sould be prepared by a committee looking at all land within the county. Broad local participation should be encouraged such as we have had in those currently active local water quality committees, with support from the county courts, county planning committees, state and federal land and natural resource management agencies. The Soil Conservation Service, Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service, and Extension Service, and local land user groups. This NRCP should be . complete and detailed enough to be the SWCD long range plan, from which the SWCD annual work plan can be developed, the 208 Water Quality Plan can be extracted from it and the conservation Inventory required by Public Law 92-192 can also be drawn from it. It should look at all lands within the county, public and private, considering not just present use, but also the potential for possible future use and the problems associated with these future uses. The NRCP should recommend economically feasible best management practices and the method of implementing these practices should be by voluntary cooperation by landowners, and operators with the SWCD. Complaints : Any citizen, landowner or operator, or natural resource management agency that suffers damage from silt, sediment, water quality degradation or air born soil particles should file a complaint with the County Commission. The SWCD should examine the complaint for its validity, consult with and make recommendations to the parties involved and report to the County Commission on its findings. The County Commission shall determine what action is needed. The complainant and the offending operator would have appeal rights to the circuit court. Regulations and Enforcement: This is a rather delicate subject that brings on a non-cooperative spirit from the people affected. We feel that if regulations are necessary to enforce compliance with BMPs they will be needed to meet some specific local problem. Therefore, this should be met by an ordinance delegating the authority to the county courts with the advice of the SWCD. To secure the widest possible public support for the NRCP and the programs developed from it will require a continuing information and education program. This is properly the function of the Extension Service. For more information about the non-point pollution control program (208) program in Morrow County please contact: KEN TURNER: Chairman, Morrow County Water Quality Committee DICK McELLIGOTT: Agricultural Sub. Committee, DEQ's Policy Advisory Committee RUDY BERGSTROM: Chairman, Morrow Soil and Water Conservation District HAROLD KERR: County Extension Agent BOB ADELMAN: SCS, District Conservationist We like what the Morrow Soil and Water Conservation District is doing for all of us. the GAZETTE TIMES Ti "' Mr 1 iyrfr 11 The Model 6600 6 Row High Speed Potato Planter SALES SERVICE RENTALS i FULL LIME DEALER I Bi-County Equipment Co. 4 Blocks Off North 1st end West of Ross Machine HERMtSTON 567-7770
