MORROW SWCD ANNUAL REPORT
The Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon, Thursday, March 2, 1978 SEVEN
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" This Message Sponsored "1
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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
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iyrfr 11
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