|
|
|
“The DEP is putting the breaks to everything,” Mr. Rutherford said in reference to the new regulations. “The heart of the matter is it affects not only my business, but plumbers, electricians and well-drillers,” he said. “If they aren’t building houses, then they aren’t getting paid, and they’re not buying stuff on Main Street.”
The new regulations, known as Component 2, call for a higher standard for on-lot sewage systems in regions located in Exceptional Value or High Quality watersheds, which includes most of Wayne County.
Through the new regulations, it is harder to get approval for home building, he said. Even after filling out the roughly 40-page application form, the DEP will still reject the proposal if these new regulations are not in place, he said.
“Surveyors are getting hit the worst now, “ said Edward Coar, Director of Planning for Wayne County. “It’s an unfair consequence to DEP suddenly shutting the door to all subdivisions in Wayne County.”
Under the new regulations, townships and municipalities are required to develop and implement comprehensive official plans that provide for the resolution of existing sewage disposal problems; provide for the future sewage disposal needs of new land developments, and provide for future sewage disposal needs of the municipality. The new regulations will cost them a tremendous amount of time and money, township leaders said in an earlier Wayne Independent report.
A lawsuit and court order heard by an Environmental Hearing Board in May 2008, held that the DEP must review proposals to be sure that water quality will be maintained and protected in special protection waters, whether through a discharge, seepage through an absorption area, or otherwise.
“It is a court case we’re responding to and it’s on a case-by-case basis,” said DEP spokesman Mark Carman. We are trying to implement the plan with as less disruption as we possibly can, but there are certain things that we don’t have control over,” he said.
“There is a real disconnect with the Environmental Board Hearing and what is being forced on municipalities,” Mr. Coar said. “It leads one to believe that the DEP has no faith in their own regulations which have been in effect for over 30 years,” he said.
Mr. Rutherford argues that “if our water quality is of high-quality or exceptional value in 95% percent of the county right now, something must be going right.”
“The DEP is putting the breaks to everything,” Mr. Rutherford said in reference to the new regulations. “The heart of the matter is it affects not only my business, but plumbers, electricians and well-drillers,” he said. “If they aren’t building houses, then they aren’t getting paid, and they’re not buying stuff on Main Street.”
The new regulations, known as Component 2, call for a higher standard for on-lot sewage systems in regions located in Exceptional Value or High Quality watersheds, which includes most of Wayne County.
Through the new regulations, it is harder to get approval for home building, he said. Even after filling out the roughly 40-page application form, the DEP will still reject the proposal if these new regulations are not in place, he said.
“Surveyors are getting hit the worst now, “ said Edward Coar, Director of Planning for Wayne County. “It’s an unfair consequence to DEP suddenly shutting the door to all subdivisions in Wayne County.”
Under the new regulations, townships and municipalities are required to develop and implement comprehensive official plans that provide for the resolution of existing sewage disposal problems; provide for the future sewage disposal needs of new land developments, and provide for future sewage disposal needs of the municipality. The new regulations will cost them a tremendous amount of time and money, township leaders said in an earlier Wayne Independent report.
A lawsuit and court order heard by an Environmental Hearing Board in May 2008, held that the DEP must review proposals to be sure that water quality will be maintained and protected in special protection waters, whether through a discharge, seepage through an absorption area, or otherwise.
“It is a court case we’re responding to and it’s on a case-by-case basis,” said DEP spokesman Mark Carman. We are trying to implement the plan with as less disruption as we possibly can, but there are certain things that we don’t have control over,” he said.
“There is a real disconnect with the Environmental Board Hearing and what is being forced on municipalities,” Mr. Coar said. “It leads one to believe that the DEP has no faith in their own regulations which have been in effect for over 30 years,” he said.
Mr. Rutherford argues that “if our water quality is of high-quality or exceptional value in 95% percent of the county right now, something must be going right.”
