August 24, 2004

State water study will rely on estimates

By Phil Kabler
Staff writer

DANIELS — A survey of West Virginia’s water use will rely almost entirely on estimates, largely because industries don’t measure the water they use, the coordinator of the study told legislators Monday.

“The survey data will be based almost completely, if not completely, on estimates,” Allyn Turner, director of the Department of Environmental Protection’s water and waste management division, told the legislative Select Committee on Water Resources Protection.

Under the Water Resource Protection Act passed earlier this year, the DEP must complete a comprehensive study of statewide water use for 2003, 2004, and 2005.

The agency has until December 2006 to determine the quantity of water from all sources in the state, along with current and projected demands for water consumption. It requires a listing of all businesses and industries using 750,000 or more gallons of water a month.

Turner outlined the challenges in preparing the survey Monday. That includes the fact that industries, as a rule, don’t measure the amount of water they withdraw from rivers or streams.

“Knowing a lot of this is based on estimates helps refine the final work product and the recommendations based on it,” she said.

Turner said DEP has signed a contract with the U.S. Geological Survey to provide a list of all facilities in the state it believes are at or above the 750,000-gallon threshold — about 600 to 700 businesses, by initial estimates.

She also unveiled the draft of a water use survey questionnaire to be filled out by businesses via the Internet.

Legislators expect to use the survey as the basis for legislation to protect the state’s water resources, possibly by requiring state permits for major water users.

Also Monday, David Satterfield, executive director of the state Development Office, told the committee that availability of sufficient water is often part of recruiting new industries, but rarely is the deal maker or breaker.

“We’re trying our best to understand all the concerns for all the stakeholders,” he said. Along with industries that require sizable amounts of water, Satterfield said he considers tourism an industry where sufficient supplies of clean water are critical, citing Stonewall Lake as an example.

“That major resource will be an engine to attract visitors,” he said.

In a related matter, members of the Legislative Rule-Making Review Committee heard more of the continuing debate on whether the state Environmental Quality Board should adopt U.S. Environmental Protection Agency water standards for 69 toxic pollutants.

Tom Boggs, lobbyist for the state Chamber of Commerce, called for studies to determine the extent that each of the 69 toxins are present in West Virginia rivers and streams. He said the time to question water quality standards is during the rules-adoption process every three years.

“Once they’re on the books, you can’t change them,” he said.

Liz Garland, issues coordinator for the West Virginia Rivers Coalition, called for the Environmental Quality Board to follow the EPA’s guidance.

Development of alternative state standards is “time-consuming and politically costly,” she said.

“It’s time to get something on the books, and recognize down the road, that individual pollutants can be addressed on an individual site basis,” she said.

Interim meetings continue at the Glade Springs Resort through today.

To contact staff writer Phil Kabler, use e-mail or call 348-1220.