Pubdate: Thu, 08 Aug 2013 Source: Chico Enterprise-Record (CA) Copyright: 2013 Chico Enterprise-Record Contact: http://www.chicoer.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/861 Note: Letters from newspaper's circulation area receive publishing priority Author: Roger H. Aylworth BUTTE REQUEST LEADS TO STATE TASK FORCE ON POT GARDEN POLLUTION SACRAMENTO - What began as a Butte County request that state water regulators take part in fighting pollution generated by marijuana growers, has resulted in the creation of a task force to formulate statewide policy on the issue. Today Butte County officials, representatives of Gov. Jerry Brown's office, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, gathered in a meeting orchestrated by Assemblyman Dan Logue, R-Loma Rica, to discuss ways to avoid what he called a potential environmental "catastrophe." This meeting, and a similar one conducted Tuesday in Oroville under the direction of state Sen. Jim Nielsen, R-Gerber, were prompted by an exchange of letters between the Butte County Board of Supervisors and an executive in the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. Oroville Supervisor Bill Connelly, who chairs the board, sent a letter to the water quality panel, asking that their staff take a role in fighting the problems of pollution related to some marijuana gardens. In response to that letter, Pamela C. Creedon, executive officer of the regional water board, agreed there is a serious water pollution problem related to the marijuana gardens, but she was unwilling to send her staff into the potential danger involved in entering a garden. In a telephone interview after Wednesday's meeting, Logue said the participants agreed something has to be done about the pollution threat. He said the parties agreed to create a task force aimed at producing a policy that could be applied statewide on how to attack the water pollution threat. Connelly, who attended the Sacramento meeting, said, "We are looking for some way to give the Water Resources Board staff a degree of protection or implied security that will allow them to assist us directly and indirectly with the prosecution of environmental crimes. These crimes will include pollution of waterways, and degradation of water ways through the release of soil." Logue said fertilizers, pesticides, poisons used to keep animals out of the marijuana gardens, and even eroding soil are all being washed into Lake Oroville. He said that makes it a statewide concern because pollution that goes into Lake Oroville eventually turns up in the water coming out of Southern California's taps. "This is not a Prop. 215 issue, it is an environmental issue," said Logue. Proposition 215 is the measure that was passed in 1996 that allows for the cultivation and possession of medical cannabis. Clint Snyder, the assistant chief executive for the Central Valley Water Board, said in a telephone interview that a statewide strategy is necessary. He said that environmental damage has been and is being done in Butte County but it is happening in the rest of the state as well. Among other things Logue envisions the various counties sending warning letters to landowners who have offending marijuana gardens on their property. The letters would inform the owner "there is a environmental issue on your property" and if the problem isn't mitigated the property owner could face costly civil penalties. Logue and Snyder said the task force will need to look into what needs to be done and what resources the various counties can bring to bare on the problem. While task forces can sometimes be glacial in their progress on a specific issue, Loge said, "We are not going to let grass grow under out feet. He also said that state Senate President Pro Tem Sen. Darrell Steinberg, D- Sacramento, has already told Logue he is willing to look into legislation to move the solution along. "We are going to move forward, and try to resolve these issues," said Connelly. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom