Lake Catherine Water Standards

Update 8-23-10
Hi Diane,
Teresa and I both attended the "public hearing" on the water standards request. There were about 60 people in attendance and of those, I think only 1 or 2 in the crowd (UMETCO reps) were in support of raising...-or lowering- the standards. There were several people that spoke in opposition to the request including Judge Chris Williams, a retired fish biologist, two or three people that have lived in the area most of their life and have cancer, and the water standards rep from the Arkadelphia water department. There was NO ONE that spoke that was in favor of allowing the standards to be changed.
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Diane,
A friend passed the following article to me and I thought all residents in Diamondhead might be interested in knowing this is happening. I thought you might have the best way to distribute this article.
Thanks
Steve Holt

From: NewsFromADEQ newsfromadeq@adeq.state.ar.us
Date: July 28, 2010 10:55:44 AM CDT
To: NewsFromADEQ newsfromadeq@adeq.state.ar.us
Subject: News Release
Attached is a news release concerning a public hearing to be held by the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission on August 16. The text of the release appears below.
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Contact Information: Cecillea Pond-Mayo / 501.682.2287 / pond-mayo@adeq.state.ar.us
FOR RELEASE: July 28, 2010
HEARING SET FOR PROPOSAL BY THIRD PARTY TO WATER STANDARDS
The Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission (APC&EC) will hold a public hearing August 16, 2010 to receive comments on a third-party proposal by UMETCO Minerals Corporation to make a change to the Arkansas Water Quality Standards, also known as Regulation 2.

UMETCO is a mining site in Hot Springs which discharges primarily treated storm water runoff into Wilson Creek . Wilson Creek is a tributary to Lake Catherine .
The proposal would remove the current Domestic Water Supply designated use for Wilson Creek and change the stream’s dissolved mineral standards by increasing the Total Dissolved Solids, increasing the Sulfate standard, and increasing the Chloride standard. The portion of Wilson Creek affected by the increased standards would begin approximately .85 mile upstream from the UMETCO wastewater discharge point and continue downstream to the creek’s confluence with Lake Catherine .
The fact that the APC&EC has agreed to initiate such a third-party rulemaking procedure does not constitute an endorsement of the proposal at this time. The APC&EC will decide whether to adopt the proposed changes after the conclusion of the public comment period and after UMETCO and the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) respond to all public comments submitted during the open comment period.
Oral and written comments on the proposed changes to Regulation 2 will be accepted at the hearing, but written comments are preferred in the interest of accuracy.

The hearing will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the Lakeside Junior High School Media Room, 2865 Malvern Avenue in Hot Springs . Information concerning the proposed changes can be found on the ADEQ website www.adeq.state.ar.us.

Steve Holt