Mary:
Yes, what a concept indeed. The lack of communication between
government agencies (and internal portions thereof) is, IMO, almost
criminal. I hope the Internet can help. I'm reminded of a
response the CEO of a small company gave to Tom Peters when asked
how the company's staff was so efficient and effective: "They use
a spectacular new management technique... they TALK to each other."
FYI, we do some contracting with USGS here in Florida on projects
such as delineation of 3-dimensional watersheds (surface water plus
ground water). The Suwannee River is one example. At this moment,
I'm soliciting ideas for using some CWA Section 106 Ground Water
funds available from EPA. Yesterday I learned about an interesting
seismic study planned along the Caloosahatchee River to get more
data on what's down below. Waiting for the project details.
On the testing thing - maybe it's a Florida phenomenon
(contaminants move so fast through the ground here) - but typically
when something is picked up in a water well it IS too late. The
plume is already there and spreading, and the cost of cleanup, if
it can be done at all, is usually very high. (For example, the
Underground Storage Tank program here runs into the hundreds of
millions of dollars. Thousands of cleanup sites. Carol managed to
get a small wholesale tax on gasoline in Florida (an amazing feat
in a Republican dominated State) to provide about a hundred million
dollars a year, but even that wasn't enough. The program's in a
real mess right now.) Your comment makes me think, maybe wellhead
protection isn't that critical in other States since y'all have
more lead time. Hmmm.
Ah, Texas. I used to work in Houston (Harris County Pollution
Control). Texas has the country's fastest growth in manufacturing
jobs, I believe... Tough place for environmentalists. The
herbicide and pesticide plants do a good business in Houston. And
they've got the arsenic poisoning to prove it. Good thing they're
on clay instead of sand!
Al
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
