CITY OF HOMER

HOMER, ALASKA

Beck

RESOLUTION 03-117

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF HOMER, ALASKA SUPPORTING CITIZEN-BASED VOLUNTEER WATER QUALITY MONITORING AS A COST EFFECTIVE AND RELIABLE WAY TO PROTECT FISHERIES, WETLANDS, AND LOCAL WATER BODIES

WHEREAS, The residents and families of the City of Homer rely on fishing, tourism and other economic pursuits which require healthy fisheries and intact aquatic ecosystems; and

WHEREAS, Alaskans frequently cite clean water and healthy watersheds as top priorities for maintaining Alaska's high quality of life; and

WHEREAS, Alaska's water resources, occurring in their natural state, are reserved to the people for common use in the state constitution, and, as a result, citizens have a strong interest in actively protecting water resources; and

WHEREAS, Properly trained citizen volunteers can collect credible, scientifically defensible water quality and other data which helps businesses, agencies, and local governments better protect water bodies from becoming polluted, and they can provide these essential water quality monitoring services at a fraction of the cost state agencies incur; and

WHEREAS, Once a water body becomes polluted, the federal Clean Water Act imposes expensive remediation requirements and mandatory restrictions on business activities, and, as a result, preventing pollution through active monitoring is typically the most cost-effective course of action to protect Alaska's fisheries and water quality; and

WHEREAS, The State Department of Environmental Conservation ("ADEC") recently proposed to cease preventative water quality monitoring, to focus only on restoration monitoring, and has chosen to retain funds traditionally passed through to local groups, which have contributed substantial economic benefits to local communities; and

WHEREAS, Both the Kenai Watershed Forum and the Homer Soil and Water Conservation District serve important roles in this volunteer program by providing significant volunteer training and collecting extensive data from numerous watersheds in the Kenai Peninsula Borough;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Homer City Council that ADEC is hereby requested to reconsider its recent change in direction for statewide water quality monitoring, and that the Council urges ADEC to support scientifically defensible and cost effective water quality data collection by properly trained citizen volunteers; and

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Resolution 03-117

City of Homer

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this Resolution be sent to Governor Frank Murkowski, U.S. Senators Ted Stevens and Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Representative Don Young, Alaska Senators Thomas Wagoner and Gary Stevens, Georgianna Lincoln and Con Bundy, Alaska Representatives Kelly Wolf, Mike Chenault, Paul Seaton, Carl Morgan, Mike Hawker and Ernesta Ballard, Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.

PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Homer City Council this 25th day of August, 2003.

CITY OF HOMER

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ATTEST: JACK CUSHING, MAYOR

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MARY L. CALHOUN, CMC, CITY CLERK

Fiscal Note: NA.