Communications with ADEM Concerning Guntersville Reservoir Aquatic Weed Control

>>>Press Conference Panel concerning Aquatic Weed Control.

Aquatic weeds on Guntersville Lake, Goose Pond During summer months.
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The following are the communications (my last communication is listed 1st) I have had with ADEM concerning Aquatic Weed Control on Guntersville Reservoir and comments by local politicians concerning the use of toxic substances to control Aquatic Weeds:

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RE: Poisoning of the Tennessee River, Aquatic Weed Control/Press Release by various Public Officials‏
From: garry morgan (gmorg50@hotmail.com)
Sent: Sat 11/15/08 3:24 PM
To: ash@adem.state.al.us; oighotline@tva.com
Cc: ken bonner (ken.bonner@thedailysentinel.com); David Brewer (david.brewer@htimes.com); news@waff.com

Dear Mr. Scott,

The Director's statement falls woefully short concerning the requirements of giving notice that poisoning of the drinking water supply is a violation of Federal Law. There has been no press release concerning Mr. Glenn's statement. Are you all having difficulty informing the legislators, boat dock owners and the public at large that the use of "battery acid, anti-freeze, lye, Round-Up or Agent Orange" to destroy aquatic weeds in Guntersville Reservoir, as described by North Alabama Political Leadership, is in fact a violation of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act? (State Senator Lowell Barron stated in the public meeting that it was not a violation of law to use the described toxic substances to control aquatic weeds. This is untruthful and relays a dangerous message to the public at large.) Specifically, toxic pollutants are defined in the law as:

"(13) The term ‘‘toxic pollutant’’ means those pollutants, or combinations
of pollutants, including disease-causing agents, which
after discharge and upon exposure, ingestion, inhalation or assimilation
into any organism, either directly from the environment or
indirectly by ingestion through food chains, will, on the basis of information
available to the Administrator, cause death, disease, behavioral
abnormalities, cancer, genetic mutations, physiological
malfunctions (including malfunctions in reproduction) or physical deformations, in such organisms or their offspring. "

Within the laws mentioned there is authority for Mr. Glenn to act in the appropriate matter to prevent the addition of these poisons and prohibited items into the watershed. PLEASE DO YOUR JOB! You and Mr. Glenn are public servants of the citizens of the State of Alabama, our drinking water is being threatened by the irresponsible actions of political/government officials and bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo. This is unacceptable.

This e-mail notice to you will serve as the first notice that you are not complying with the requirements of the Federal Law concerning the protection of this vital resource. There can be no excuse for negligent actions, failure to notify all parties of repercussions concerning the introduction of toxic substances into the Guntersville Reservoir Water Supply in order to control aquatic weeds reflects a lack of willingness on the part of ADEM to address the problem and will be considered a negligent action. Your immediate attention to this matter is appreciated. In plain English, "stop pussy foot'n around and do your job." "Politics" can not and must not stand in the way of safe drinking water.

Additionally, this threat of the use of "Agent Orange" very well could take this to another level involving Homeland Security. I have no way of knowing whether State Representative Robinson's comment concerning the usage of this substance to control aquatic weeds in the reservoir is truthful or an exaggeration. However, I will take the man, a political representative, at his word, this is a serious threat. I am quite sure the defoliant known as "Agent Orange" is in fact a toxic substance as described within the law. Where would a civilian acquire this highly controlled toxic substance? I also make reference to "Water Security of the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act," particularly when there is a threat made of a toxic substance to be introduced into the public water supply. I ask of you, as the responsible agency, to please do your job and notify the public of the appropriate laws regarding the introduction of "toxic pollutants and substances" into the drinking water supply.

This email is being sent to the local media as indicated in the address line and The Inspector General of the TVA . The TVA Inspector General may consider this as an official complaint concerning: 1) stating by political leadership in a public press conference that introduction of toxic substances, described above, into the TVA Controlled Guntersville Reservoir by boat dock owners or others is not an illegal act; 2) failure of the appropriate state governmental Agency, ADEM, to notify the public that the poisoning of Guntersville Reservoir by toxic substances described by the mentioned political officials is in fact a violation of Federal Law; 3) there is a serious question concerning the acquisition and use of an extremely dangerous toxic substance, "Agent Orange" as described by State Representative John Robinson, in Guntersville Reservoir to control aquatic weed growth by unknown individuals.

Respectfully Submitted,

GARRY MORGAN

>>1st Reply email from ADEM>>

Subject: RE: Poisoning of the Tennessee River, Aquatic Weed Control/Press Release by various Public OfficialsDate: Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:17:46 -0600From: ASH@adem.state.al.usTo: gmorg50@hotmail.comCC: OTGlenn@adem.state.al.us; MGE@adem.state.al.us; JMI@adem.state.al.us

Mr. Morgan,
I have received your e-mail and appreciate your concern for the protection of our water resources here in Alabama. The Department has been in contact with several elected officials from the Lake Guntersville area and we have relayed our concerns with individual property owners utilizing chemicals to control aquatic weeds. In fact, outlined below is a statement that ADEM Director Trey Glenn provided on this matter:

“ADEM is responsible for protecting our state's water quality. Our current and future generations rely on clean water. I appreciate the challenging task of controlling a water body's invasive weeds in an environmentally acceptable manner. I am extremely concerned about individual property owners being encouraged to take this matter into their own hands. These types of actions have a potential to harm the water quality in Lake Guntersville.”

We will continue to communicate with all parties involved in this effort to ensure that Alabama’s water resources are protected for the enjoyment of all Alabamians.

Scott Hughes, Chief
Office of External Affairs
ADEM

>>>email#1>>>
From: garry morgan [mailto:gmorg50@hotmail.com] Sent: Friday, November 14, 2008 9:17AM To: H2omail Cc: ken bonner; David BrewerSubject: Poisoning of the Tennessee River, Aquatic Weed Control/Press Release by various Public Officials

To Whom this May Concern at ADEM:

This is a case where 2 wrongs do not make a right, Aquatic Weed Control and irresponsible comments by state politicians. Reference this news item concerning statements made by several of our state legislators in a press conference at Scottsboro yesterday: http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/local.ssf?/base/news/1226657765154700.xml&coll=1&thispage=1

Could you please inform these legislators that poisoning of our waterways and drinking water supply is a serious violation of Federal Law. The legislators made a comment in yesterdays press conference that the use of poisons in our state's waterways is not illegal. I am also requesting that ADEM give a press release concerning the inappropriate use of poisons in our state's waters.

Where in the world does Mr. Robinson think that "Agent Orange" would come from? This is a serious accusation. As you know, Agent Orange has been linked to various forms of cancer, it has been demonstrated that "Agent Orange" breaks down into dioxin once it enters the enviroment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange Dioxin is one of the most deadliest substances known to human kind. His comment was about as irresponsible as any comment I have heard concerning the Tennessee River and has other repercussions of a National Security Nature. Is his comment true? Who would have access to Agent Orange? The legislators characterization concerning the usage of poisons by private citizens as not being illegal around the Guntersville Watershed was irresponsible to say the least. Please issue an immediate press release concerning this issue as the responsible state agency.

Thank you,

GARRY MORGAN