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2000 SESSION

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006301632
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 149 AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE (Proposed by the House Committee on Rules on February 11, 2000) (Patron Prior to Substitute--Delegate Bennett) Directing the State Water Commission to study the desirability and feasibility of establishing an intergovernmental structure to facilitate the planning and coordination of water resources in the Roanoke River Basin.

WHEREAS, the Roanoke River is a resource of great value to the Commonwealth of Virginia and to each of the localities within the Roanoke River Basin; and

WHEREAS, cooperation between the local governments of the Basin is essential for the economic vitality and appropriate development of the region; and

WHEREAS, during the past year, the Roanoke River Basin has experienced severe drought conditions, and this fact, coupled with the use of surface water to generate electricity and the transfer of large quantities of surface water to other regions of the Commonwealth, suggests that some actions need to be implemented to ensure that adequate supplies of water resources are maintained in the region to meet both economic development and water conservation needs; and

WHEREAS, in 1998, the Virginia Department of Health issued a citizen's health advisory against eating fish that might be contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) found in the sediment of the Roanoke River; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Environmental Quality had known about the existence of PCBs in the Roanoke River since 1993, but the public was unaware of their presence and the threat that they represent to public health and the environment until recently, thereby raising concerns over the need for greater citizen involvement and participation in water quality and water quantity issues; and

WHEREAS, since activities in one part of the Basin affect other parts of the Basin, it is in the best interest of the region and the Commonwealth to encourage and support Basin-wide regional cooperation; and

WHEREAS, there is a need for each of the Basin's localities to recognize the importance of cooperation in establishing a framework for coordinating the management of the region's water resources; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the State Water Commission be directed to study the desirability and feasibility of establishing an intergovernmental structure to facilitate the planning and coordination of water resources in the Roanoke River Basin.

All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the joint subcommittee, upon request.

The joint subcommittee shall complete its work in time to submit its written findings and recommendations to the Governor and the 2001 Session of the General Assembly as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents.