HomeMy WebLinkAboutRESOLUTION 2003-44CITY OF KENAI
RESOLUTION NO. 2003-44
Suggested by: City Council
A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KENAI, ALASKA, SUPPORTING WATER
QUALITY MONITORING OF THE KENAI RIVER WATERSHED.
WHEREAS, the residents and families of the City of Kenai rely on fishing, tourism and other
economic pursuits which require healthy fisheries and intact aquatic ecosystems; and,
WHEREAS, the City of Kenai is signatory to a Memorandum of Understanding with 13 other
entities supporting baseline water quality monitoring; and,
WHEREAS, the City of Kenai has volunteered the services of two employees for four days per
year for the past three years to collect baseline data; and,
WHEREAS, the baseline data collection effort, led by the Kenai Watershed Forum, has
demonstrated results that water quality is a concern affected by use upstream of the City of
Kenai; and,
WHEREAS, once a waterbody becomes polluted, the Federal Clean Water Act imposes expensive
remediation requirements and mandatory restrictions on business activities, and consequently,
it is obvious preventing pollution, through active monitoring, is the most cost effective and
logical course of action to protect our fisheries and our water quality; and,
WHEREAS, the State Department of Environmental Conservation 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 benefit to local communities.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KENAI, ALASKA:
Section 1: The City of Kenai hereby opposes the Alaska Department of
Environmental Conservation (ADEC) recently proposed direction for statewide water quality
monitoring and urges ADEC to reconsider this preliminary decision in order to support
scientifically defensible and cost-effective water quality data collection by properly trained
volunteers; and,
Section 2: 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 Senator
Tom Wagoner; and, Alaska Representatives Mike Chenault and Kelly Wolf.
ATTEST:
Carol L. Freas~, City Clerk
PASSED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KENAI, ALASKA, this third day of September,