DEP new riparian buffer rules concern Dingman Township

DINGMAN TOWNSHIP — Zone Enforcement Official Chris Wood reported in the Oct. 7 meeting that Pennsylvania House Bill 1565 is making progress through the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.

“The bill would make riparian buffers a best management practice under Chapter 102 but not mandatory,” he reported, “if other BMP’s will do the job.”

Although at first glance, this seems good news, Wood raised objections saying the new amendments added to the bill make it less valuable for the Pike County residents. He claimed towns and cities much further downstream are pushing the job of keeping the water clean on to residents here, although, “They have lousy water,” and Pike County is known for its exceptional, pristine water.

“They’re not doing anything to clean their water up; they’re just making us be extra clean. They’re pushing it on to us, (saying) it doesn’t apply to them,” he stated, reiterating the amendments were pushed by the people downstream in Philadelphia and other nearby areas.

He explained what a riparian buffer is.

“It’s a buffer between land and water. In this case, if you’re going to build a house, a shed, you have to put a buffer for the area to stay pristine. It can’t be touched. That’s the law now, and it applies mostly to areas around here with good quality clean pristine water. The people downstate who have lousy water are making us to be extra clean.”

Wood also explained that the law with the amendment says, “If there could be another way to make the water clean other than a buffer, you could do it by maybe pumping up the water into the woods - but if you do that, and don’t put the buffer in there, you have to put the buffer in another part of the property or on another property in the watershed, which makes no sense.”

He continued, “We want buffers, but why put in a buffer, if there’s nothing there to buffer. The point is they want to see buffers along the streams if there’s nothing to buffer.”

Other business
Under other business, Wood reported the recent Clean-up Day resulted in 40 yards of mixed materials and appliances that are going to recycled.

Other items collected were:
22 Computers

15 Computer monitors
8 Laptop computers

33 computer printers/scanners
66 televisions

15 DVD/VCR/gaming consoles
13 radios/stereos

1 microwave oven
2.5 gallon container of batteries, and

Hundreds of miscellaneous items