Prompted by "The Dust Bowl", erosion control programs began
in the 1930's with the passage of the Soil Conservation Act by the U.S.
Congress. The Act created the Soil
Conservation Service - a national program to address soil and water
conservation. In 1937, Pennsylvania
adopted "The Clean Streams Law" (CSL) Act, last amended in 1980. The CSL's purpose is to preserve and improve
the quality of the waters of the Commonwealth.
During the late 1960s, there was increasing awareness of
damage caused by sediment to flood control facilities and other property
resulting from accelerated erosion from construction sites and agricultural
lands. This knowledge resulted in
revisions to the Clean Streams Law to begin defining sediment as a pollutant.
Sediment Pollution - Why Should You
Care?
Because Sediment Pollution is the #1 source of pollution to our local waterways
Sediment from accelerated erosion can: � raise the water levels of creeks, streams &
lakes - increasing
flooding risks
� decrease the oxygen in the waters, suffocating
fish and other
wildlife
� deposit sediment over the breeding beds (eggs)
of aquatic life
� destroy the food supply of many species of fish
by covering
insect habitat on the stream bottom
� cloud the water and deprive plants of sunlight
needed for
photosynthesis (food-making). This is believed to be the
primary cause of the wide-spread die-off of
aquatic vegetation in the Chesapeake Bay � carry other pollutants such as
heavy metals,
pesticides and excess nutrients that are spread
by water action - causing
problems not only at the source,
but also downstream
� increase public drinking-water treatment costs
or render
unfiltered drinking-water
supplies harmful for consumption
� necessitate the dredging of a reservoir or other
body of water
Reprinted with permission of York County Conservation
District, from information presented in Conservation Horizons, Summer/Fall 2010
www.yorkccd.org
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