Directors (cont) 



Sediment Control 



Highlighting the Directors ' 

 Meeting was a special session to 

 develop a program for Directors' 

 use as a follow up on proposed 

 sediment control legislation to 

 take to the districts in their 

 area before the regular area 

 meetings this fall. It is rea- 

 soned that district supervisors 

 need to be more fully aware of 

 1) the concern by the public for 

 sediment control, 2) the implica- 

 tions of the Federal Water Quality 

 Act as amended in 1972 which in 

 part calls for a program to iden- 

 tify the sources and control of 

 non-point sources of sediment, 

 3) the requirement that some 

 state agency be designated to 

 develop and carry out an accel- 

 erated sediment control program 

 to meet EPA criteria, and 4) the 

 role of conservation districts as 

 proposed in SB 401 patterned af- 

 ter the model sediment control 

 act recommended by Council of 

 State Governments. This act 

 would give added authority and 

 responsibility to conservation 

 districts to bring about local 

 compliance with the provisions 

 of the Federal water Quality 

 Act administered by Environ- 

 mental Protection Agency. Con- 

 servation District supervisors 

 will need to make up their minds 

 to their role in setting stan- 

 dards and enforcing mandatory 

 controls on violations , or whe- 

 ther some other agency would be 

 better suite«l. 



Presently the Dept of Health, 

 Water Quality Bureau, proposed 

 general water quality criteria, 

 provides that "Pollution result- 

 ing from non-point sources , in- 

 cluding irrigation practices, 

 road building, construction, log- 

 ging practices, overgrazing and 

 other practices, are to be elimi- 

 nated or minimized as ordered by 



the Department" , It follows then 

 that if CDs are to be more in- 

 volved in sediment control, they 

 will need to also meet the health 

 criteria and work closely with the 

 Health Department to avoid dupli- 

 cation, etc. The attitude of EPA 

 and Montana Health Department is 

 that it would be desirable to 

 have additional specific sediment 

 control legislation along the lines 

 of the model act to be implemented 

 by and thru conservation districts. 

 However, there are groups and or- 

 ganizations strongly opposing dis- 

 tricts having this authority by 

 stating that district supervisors 

 represent special interests and 

 can't be expected to police these 

 interests to the extent required. 

 Hopefully Montana CD supervisors 

 will have explored this in suffi- 

 cient detail to give proper gui- 

 dance to the 1974 legislature. 



Committee 



jorts 



Highlighting the second day of 

 the Association meeting were com- 

 mittee reports and follow thru 

 on convention resolutions. 

 Budget & Finance - John Vanisko 

 reported for Budget & Finance. 

 Treasurer Gladys Hippe reported 

 a gratifying response by most 

 districts in contributing accord- 

 ing to the new dues schedule; 

 Education - Yugo Nayematsu sent 

 an Education Committee Report 

 which shows good activity in lining 

 up another state speech contest 

 and the promotion by districts of 

 incentives to teachers to enroll 

 in teacher training to teach con- 

 servation; 



Farm Forestry - The farm forestry 

 committee of which Don Naegeli is 

 chairman was advised by the Presi- 

 dent to check out the proposed 

 Forest Practices Act for areas 

 of duplication with the proposed 

 sediment control bill; 

 Legislative - A. G. Slattery gave 

 a comprehensive legislative re- 

 port relative to districts now 

 being represented on county plan- 



