landowners to clean out streams adjacent to their 
properties twice a year and to keep them free of 
obstructions, which could include logging debris. 
Tennessee 
A voluntary BMP program has also been devel- 
oped in Tennessee and is in the early stages of 
implementation. The BMP's direct particular atten- 
tion to logging roads, skid trails, and mechanical 
site preparation. 
The Tennessee Water Quality Act, enacted in 
1971, differs from the general water-quality statutes 
of the other Southern States in that it clearly ex- 
empts forestry activities from all its provisions un- 
less a point source discharge is involved. The legis- 
lation specificially lists decayed wood, sawdust, silt, 
shavings, bark, and rock as potential pollutants 
subject to regulations if they come from a point 
source. The State's Scenic Rivers Act prohibits com- 
mercial timber harvesting in certain conservation or 
public-use easements associated with Class Il or 
Class Ill river areas. 
Texas 
The continuing position of the Texas Depart- 
ment of Water Resources is that". . .only upon iden- 
tification and documentation of silviculturally related 
water-quality problems will BMP's be developed and 
implemented." To date, no problems have been 
identified. 
The Texas Water Quality Act contains defini- 
tions of pollution and pollutants that are sufficiently 
broad to include any number of nonpoint dis- 
charges related to forestry operations. Also, the 
powers the act vests with the State Water Commis- 
sion and the State Water Development Board can 
be interpreted to include regulation of nonpoint pol- 
lutants, including those associated with silviculture. 
Such regulation includes the issuance of permits 
and the promulgation of rules and regulations. Tex- 
as also has a stream-obstruction law that prohibits 
obstructing navigable streams with debris from the 
cutting of trees. 
Virginia 
Voluntary forestry BMP's, as developed by the 
Virginia Department of Forestry, are also utilized in 
96 
this State. Annual reports are submitted to the State 
Water Quality Control Board detailing progress with 
respect to use of BMP's. 
The Water Quality Control Board has the au- 
thority, under the State's Water Control Law, to reg- 
ulate forestry activities that are a potential source of 
nonpoint pollution at any time that it determines the 
voluntary program is not working. The term "pollu- 
tion" is broadly enough defined under this law to 
apply to silvicultural operations. Virginia also has a 
stream-obstruction statute that prohibits the felling, 
disposal, or transport of timber in navigable 
streams. The State's Scenic Rivers and Wetlands 
Act contains no specific prohibitions against 
forestry activities. 
West Virginia 
West Virginia relies on voluntary silvicultural 
BMP's as the primary control mechanism for forestry 
nonpoint pollution. A manual has been developed 
that outlines and discusses the various recom- 
mended practices. The BMP's concentrate on road 
and landing construction and maintenance. 
The West Virginia Water Pollution Control act is 
sufficiently broad to cover nonpoint pollutants-- 
including those related to forestry--under its provi- 
sions. The Division of Water Resources is author- 
ized by this law to issue permits and stop-work 
orders. Stringent water-turbidity standards have 
been in effect in West Virginia since 1981. As appli- 
cable to forestry operations, they allow very small 
net loading increases in turbidity due to logging. 
The logging turbidity standard, however, allows ex- 
ceptions to such increases for operations where a 
site-specific BMP plan is in effect. To demonstrate 
that BMP guidelines are in effect, loggers file a vol- 
untary registration of their logging operation. 
West Virginia also has a stream-obstruction law 
that prohibits any felling of timber that would ob- 
struct a navigable or floatable stream. 
Discussion, Conclusions, and 
Recommendations 
A primary concern of forestry practitioners in the 
South lies in the possibility that pressures stemming 
from Sections 208 and 404 of the Federal Water 
Pollution Control Act, coupled with other resource 
concerns, will produce unmanageable and unneed- 
