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Heads up the on clean water act costs

By George Baumler

  In a recent conversation with a zoning enforcement official in a rural Kentucky county I was made aware of some of the consequences of the federal clean water act.  It seems that that the clean water act is more about separating Americans from their automobiles and stifling small business than it is about preserving clean water.  The zoning official explained that, within the next two years, the run-off water from all paved parking lots must be caught in a catch basin and processed to remove any hazardous wastes.  Hazardous wastes include motor-oil, transmission fluid or antifreeze that may have seeped to the pavement from any vehicles using parking areas.  The catch basins must be large enough to hold all the runoff water until it can be processed.  A shopping mall, for example, would have to have facilities to store or handle all the runoff that falls on its parking areas.

   While it may seem like an insignificant inconvenience for the owners of parking lots, it can be assured that the costs will be passed along to customers.  It will also have the effect of raising the capital threshold that must be overcome by startup businesses, thus reducing competition.  There are more increasingly stringent regulations, which are to be introduced in stages during the next five years.  These regulations will affect every aspect of water use, from agriculture to recreation.  

  I will not pretend that I have read or understand all the regulations associated with the Clean Water Act, but I know that my lack of understanding is not unique and that bureaucrats will administer the Clean Water Act with all the concern and understanding of an IRS auditor.  The anti private property crowd has yet another tool to deprive citizens of their right to use their property.  The automobile haters also herald this as a victory against private transportation.  One consequence will be the increased difficulty and expense associated with any new or existing construction that includes customer, patron or parishioner parking. 

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