Well, now that you broached the subject...we were wondering about you during your 8 hour absence...
I'm just sayin....
Ingwe
Well, since you wondered....
Was "fly fishing" with Florida DEP folks at a workshop on Nutrient Numeric Content Criteria for Estuarine Waters....that being the official title of the confab. Now one thing you gotta know about this stuff is these folks are always serious.
I think now and then they need a kick in the azz to light their humor a little. EPA has put it to the state that their narrative description of what constitutes water quality regulation is inadequate and they (DEP) will come up with hard numbers of pollutant limits in lieu of that...or else have it stuffed up their arses without foreplay. So, they are serious.
About 2 hours into this mind numbing exercise, rife with droning power point presentations, the senior DEP official said, "What is our objective here?" More chatter followed, then it was put forth, "Setting content values". "Yeah, but to what objective? Are we trying to satisfy EPA or address the issue? Are our waters OK? Are we already protecting our water resources?"
From back of the room came my melodious voice...."Bingo!" All eyes turned to me....the previously silent bump on a stump...."I've about given up on restoration of waters of the state as required by CFR 40 (Clean Water Act), how about we just hold the line on the degradation we have now, then see about restoration later on? Would be a huge victory for the people of this state."
Well, that broke the chains and much spirited discussion followed. Not contentious, yet there was a certain direction to affairs that followed. At the end of the day, the Division Chief for DEP Surface Waters thanked me for that. I ain't no fuggin' expert on water and that's a natural fact, but I read people fair most of the time. Most of the "experts" are looking at such fine minutiae they can't look up to see the forest. There's bigger fish to fry (no offense intended FH) sometimes.
Was a good day, no gay infections, a few steps up the ladder taken.
I am..........disturbed.
Concerning the difference between man and the jackass: some observers hold that there isn't any. But this wrongs the jackass. -Twain
