We continue our coverage of the Southeast Region Waters of the U. S. (WOTUS) roundtable, which was coordinated by the North Carolina Farm Bureau with the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers. Farmers and other representatives from several southeast states took part. Pete Hunter is a 50-year farmer from Mississippi and was asked to participate on behalf of the Mississippi Farm Bureau to speak on the topic of conservation. He said he’s very conscious of water quality on his farm and around his state, however, he said water regulations can go too far.
“I don’t want the water leaving the farm any other way but clean. The water in Mississippi belongs to the people of the state of Mississippi,” he said. “Several administrations ago we had a WOTUS that actually the way it was defined—or undefined—when water fell on the roof of your house, ran down the gutter, and out in the yard, it could be taken over by WOTUS at the time because the definition was not clear.”
He said he didn’t want to “throw a wrench in a well-oiled machine.”
“I expect WOTUS to take care of larger bodies of water, streams, oceans, and navigable waterways,” he said. “But I am very anxious to get a well-defined definition of WOTUS.”
Sabrina Halvorson
National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.
Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet Weekly podcast. Sabrina is a native of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley.