[Vision2020] Banned uses in the Groundwater Protection Zone Part 2

[Phil Nisbet]

So lets jump to the next Ban use for the Groundwater overlay zone.  This one 
sounds great, but may be adverse to things you do not think about.

5.02.07 Prohibited Uses

5. Processing and/or storage of toxic materials, poisonous gases and/or 
radioactive materials.


Now who exactly is storing or using toxic materials in the area surrounding 
Moscow?

People need to be very careful in dealing with a blanket prohibition like 
this, because EPA defined toxics are very wide spread.

The biggest end user and group that stores toxic materials, including 
poisonous gases, is the University of Idaho.  This particular ban may have 
wide ranging impacts on research by that institution.

The of course we have the toxic gases used in any number of small scale 
applications like welding.

And the radioactive materials storage ban is a rolling hoot.  It makes it 
sound like the ordinance is geared to protect us from the siting of a nuke 
waste repository, but what is it really?  Try things like parts for X-ray 
machines or things like that, which have radioactive sources.  Then there 
are medical tracers that have radioactive components.  Hanford is not going 
to ship high level wastes here, but we have storage of any number of pieces 
of gear that use high tech radioactive components.  Are we going to really 
ban these applications or the storage of the part that make them up within 
the groundwater overlay?

Then of course we have to ask if the agricultural chemical exemption covers 
toxics.  That’s not clear from this draft of the ordinance.  Is Roundup and 
other toxic herbicide application to be banned in the Groundwater Overlay 
Zone?  How about some of the gases used for protection of wheat and lentils 
in the grain silos in the overlay zone?

And if somebody warehouses things like ant spray, which by all definitions 
is a toxic, are they in violation?  How about rural home owners who have a 
stockpile of poison for the spring spraying for leaf rollers?

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