EPA targets couple's private pond in Wyoming, threatens huge fines...

originally posted by: Flatfish

originally posted by: Vasa Croe

originally posted by: muse7
Just because they "believe" that the EPA is wasting tax dollars investigating their dam, that does not give them a free pass.

They diverted a water way, which obviously requires the approval of the EPA. Ignorance of the law does not give you a free pass.

Guessing you didn't read the article....they didn't divert anything.

The guy dammed up a creek in order to get it to fill his pond. Once the pond gets full, the water continues to flow over his dam and back into the original stream. That's called diversion.

People often put various chemicals and/or invasive species of fish and plants in there ponds for a number of reasons. Some people put dye in the water to make it look pretty. Some people put different aquatic plants, some of which are very invasive if allowed to escape into other waterways. Some people put certain species of fish in their ponds that have also been determined to be invasive and stringent guidelines must be met prior to their introduction and before approval is granted.

If had had dug out a pond separate and away from the stream and placed a windmill there to supply it with an independent source of water, I doubt seriously he would be facing these problems today.

This guy, for whatever reason and much like Cliven Bundy, just feels like he doesn't have to recognize or obey federal law.

When it's all said and done, I'll just bet it's the EPA who gets the last laugh and rightly so.

You seem to have a problem with private property. You make a host of "what if" accusations that have no bearing on this case. No one has accused anyone of doing any of those things. The act of holding water on your property is deemed by the federal government to be illegal because that water flows out of your land into someone elses property. If damage to other property had been done then there would be a basis for a claim of harm, however the act itself has harmed no one and thus should not be illegal much less a FEDERAL crime. The EPA needs to be put back into its place and this disaster called the CWA needs to be dismantled and repealed. Any law giving federal wennies jurisdiction to all water in the US is an abortion.

This is nothing more than a case of testing the reach of the EPA. If this case is pushed to its logical end then the EPA has no limit. They can make a claim that since any water anywhere eventually flows into a navigable river then they have jurisdiction. Its an evil precident and they must be stopped.