Bill Text: VA HJR40 | 2020 | Regular Session | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Lake Anna; Department of Health to study harmful algal blooms.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-02-11 - Left in Appropriations [HJR40 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2020-HJR40-Comm_Sub.html
WHEREAS, Lake Anna, located in Louisa, Spotsylvania, and Orange Counties, is a large freshwater inland reservoir with a surface area of about 13,000 acres; and
WHEREAS, Lake Anna serves as a popular tourist and vacation destination, provides extensive outdoor recreational opportunities, and is a significant driver in the recreation economy of Virginia; and
WHEREAS, in recent years, many parts of the lake have consistently experienced blooms of toxic algae that exceed safe swimming levels, leading to the posting of swimming advisories by the Department of Health; and
WHEREAS, concentrations of such algae, identified as cyanobacteria, can cause skin irritation and respiratory irritation in humans and animals; and
WHEREAS, concentrations of cyanobacteria produce toxic chemicals that can harm humans and animals who consume untreated water from Lake Anna; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Department of Health be requested to study harmful algal blooms in Lake Anna. Such algal blooms are a threat to human and animal health and hinder the valuable use of Lake Anna.
In conducting its study, the Department of Health shall conduct sampling, observation, and research at Lake Anna and surrounding lands and waterways; seek to identify the source or cause of the harmful algal blooms; determine a near-term treatment plan that can reduce such blooms and ameliorate their effects; and devise a long-term strategy for eliminating, if possible, the recurrence of harmful algal blooms in Lake Anna.
Technical assistance shall be provided to the Department of Health by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the Department of Environmental Quality. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Department of Health for this study, upon request. The local point of contact for the Department of Health shall be the Lake Anna Advisory Committee created pursuant to §15.2-1300 of the Code of Virginia.
The Department of Health shall complete its meetings by November 30, 2022. The Department of Health shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly for publication as a House or Senate document (i) an executive summary and an interim report of its findings no later than November 30, 2021, and (ii) an executive summary and a final report of its findings and recommendations no later than the first day of the 2023 Regular Session of the General Assembly. Each executive summary and report shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.
