Back in 2018, Smigo said her agency asked the Virginia General Assembly for about $200,000 in additional state funding to start a freshwater swimming area safety program, including by conducting more sampling and raising bacteria warning signs for swimmers on waterways that are impaired for bacteria. Media contacts: Four local environmental groups are suing the EPA over pollution levels in Virginias Shenandoah River, a major tributary to the Potomac. No fish other than trout should be eaten from the South River. Mark joined Potomac Riverkeeper Network in 2015 as the official Shenandoah Riverkeeper. That type of blue-green algae can release toxins that, when touched or swallowed, can lead to rashes and gastrointestinal illness. RICHMOND, Va. (AP) Excessive livestock manure from millions of turkeys, chickens and cows in Virginia is making its way into the Shenandoah River, polluting the scenic waterway with unsafe levels of E. coli, according to a new report from an environmental advocacy group. Omission from the list means delay in addressing a serious and growing problem. To search for additional information, visit the Data Store. A recent report found that 90 percent of the water quality monitoring stations along the Shenandoah River and its tributaries detected fecal bacteria (E. coli) at levels unsafe for human contact between 2014-2016. When it comes to E. coli, Virginia should do a better job of issuing public advisories about the elevated levels, the report advises. Spanning over 200,000 acres of land, the park is known for its beautiful views, natural landscape, and diverse wildlife. The government only tests water for 1 out of every 400. But it's threatened by the failure of state and federal authorities to stop excessive nutrientsand the algae they producefrom entering the river. * Spam or comments that do not pertain to the posted article Frondorf, the Shenandoah Riverkeeper, said it is not fair that the state has a swimming advisory standard and monitoring program for Ocean beaches, like in Virginia Beach, but not in freshwater areas like the Shenandoah River. follow these guidelines. The Water Reporter app is not only for the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. Document changes in stream channel characteristics at sampling sites. Shenandoah River The famed Shenandoah River is the major waterway and drainage system of the Shenandoah Valley. member of Waterkeepers Alliance Cleaning up our local streams and creeks isn't just good for public health. The state should take action to implement the cleanup plans it creates, so that TMDLs are more meaningful. Reports will go to your local Waterkeeper. Thanks for signing up. Learn More Our Rivers Bill Hayden, a spokesman for the Department of Environmental Quality, said the state health department is responsible for deciding when and where to notify the public about water quality. The most important way Virginia could better implement its TMDLs would be to impose regulations that reduce the chronic over-application of manure to farm fields, especially those adjacent to waterways. It's just dangerous," said Herschel Finch, a fisherman in Front Royal. That has not occurred according to the most recent data collected by the Commonwealth. Natural Resources Defense Council 2023 Privacy Policy The river in this county flows not just over the Shenandoah Valley bedrock, not just through our fields and forests and over limestone karst; it flows through our citizens veins, and our hearts. DEQs refusal to even evaluate this evidence to make an impairment determination is unacceptableas is EPAs failure to step in and perform its oversight duties as the Clean Water Act requires it to do., Phillip Ellis, Earthjustice, (202) 745-5221, Mark Frondorf, Shenandoah Riverkeeper, (571) 969-0746, Phillip Musegaas, Potomac Riverkeeper Network, (914) 806-0916, Hershel Finch, Warren County, VA Chapter of Izaak Walton League of America, (540) 270-1590, Stephan J. Kimm, Potomac River Smallmouth Club, (703) 928-5473, Potomac Riverkeeper To search for additional information, visit the Data Store. The Potomac Riverkeeper Network is a EPA should have identified the Shenandoah River as impaired based on extensive data demonstrating that widespread algae blooms prevent the river from meeting Virginias water quality standards. This is an opinion piece that tries to paint agriculture in a bad light, said Stoneman, who has been the federations point person on water quality and environmental issues for 22 years. As a last resort, we will take a polluter to court to stop the pollution. I make sure not to get it in my eyes, God forbid I drink any of it. Potomac Riverkeeper Network is the home for three Riverkeepers: Potomac, Shenandoah and Upper Potomac. Henrico County and environmental groups involved in a lawsuit over pollution from a local sewage treatment facility reached a settlement requiring the county to notify the public of overflows, ramp up system improvements and invest $1 million in environmental work. In this case, Virginia would be required to develop limits on the total amount of nitrogen and phosphorus being discharged into the Shenandoah that are protective enough to prevent algae blooms and improve water quality. keep you informed with the latest alerts and progress reports. If they do not, they begin legal actions by filing a mandatory 60-day letter of intent to sue under the Clean Water Act. In the Shenandoah River basin, drought conditions this summer set the stage for a bloom that began to grow in July. Proposed standards are due before the end of 2023. But in the past 15 years or so, he began to see fish die-offs and excessive algae growth. They stop pollution to promote safe drinking water, protect healthy river habitats, and enhance public use and enjoyment. All Rights Reserved. Agricultural runoff, including manure from the Valleys many livestock operations and industrial scale poultry operations, is a source of contamination for 71 percent of the polluted river and stream miles in the Shenandoah Valley, according to state figures. They include a descriptive narrative of what we monitor and why, our field methods, how we analyze and manage our data, and more. Fish kills and algal outbreaks, associated with manure from unfenced herds of cattle and large poultry operations, make the river unhealthy and unpleasant for those hoping to enjoy it. Think about it. Ninety-two percent of every dollardonated goes directly to efforts to reduce illegal pollution. Hear from a lawn care professional on how to harness natures power and take steps to ensure your lawn, big or small, is river friendly! for iPhone and iPad is now available for download for free! The state adopted new regulations that tolerate higher concentrations of fecal bacteria (410 units of E. coli bacteria per 100 ml water, instead of 235 under the old standards.) Cement manufacturers are dumping their pollution into Virginian communities with impunity. member of Waterkeepers Alliance Using salt can keep our roads safe, but it has dangerous consequences for the Potomac River. EPA has failed to carry out a non-discretionary duty to either approve or disapprove of Virginias list of waters deemed impaired under the Clean Water Act, which was published in 2012 without an acknowledgment of the Shenandoahs algae problems. 72 Percent of Sampling Locations in Valley Had E Coli Bacteria Above EPA Safe Swimming Recommendations in 2020. If constructed, this pipeline will traverse the South River, one of two rivers that join up down by Waynesboro to form the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. Those behind the report, however, have focused their criticism on the state. Mark Frondorf, the Shenandoah Riverkeeper, said: The river and its users cannot afford the sleight-of-hand technique employed by authorities on water quality standards. This is a transmission line to get fracked gas out of Pennsylvania and West Virginia and ship it down to North Carolina and Portsmouth, Virginia. Seven Things You Can Do To Protect the Shenandoah River From Future Fish Kills. * Insults, verbal attacks or degrading statements Last year unsafe levels of E.coli bacteria caused the cancellation of the Nations Triathlon swim portion. Today's announcement marks that notice. The Sierra Club, founded over a century ago, is a national non-profit organization of over 700,000 members dedicated to exploring, enjoying, and protecting the wild places of the earth; to practicing and promoting the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources; to educating and enlisting humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to using all lawful means to carry out these objectives. However, those numbers could soon fall not because the waters are any cleaner, but because Virginia recently revised its water quality standards to tolerate higher concentrations of fecal bacteria, according to EIPs report. 2023 Waterkeepers Chesapeake. It can be fatal to dogs and other animals. Additional bacteria sampling data is available from Friends of the Shenandoah River. Guest Article by Jeff "Yakfish" Little. Federal, state, and local governments are mandated to provide basic services like safe, clean drinking water. Its springtime, so lets do a bad agriculture story.. Many of these chemicals that are not regulated or tested for are endocrine distruptors, a type of chemical pollution believed to be the cause of fish kills and intersex fish in the Potomac and the Shenandoah Rivers. The Clean Water Act and other environmental laws allow residents to improve their local rivers and streams through citizen suits. On behalf of Potomac Riverkeeper Network members and the residents throughout the watershed, Shenandoah Riverkeeper and its attorneys routinely monitor known polluters. Inevitably, humans shaped the river back. WASHINGTON, D.C. In a victory for clean water, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced its intent to publish updated water pollution control standards for slaughterhouses and animal rendering facilities by August 2025, following a lawsuit filed by community and conservation organizations late last year. Water quality standards have changed in the Commonwealth, and the changes make it harder for waterways to be designated as impaired in the future meaning fewer could be aided by cleanup plans. The agency has refused, even as evidence of the impairment has grown. Partly in response to that report and its own follow up study, Virginia boosted its reimbursement rates for farmers who install fencing, leading to increased sign-ups for the fencing reimbursement program last year. The study, conducted by the Environmental Integrity Project, says the pollution is because. All across our region animals once in decline are making a comeback. The Potomac River has been shaping its physical surroundings for over 3 million years when it was first formedand for thousands of years, it has played a critical role in the lives of the communities that settled along its banks. Hayden said no one at the agency had reviewed the report yet, so he couldnt comment on the specifics. DuPont stopped leaking mercury in 1950. A recent report by the Environmental Integrity Project found that Virginias pollution management system allows agricultural operations to dispose of their manure by spreading it on fields that are already saturated with nitrogen, leaving the excess to run off of fields and fuel algae blooms in the river. Source: Data Store Saved Search 699 (results presented are a subset). Front Royal, VA Today, four local citizen groups filed a lawsuit filed a lawsuitagainst the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the agencys repeated failure to address the Shenandoah Rivers increasing problem with algae blooms and pollution. Last month, the DuPont Company announced its plan to stop mercury from contaminating the South River, which is one of the leading tributaries for the South Fork of the Shenandoah. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Algal blooms occur throughout the Chesapeake Bay system. When the contamination was disclosed in 1977, the state was forced to declare a fish consumption health advisory for over 100 miles downriver of the plant. Its almost a five-hour drive for people living in the Shenandoah Valley to drive to a Virginia beach and they should not be treated like second-class citizens due to their lack of proximity to a saltwater beach, said Frondorf. CAPTION: A Symbol Of Pollution Is No More Cameras rolling, onlookers view the demolition of the 30-story smokestack of the the former Avtex Fibers plant, a Superfund site on Virginia's. Virginia should significantly expand its water quality monitoring program statewide, especially in freshwater areas, so that the nearly 80 percent of waterway miles that lack enough data can be evaluated for impairment decisions and cleanup plans. Cattle stand on the banks of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River in Rockingham County, VA, where a harmful algal bloom recently closed more than 52.5 miles of the waterway to recreational uses. The Virginia Farm Bureau Federation is responding by calling the report "an opinion piece.". In a victory for clean water, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced its intent to publish updated water pollution control standards for slaughterhouses and animal rendering facilities by August 2025, following a lawsuit filed by community and conservation organizations late last year. Pcfawc.com Pcfawc.com ? People might be upset by warning signs, but the signs would increase public pressure on state lawmakers to invest the funds and effort needed to reduce pollution for example, by requiring farmers to fence their herds of cattle out of the Shenandoah River, said Schaeffer, former Director of Civil Enforcement at EPA. We aim to provide a forum for fair and open dialogue. Only 21 percent of the rivers and streams miles in the Shenandoah Valley, and 22 percent statewide, have been assessed by the state to determine if they are impaired with pollutants. Potomac 336.809.6041. The report by the Environmental Integrity Project, "Water Pollution from Livestock in the Shenandoah Valley," relies on state records to document that more than 90 percent of the water quality monitoring stations where the state regularly samples the Shenandoah River and its tributaries detected fecal bacteria (E. coli) at levels unsafe for . Site Designed by DC Web Designers, a Washington DC web design company, Advocates Guide For Challenging LNG Projects. Shenandoah National Park is located in Virginia's Blueridge Mountains. "Instead of solving the problem, the DuPont funded team is just generating lots of reports, not one of which is aimed toward a cleanup.". He said theres always room for improvement in the states nutrient management program, but Virginia has seen an overall improvement in bacterial contamination in the Shenandoah River basin. Stormwater runs off the land and picks up sediment, fertilizer, trash, chemicals, and other pollutants and carries them into our creeks and rivers directly or through storm sewer systems. Mercury pollution is known to cause severe physiological, behavioral, and reproductive disorders and is particularly harmful to developing fetuses. NPS / Neal Lewis Importance and Issues The Blue Ridge Physiographic Province within the Mid-Atlantic Network contains portions of the headwaters for three major watersheds: the Rappahannock, the Shenandoah, and the James Rivers. * Advertising or solicitations While we acknowledge DuPonts commitment to the community, and agreeing to stabilize the riverbank by employing a impermeable barrier and covering that with additional clay, soil and native plants, it has been 66 years thats right 66 years since the active leaking stopped. Recent heavy flooding in the Shenandoah Valley from Hurricane Isabel heightens the groups' concerns of contamination, since much of the mercury from the plant is thought to remain in floodplain. Comments may not include: The low buffering capacity of a large percentage of soils in the park provides limited protection from acid deposition. To many environmental groups, the root of the algae issue in the Shenandoah is clear: nutrient pollution, especially from agriculture. But those 2012 EPA criteria recommended that states continue using a trigger value for issuing short-term advisories to swimmers in freshwater areas called the beach action value of 235 counts of E. coli/100 ml water. In the Shenandoah Valley, Shenandoah Riverkeeper is going site by site to all the farms in the area, opening a dialogue with farmers about improving the practices that endanger the health and jobs of people living downstream. 2023, Potomac Conservancy, Silver Spring, MD. Upper Potomac 443.480.8970 The regions leading clean water advocate, fighting to ensure the Potomac River boasts clean drinking water, healthy lands, and connected communities. Fax: (202) 296-8822, 1206 San Antonio Street The Shenandoah River is a very popular river for canoeing, river tubing, and white-water recreation such as rafting and kayaking (class I-III in season, II-III+ during the spring run-off), and several commercial outfitters offer a variety of guided trips and rentals. But 47 percent of the waterways impaired by bacteria in the Shenandoah Valley lack either cleanup or implementation plans. At any given time, the three Riverkeepers are working on roughly two dozen active enforcement and advocacy matters, including commenting on pollution permits when they are up for renewal, pushing government regulators to recognize major pollution problems and act on them, and filing lawsuits against polluters and government agencies that are allowing pollution to continue unchecked. App is not only for the Potomac River of intent to sue under the water... A large percentage of soils in the Shenandoah Valley lack either cleanup or implementation.... 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