For Immediate Release. The agency had to pause a high-frequency bacteria pilot study (and all other monitoring) in spring and early summer 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bilyeu wrote in an email. A potentially harmful chemical has been found in drinking water systems that serve about 7.5 million California residents, according to a report by a nonprofit environmental organization. 2023 Waterkeepers Chesapeake. Mercury pollution is known to cause severe physiological, behavioral, and reproductive disorders and is particularly harmful to developing fetuses. 3070 M St, NW And many of the plans that have been in place for years have failed because they lack any enforcement or funding mechanisms and because monitoring has been inadequate. To many environmental groups, the root of the algae issue in the Shenandoah is clear: nutrient pollution, especially from agriculture. Because of the sensitivity of the streams to acidification, long-term monitoring of stream water chemistry and hydrogeochemical processes is a major component of the Inventory and Monitoring Program. follow these guidelines. After a review, in most cases, they contact the worst polluters to tell them to stop polluting our water supply and to clean up existing pollution. 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 . Current Shenandoah Riverkeeper actions. Media contacts: Environmental Integrity Project's Twitter. The threshold used in this graph is EPAs recommended beach action value for swimming, which recommends states to notify the public when bacteria levels exceed 235 counts of E. coli bacteria/100 ml water. Virginia eliminated its state freshwater beach action value in October 2019 and changed its impairment value. Almost of half of the impaired waters in the Shenandoah Valley lack either the cleanup plans or implementation plans required by federal and state law. Many small farms are not regulated and difficult for government agencies to monitor. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has also assessed a very low percentage of waters, leaving residents guessing whether it is safe to swim and recreate in the rivers and streams.. The new standard tolerates higher concentrations of E. coli bacteria (410 counts of E coli bacteria per 100 ml of water, instead of 235 counts under the old standard) and requires more frequent testing to designate a waterway as impaired., VDEQ said they changed their standards in 2019 to follow updated recommended bacteria criteria published by EPA in 2012. The Riverkeeper programs also work on some policy and legislative issues related to our work protecting access to the rivers. Virginia should list the Shenandoah river segments that have too much algae as officially "impaired" under the federal Clean Water Act so that the state can start taking more meaningful steps to curb pollution and accelerate its cleanup. The South River Science Team was established in 2001 and began conducting studies to understand how mercury enters the South River and why mercury in South River and South Fork Shenandoah River fish continue to remain elevated some 60 years after it was used at the former DuPont facility in Waynesboro, Virginia. Source: Data Store Saved Search 709. Every year they host RiverPalooza, a series of paddling events. Virginias monitoring of water quality is inadequate. Determine the natural range of variability in water chemistry (including bacterial composition). Robinson River flowing through Whiteoak Canyon in Shenandoah National Park. But she said the state General Assembly rejected those requests for additional funding and an expanded freshwater testing program. Contact Evan Childress, Shenandoah NP Supervisory Fish Biologist, Download the official NPS app before your next visit, Mid-Atlantic Inventory & Monitoring Network. Having a healthy lawn fit for summer picnics and protecting clean water aren't mutually exclusive. 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. 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. The. Shenandoah Riverkeeper works to protect the public's right to clean water in our rivers and streams. The health department didnt respond to requests for comment about the states policies. Among the causes: nutrient pollution from fertilizers and sewage, as well as increasing problems from climate change, such as extreme wet and dry spells and warmer water temperatures. Herschel Finch, a fisher, kayaker and the conservation chairman of the Potomac River Smallmouth Club, said when he moved to the Shenandoah Valley in 1977, the fishing was fantastic. We hope this lawsuit will change that," said Mark Frondorf, Shenandoah Riverkeeper. Shenandoah Riverkeeper isopposing the construction of the pipeline because it can be built without hurting the habitat of a number of endangered species, it endangers the George Washington National Forest, and sedimentation caused by construction could threaten the water quality. The Shenandoah River not only provides rich soils for farming, but also supports a wide variety of species, including white-tailed deer, black bears, bobcats, coyotes, eastern brook trout, red-tailed hawks, and the endangered Shenandoah salamander. Additional bacteria sampling data is available from Friends of the Shenandoah River. In addition to E. coli, which can sicken the swimmers, fishermen and tubers who flock to the river, the report also found elevated levels of phosphorous, which contributes to the growth of algae blooms and low-oxygen dead zones.. For more than 20 years, DuPont leaked mercury from the textile plant into the South River, eventually ending up in the Shenandoah River. 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. But many farms still lack livestock fencing. The state issues public advisories warning beachgoers to stay out of the ocean when bacteria levels do not meet the recreational standard. The pollution at Shenandoah National Park, which extends 80 miles along the crest of the Blue Ridge in northern Virginia, not only obscures the striking panoramas once visible from cliff-hugging . The Commonwealth should also issue rules to require all farmers to fence their cattle out of streams and rivers. 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 sediments, which are disturbed during high river flows. Document the status of and trends in water quality as influenced by point source and non-point source pollution (including atmospheric deposition). The cleanup plans (also called Total Maximum Daily Loads or TMDLs) that do exist lack enforcement and funding mechanisms. Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, nursing mothers, and young children should not eat fish from these waters. There are sections where its just completely unproductive to go fish anymore because the algae is taking up all the oxygen and the fish just cant survive, he said Wednesday in a conference call with reporters. For most of this country's history, wetlands were seen as an impediment to development. The Environmental Integrity Project and Shenandoah Riverkeeper released a report in 2019 that used aerial photography to document that only about 20 percent of livestock farms in Virginias biggest agricultural counties, Rockingham and Augusta counties in the Shenandoah Valley, had fenced their cattle out of streams and rivers. * Spam or comments that do not pertain to the posted article * Explicit or vulgar language Shenandoah River The famed Shenandoah River is the major waterway and drainage system of the Shenandoah Valley. This is why Shenandoah Riverkeeper has filed its notice of intent to sue the EPA. The North Fork of the Shenandoah River is approximately 95 miles long, while the South Fork runs about 150 miles. The . The Virginia Farm Bureau Federation is responding by calling the report "an opinion piece.". DuPont plans to remediate and restore the riverbanks starting in Constitution Park down in Waynesboro, Virginia. RICHMOND, Virginia (October 20, 2003) -- Two environmental groups will sue DuPont to force a cleanup of mercury from the South River and the South Fork of the Shenandoah River because of health risks for people who eat fish from those waters. In 2012, Shenandoah Riverkeeper officially requested that Virginia DEQ designate all reaches of the Shenandoah River as impaired by algae on Virginias 303(d) list, the list on which states are required to designate water bodies that fail to meet water quality standards under the federal Clean Water Act. For several years, Shenandoah Riverkeeper has worked with research partners at the USGS and other agencies on further understanding the health effects of endocrine disruptors in rivers, vigilantly monitoring the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers for further fish kills, and are building community awareness. Last year unsafe levels of E.coli bacteria caused the cancellation of the Nations Triathlon swim portion. Greg Bilyeu, Director of Communications Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ), said his agency is planning to increase the frequency of its bacteria monitoring in certain, select areas where people actually swim, and will release an updated bacteria monitoring strategy this fall. member of Waterkeepers Alliance Ninety-two percent of every dollardonated goes directly to efforts to reduce illegal pollution. The Virginia Department of Health issued an alert Aug. 5 warning the public to avoid contact with the potentially toxic algae. There was a problem saving your notification. & Waterkeepers Chesapeake. Many farmers will use animal waste as a fertilizer for crops. 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. The organization says it has approximately 35,000 farmer members. Some of problems are old and ongoing, but others are new. We hope this lawsuit will change that, said Mark Frondorf, Shenandoah Riverkeeper. Shenandoah RIVERKEEPERMark Frondorf joined Potomac RIVERKEEPERNetwork in 2015. 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. 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. The lawsuit says EPA did not fulfill its duty under the Clean Water Act when it approved Virginias decision not to identify the Shenandoah Rivers algae impairment on the states list of quality-impaired rivers and streams. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. Discharge Pipes (or any other apparent point source pollution) - Discharge pipes that are discolored, emitting a foul odor, a lot of foam, or some other detectable pollution fall under this . 7 benefits of urban trees for communities, clean water, and more! Potomac Riverkeeper Network is dedicated to monitoring the condition of the rivers through regular on-the-water patrols, volunteers, and citizen reports through the website and the mobile phone app, the Water Reporter. The Shenandoah Valley is a place of incomparable beauty and cultural value, but its continued health is at risk, says the report, which suggests the states manure management system isnt adequately protecting human health or water quality and is undermining Chesapeake Bay cleanup efforts. Check out these 7 benefits trees have for cities in the Potomac River region! 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.) 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. But now we understand how paving over wetlands means destroying incalculable ecological services - and some of the Potomac River regions most magical travel destinations. State Disclosures, Nancy Marks, NRDC, 212-727-4414; Michael Town, Sierra Club, 804-225-9113; 804-319-6083. Those behind the report, however, have focused their criticism on the state. No fish other than trout should be eaten from the South River. When you sign up you'll become a member of NRDC's Activist Network. Tom Pelton, Environmental Integrity Project, (443) 510-2574 or tpelton@environmentalintegrity.org South Fork Shenandoah River [ edit] But the state provides no such notice when the Shenandoah Valley and other rivers and streams are contaminated, even when E. coli levels are more than 100 times the recreational limit, it says. Under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the federal statute under which the two groups are planning to bring suit, a notice of intent must be served 90 days in advance of filing a lawsuit. So far this time, cyanotoxins have been below or just above the detection level in water samples tested not high enough to trigger advisories, health officials say. Agricultural runoff in the Shenandoah Valley are causing the algae outbreaks. I make sure not to get it in my eyes, God forbid I drink any of it. Learn more about listing the Shenandoah as impaired, Learn more about Shenandoah Algae Elimination Campaign, Community Science Water Quality Monitoring Program, Shenandoah Riverkeeper on WZRV 95.3 The River. Local groups challenge EPAs approval of Virginias decision to not list the Shenandoah as impaired, despite excessive algae blooms and nutrient pollution. Financial statements can be provided upon request. Under federal and state clean water laws, impaired waterways (to use the term in the Clean Water Act for waters that are so polluted they cant be safely used for swimming, drinking, fishing, or other purposes) are supposed to have cleanup plans and implementation plans. That means the health of the people in the Shenandoah Valley is at risk, and a Virginia treasure -- part of our children's heritage -- is being diminished," said Michael Town, director of the Sierra Club's Virginia Chapter. Listing a waterway as impaired triggers a regulatory process leading to the imposition of limits on the amount of the pollution causing the impairment into the waterway. 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. Monitoring Program Site Designed by DC Web Designers, a Washington DC web design company, Advocates Guide For Challenging LNG Projects, Water Quality in the Shenandoah Valley: Virginias Cleanup Plans Fail to Solve Bacteria Problem, Environmental Integrity Project's Twitter. Our Mission Our mission is to protect the public's right to clean water in the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers and their tributaries. The Shenandoah Riverkeeper Swim Guide lists over 70 access points on the three major reaches of the Shenandoah River. Their stories of recovery are nothing short of inspiring. All of our protocols are peer reviewed. That algae buildup can then get in the way of the fishing and paddling industries. DuPont stopped leaking mercury in 1950. You'll receive your first NRDC action alert and 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. It's just dangerous," said Herschel Finch, a fisherman in Front Royal. An outdated sewer system is to blame. "For decades, DuPont has managed to dodge responsibility for dumping mercury into these waters. 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