When you sign up you'll become a member of NRDC's Activist Network. The main route of human exposure is through eating contaminated fish. The lawsuit, filed by Shenandoah Riverkeeper, Potomac Riverkeeper Network, the Warren County Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America, and the Potomac River Smallmouth Club, alleges that the EPA has failed to protect the river, which suffers from excessive algae blooms and high levels of pollution. The cleanup plans (also called Total Maximum Daily Loads or TMDLs) that do exist lack enforcement and funding mechanisms. The Potomac Riverkeeper Network is a Discover 11 fun facts about the mysterious, magical powers of trees and how we can help support them! No fish other than trout should be eaten from the South River. "The Shenandoah is one of the most beautiful rivers in the countryand a popular recreation destination. 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. And each other? The Commonwealth should also issue rules to require all farmers to fence their cattle out of streams and rivers. Mercury is a neurotoxin and it is not to be trifled with. Cleaning up our local streams and creeks isn't just good for public health. Mercury pollution is known to cause severe physiological, behavioral, and reproductive disorders and is particularly harmful to developing fetuses. 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 Virginia Department of Health issued an alert Aug. 5 warning the public to avoid contact with the potentially toxic algae. 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. So far, the best way to improve water quality downstream from farms is to persuade farmers to adopt Best Management Practices (BMPs) on a voluntary basis. Despite the years of growing evidence of impairment, EPA failed to take the action required by the Clean Water Act to limit the pollution causing these algae blooms, said Jennifer Chavez, the Earthjustice attorney representing the river groups. Shenandoah 571.969.0746 Four local environmental groups are suing the EPA over pollution levels in Virginias Shenandoah River, a major tributary to the Potomac. Shenandoah Riverkeeper, represented by Earthjustice, filed a notice of intent to sue the EPA for its failure to act in the face of this threat. The study found that almost 70 percent of the river and stream miles in the Shenandoah Valley that have been assessed by the state (1,014 of 1,461 miles) had so much fecal bacteria in them that they were considered to be impaired for recreational uses in 2020 (using terms used in the federal Clean Water Act for waterways so polluted they require cleanup plan.). Lives are lost every year from this pollution, and our economy is forced to bear the burden of . Source: Data Store Saved Search 699 (results presented are a subset). On October 21, 2019, Virginia changed its standards for the amount of bacteria that is acceptable for water-contact recreation, such as the swimming, tubing, and kayaking that are popular in the summer in the Shenandoah Valley. Small farms, when viewed as one, represent a large portion of the agricultural sector in the Shenandoah Valley and other parts of the Potomac River watershed. The regions leading clean water advocate, fighting to ensure the Potomac River boasts clean drinking water, healthy lands, and connected communities. 66 years have passed, and we are still dealing with a serious environmental and public health problem at the very headwaters of the Shenandoah River. Shenandoah Riverkeeper works to protect the publics right to clean water in our rivers and streams. Think about it. Comments may not include: Determine the natural range of variability in water chemistry (including bacterial composition). Virginia is required by the Act to consider all information about stream impairments when updating its list. The Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, which has some 35,000 farmer members, pushed back against the report, calling it an opinion piece that aims to paint agriculture in a bad light. its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. Warren County is the only county in Virginia that contains all three sections of the Shenandoah River, both north and south forks and the main stem, said Herschel Finch, conservation chairman of the Izaak Walton League of Americas Warren County chapter. Virginia in 2019 also eliminated its fecal bacteria public health warning advisory threshold for swimming in freshwater areas called the beach action value. The Virginia Department of Health continues to use a health warning and monitoring system for saltwater beaches in the state, but has never issued warnings or posted signs to protect people in freshwater areas like those along the Shenandoah River. 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. 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. Due to the interest and concerns expressed by public and nonprofit groups for improving the information available on inland beach water quality, VDH has made several attempts to secure funding as recently as 2018, for the 2019-2020 state fiscal budget year. They offer links to cost share programs and other support for farmers who are willing to implement best management practices. 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 . Detect water quality measures that exceed threshold values and determine their compliance with state and federal water quality standards. The report focuses on four counties in the bucolic Shenandoah Valley watershed that are also home to a large-scale farming industry. 72 Percent of Sampling Locations in Valley Had E Coli Bacteria Above EPA Safe Swimming Recommendations in 2020. Today's announcement marks that notice. Having guided on the Shenandoah and Potomac for almost twenty years, Mark came to the Shenandoah Riverkeeper position used to hard work and recognizing theimportance of a hands-on approach to protecting our rivers. He said that the agency is trying to sample fewer sites, but targeted in areas where people actually get wet during recreation. 7 benefits of urban trees for communities, clean water, and more! 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. To many environmental groups, the root of the algae issue in the Shenandoah is clear: nutrient pollution, especially from agriculture. No more than two meals pound each or the size of your hand of fish per month should be eaten from the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. But 47 percent of the waterways impaired by bacteria in the Shenandoah Valley lack either cleanup or implementation plans. The agency has refused, even as evidence of the impairment has grown. 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. You can reach him at jcox@bayjournal.com. The organizations that filed the lawsuit want the state to list the river as impaired, which would require Virginia to impose pollution limits and work to improve the water quality. Experts say that they usually are a symptom of an ecosystem out of balance. EIP Study Demands Stronger Regulation of Livestock Pollution and Health Advisories for Waterways Contaminated with Bacteria. DuPont's textile operations discharged tens of thousands of pounds of mercury into the South River from 1929 to 1950. 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. 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. Rather than take what the plaintiffs see as effective enforcement action to make DuPont clean up, state and federal regulators have joined DuPont in a collaborative South River Science Team to examine various aspects of the mercury contamination as part of a 100-year monitoring plan. We will 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. However, Virginia posted no signs warning rafters, kayakers, or swimmers about health threats as it does regularly with swimming advisories on ocean beaches and in saltwater areas. for iPhone and iPad is now available for download for free! Potomac 336.809.6041. 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.. Here are a few of the most common and most effective changes we ask farmers to make: The program begins by initiating dialogue with the farmers to build trust and understanding about the way their farming practices may be damaging our water supply. * Incorrect, fraudulent or misleading content In the absence of a mechanism for conducting frequent seasonal bacteria monitoring at freshwater beaches, VDH lacks the data necessary to make advisory decisions for these waters, Smigo wrote in an email. Source: Data Store Saved Search 686 (results presented are a subset). It could be your lawn. 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. Our Mission Our mission is to protect the public's right to clean water in the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers and their tributaries. While Virginia has taken account of similar evidence in prior decisions to list other water bodies as impaired, it has refused to list the Shenandoah as impaired despite the ample evidence submitted in this case. We hope this lawsuit will change that, said Mark Frondorf, Shenandoah Riverkeeper. Other states, including Maryland and Pennsylvania, still use this freshwater beach action value.. Network Headquarters Financial statements can be provided upon request. You'll receive your first NRDC action alert and Reports will go to your local Waterkeeper. For more than 20 years, DuPont leaked mercury from the textile plant into the South River, eventually ending up in the Shenandoah River. Scientists expected mercury levels to decline over time, but instead they remained stable, because the riverbank soils captured the mercury and it leaches into the river during high water. The slimy mats are patchy to widespread along that stretch of river, the agency said. The . If they do not, they begin legal actions by filing a mandatory 60-day letter of intent to sue under the Clean Water Act. 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. Robinson River flowing through Whiteoak Canyon in Shenandoah National Park. South Fork Shenandoah River Project Title South River Mercury TMDL Number 2482-9RO95 Cooperating Agencies Virginia Department of Environmental Quality US EPA - Region III Project Chief Jack Eggleston jegglest@usgs.gov 804-261-2652 Cooperator Robert Brent mbrent@deq.virginia.gov 540-574-7848 Period of Project Jan. 2005 - Oct. 2008 Seven Things You Can Do To Protect the Shenandoah River From Future Fish Kills. If they do not, they begin legal actions by filing a mandatory 60-day letter of intent to sue under the Clean Water Act. Those behind the report, however, have focused their criticism on the state. The Environmental Integrity Project is a 19-year-old nonprofit organization, based in Washington D.C., that is dedicated to enforcing environmental laws and strengthening policy to protect public health. Proposed standards are due before the end of 2023. This is why Shenandoah Riverkeeper has filed its notice of intent to sue the EPA. Its a matter of basic fairness.. Using state records, it was found that more than 90 percent of the water quality monitoring stations where the state regularly samples the Shenandoah River found fecal bacteria (also known as E. coli) at levels unsafe for human contact. 2023 Waterkeepers Chesapeake. 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. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. "Instead of solving the problem, the DuPont funded team is just generating lots of reports, not one of which is aimed toward a cleanup.". Omission from the list means delay in addressing a serious and growing problem. The agreement comes in response to a lawsuit filed by community and conservation organizations late last year. March 1, 2023. Fax: (202) 296-8822, 1206 San Antonio Street In a story April 26 about a report on pollution in the Shenandoah River, The Associated Press reported erroneously that the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation has 3,500 farmer members. The Natural Resources Defense Council works to safeguard the earth - its people, 10/13/2020 Whenever it rains in Washington, D.C., raw sewage spills into the Potomac River. Learn More Our Rivers Washington, DC 20005, Phone: (202) 296-8800 Amounts listed may Last year, pollution credit trading allowed the Strasburg Sewage Treatment Plant to release 2,942 pounds of phosphorus into the North Fork of the Shenandoah, according to the new Environmental . 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. Virginia should strengthen its bacteria standards and post swimming advisory signs in freshwater areas used by rafters and swimmers that are contaminated with fecal bacteria, especially now that rafting and tubing season is starting up on the Shenandoah River, said Eric Schaeffer, Executive Director of the Environmental Integrity Project. Natural Resources Defense Council 2023 Privacy Policy 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. They stop pollution to promote safe drinking water, protect healthy river habitats, and enhance public use and enjoyment. But she said the state General Assembly rejected those requests for additional funding and an expanded freshwater testing program. Using salt can keep our roads safe, but it has dangerous consequences for the Potomac River. . Protocols describe how we monitor. 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