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. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. 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. Makes it easier to find and report pollution and to report the fun things you see and do on the river. Network Headquarters Other states, including Maryland and Pennsylvania, still use this freshwater beach action value.. Check out these 7 benefits trees have for cities in the Potomac River region! 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. Together, farmers in Augusta, Page, Rockingham and Shenandoah counties raise more than 172 million chicken and turkeys a year and more than half a million dairy and beef cows, the report says. 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.) Jeff Taylor/The Winchester Star BERRYVILLE. The members of our local chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America stand shoulder to shoulder with our local Riverkeepers and others to ensure this river is restored, and remains the national treasure we know it to be.. As a last resort, we will take a polluter to court to stop the pollution. 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. Total Wages: Total wages reported by the employer from Box 5 of the W-2, with some exceptions, and Elected Officials who received pay reported on IRS Form 1099. Since mid-June, the North Fork of the Shenandoah already a shallow waterway compared with others of its size was below its 96-year average depth, according to a river gauge at Strasburg. * Spam or comments that do not pertain to the posted article The proposed construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline would impact the headwaters of the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. Potomac 336.809.6041. 2023 Environmental Integrity Project. Additional bacteria sampling data is available from Friends of the Shenandoah River. They notify government oversight agencies, contact the polluter, and if needed, take legal action if other actions do not result in improvements. Document the status of and long-term trends in water flow. 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. 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. Experts say that they usually are a symptom of an ecosystem out of balance. The algae blooms, caused by agricultural runoff in the Shenandoah Valley, interfere with recreational uses of the river, such as swimming, kayaking and fishing. 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 needs to start notifying the public that the Shenandoah Valleys waterways are unsafe for swimming and tubing or, better yet, the state should solve this manure overload problem, said Eric Schaeffer, Executive Director of the Environmental Integrity Project and former Director of Civil Enforcement at EPA. That type of blue-green algae can release toxins that, when touched or swallowed, can lead to rashes and gastrointestinal illness. Monitoring Program 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. But she said the state General Assembly rejected those requests for additional funding and an expanded freshwater testing program. Shenandoah RIVERKEEPERMark Frondorf joined Potomac RIVERKEEPERNetwork in 2015. Rappahannock River Basin, Roanoke and Yadkin River Basin, Shenandoah River Basin, . 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. Furthermore, the states manure control system allows manure containing far more phosphorous to be applied than the crops need, according to the report. The number of water monitoring sites in the Shenandoah Valley declined from an average of 70 per year from 2015 to 2018, to 30 per year in 2019 and 2020, with many of the excluded sites having the highest levels of bacteria. 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. For more than 20 years, DuPont leaked mercury from the textile plant into the South River, eventually ending up in the Shenandoah River. Cement manufacturers are dumping their pollution into Virginian communities with impunity. Sampling locations often change from year to year. 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. Working with, , Potomac Riverkeeper Network developed a mobile app, which is a Bay-wide initiative, to gather critical data on the waterways you love! The Environmental Integrity Projects report makes the following recommendations: The Virginia General Assembly and VDEQ need to invest enough in staffing and resources to create cleanup and implementation plans for the nearly half of impaired waterway miles in the Shenandoah Valley that lack one or the other of them today. When you sign up you'll become a member of NRDC's Activist Network. 7 benefits of urban trees for communities, clean water, and more! Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. 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. Think about it. Media contacts: * Information that violates a person's right to privacy Agricultural pollution, primarily from manure runoff from fields and livestock yards, was a source of contamination for 71 percent (or 723) of the impaired miles of rivers and streams that were assessed in 2020. Learn how our community allows pollution into our Nation's River the drinking water source for you and nearly 6 million people and what you can do about it. Experts say that they usually are a symptom of an ecosystem out of balance. But the public has the right to know when that water isnt safe to enjoy, said Eric Schaeffer, executive director of the Environmental Integrity Project. If youre out and about and see debris flowing from a construction site, cows in your stream, or a pipe discharging questionable water, use the app to report it. Every year they host RiverPalooza, a series of paddling events. 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. For many folks, the Shenandoah River is their only option to swim in the summer months.. Snows certainly not been a stanger this winter! The alert applies to about 11 miles of the rivers North Fork, extending from just above Strasburg at VA Route 644 to just below the town at Route 611. follow these guidelines. Fax: (202) 296-8822, 1206 San Antonio Street If they do not, they begin legal actions by filing a mandatory 60-day letter of intent to sue under the Clean Water Act. For years, Shenandoah Riverkeeper has been pressing Virginias Department of Environmental Quality to designate the river as impaired because of the algae blooms. You'll receive your first NRDC action alert and A corrected version of the story is below: Report: Cows, chickens taint Shenandoah River with E. coli, The bucolic Shenandoah River is sending some not-so-lovely material downstream, according to a new report that finds Virginia is failing to adequately manage waste from millions of chickens and cows. RICHMOND, Va. (AP) 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. In addition, they work with university law clinics, nonprofit legal groups and corporate law firms that provide pro bono legal services and conduct compliance reviews of pollution permits. 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 . When the fish arent there, fishermen stay away too, and Finch said hes seen tourism-related businesses shut down. For more than 20 years, DuPont leaked mercury from the textile plant into the South River, eventually ending up in the Shenandoah River. Site Designed by DC Web Designers, a Washington DC web design company, Advocates Guide For Challenging LNG Projects. What's plaguing the Potomac River? Trees do so much for our climate and clean water, but what do they do for our health? 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. 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. The Virginia Farm Bureau Federation is responding by calling the report "an opinion piece.". But its threatened by the failure of state and federal authorities to stop excessive nutrientsand the algae they producefrom entering the river. 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. If they do not, they begin legal actions by filing a mandatory 60-day letter of intent to sue under the Clean Water Act. Natural Resources Defense Council 2023 Privacy Policy Unfortunately, much of it is making its way into our rivers, causing serious threats to wildlife and public health, a new study found. 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