Urban runoff vs clean water

Source: Karl Kleiner
York College of Pennsylvania

Urban runoff, a toxic mix of petroleum products, lawn fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, antifreeze, and all sorts of other things we humans dump (intentionally or not) on our streets, parking lots, lawns, and gutters causes huge pollution issues for our waters. This pollution can impact drinking water downstream from the urban area. The Potomac, James, York, and other rivers carry this deadly mix to the Chesapeake Bay. Once there, these pollutants can help create marine dead zones that have so little oxygen life is impossible.

The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation is conducting a public hearing and receiving comments on Arlington County's application for a new runoff permit that is consistent with the Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint. At a minimum the permit should require specific and enforceable goals with public accountability, ensure an appeals process in the event goals are not met, require acceleration of local programs to reduce pollution, and demand thorough and regular monitoring.

Arlington the first of the state's largest localities to seek a permit - it will establish a precedent for other localities so it is essential that the standard it sets is high and adequately protects our waters.

The public hearing is at 10:00 AM on March 22 at the Arlington County Government Building. Public comments will be received until March 29.

Learn more about urban runoff and send your comment to the Department of Conservation and Recreation.

VA is the "Biggest Loser"... and that's a good thing!

Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Map Source

The Environmental Protection Agency's Region 3 has named Virginia the "Biggest Loser" for coming in first in the midAtlantic and second in the nation for reducing nitrogen pollution. In 2011 the Commonwealth's programs kept 2.5 million pounds of nitrogen out of our streams, rivers, and the Chesapeake Bay.

Although there is more than a wee bit irony of a Republican governor touting an award from the EPA, that was just part of an announcement from Governor Bob McDonnell highlighting progress in cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay. Other key advances on restoring our water resources include included in the governor's press release include:

• In 2011 major wastewater plants exceeded pollution reduction goals by more than 2,000% for nitrogen and more than 450% for phosphorus,
• Virginia has allocated $92 million toward point and nonpoint water quality programs,
• Virginia reported more phosphorus and bacteria load reductions (216,000 pounds) than any other state in EPA’s Region 3 (Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia).

While much remains to be done to fully restore the Chesapeake Bay and all our precious state waters, this is especially good news for oysters and osprey, for striped bass and blue crabs, and for eagles and everyone who understands the economic and environmental benefits of clean water.

Many of the reductions were achieved by implementing 400 best management practices on over 340,000 acres of farmland. The Department of Conservation and Recreation gets about $3.5 million per year in Clean Water Act grants to reduce nonpoint pollution. The DCR works through the Soil and Water Conservation Districts and with responsible farmers to fence cows and other livestock out of streams, to reduce erosion and nutrients by planting vegetation along streams, and to upgrade out-of-date septic systems.

Plenty of kudos to the governor, the DCR the farmers, and everyone involved... it is great to be the "Biggest Loser." However, much remains to be done to assure clean water for future generations. There are probably tens of thousands of defective septic systems across the state. The Commonwealth has over 47,000 farms covering 8,100,000 acres (about a third of the Commonwealth's land area)... that's a lot of streams and creeks to fence and restore. Today is a good time for all Virginians to crow about these successes. Tomorrow is prime time to set new goals and and to start working on the other 7,776,000 acres and all those septic tanks.

The Virginia Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load Watershed Implementation Plan, Phase II (Phase II WIP) was submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency on March 30. A public comment period on the plan will end on May 31. The Virginia's Department of Conservation and Recreation is holding a series of public meetings on the Phase II WIP - two in the Shenandoah Valley area are:

James River
May 30, 2012 9:30 to 11:30 am
Alleghany Government Center
9212 Winterberry Avenue
Covington, VA 24426

Shenandoah River
May 31, 2012 9:30 to 11:30 AM
James Madison University Festival Conference Center - Highlands Room
1301 Carrier Drive Harrisonburg, VA 22807

The purpose of these meetings is to provide information on the status of the WIP Phase II and to provide local governments, planning district commissions, soil and water conservation districts, and stakeholders (that would be ALL of us) an opportunity to comment.

As I posted on April 6, WIP Phase 2 (PDF) is filled with vaguely hopeful phrases like "seek opportunities," "promote," and "encourage" and is so lacking in specific implementation actions and targets that it is virtually meaningless. It is kind of like a fellow saying he will graduate from college but not having any specific plans as to how to pay for it, what courses he will take, what major he will pursue, or even what college he will attend. Perhaps this is by design and decree of the McDonnell administration? He and his party have resisted many of the EPA's bay cleanup targets and strategies from the beginning.

If you can't attend one of the meetings, contact DCR and tell them the plan lacks so many specifics it really isn't a plan at all. Tell DCR to describe specific locality-by-locality plans that will make Chesapeake Bay cleanup a reality rather than a pipe dream. You can email comments to vabaytmdl@dcr.virginia.gov or mail them to James Davis-Martin, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, 900 East Main St., 8th Floor, Richmond, VA 23219. Be sure to include your name, address, and phone number in all correspondence.

VA's Bay Watershed Plan Falls Short

Map from DCR website.

On March 30, the Commonwealth's Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) submitted Phase II of Virginia's Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Plan, (WIP Phase 2) to the EPA. WIP Phase II is intended to guide Virginia's bay restoration activities for the next 13 years, but it is so lacking in specifics, detailed data, and clear locality strategies for implementation that it is, as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation Virginia Executive Director Ann Jennings said, "little more than a statewide wish-list of possibilities that, unless revised, falls far short of providing Virginia citizens with reasonable assurance Virginia can meet its Bay cleanup goals."

Although it runs some 80 pages, WIP Phase 2 (PDF) is filled with vaguely hopeful phrases like "seek opportunities," "promote," and "encourage" and is so lacking in specific implementation actions and targets that it is virtually meaningless. It is kind of like a fellow saying he will graduate from college but not having any specific plans as to how to pay for it, what courses he will take, what major he will pursue, or even what college he will attend. Perhaps this is by design and decree of the McDonnell administration? He and his party have resisted many of the EPA's bay cleanup targets and strategies from the beginning.

The public comment period runs through May 31 - contact DCR and tell them the plan lacks so many specifics it really isn't a plan at all. Tell DCR to describe specific locality-by-locality plans that will make Chesapeake Bay cleanup a reality rather than a pipe dream. You can email comments to vabaytmdl@dcr.virginia.gov or mail them to James Davis-Martin, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, 900 East Main St., 8th Floor, Richmond, VA 23219. Be sure to include your name, address, and phone number in all correspondence.

About 60% of Virginia's land area and more than two-thirds of the state population live the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Major river watersheds draining into the Chesapeake include the Potomac (including Shenandoah), Rappahannock, York and James rivers as well as coastal lands on the bay's shoreline.

Middle River water quality

The Middle River watershed lies in the heart of Augusta County. Along with North River and South River, it is one of the region's wonderful waterways that are major tributaries of the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. Each of these rivers has "issues" that impact not only uses of that particular river, but everyone downstream who uses the water for livestock, drinking, or recreation.

In July the Department of Conservation and Resources hosted a forum kicking off the development of a water quality improvement plan for Middle River, Jennings Branch, Moffett Creek, and Polecat Draft. On Thursday, December 10 from 7:00 to 9:00 PM at the Augusta County Government Center, the Department of Conservation and Resources will conduct a public hearing on strategies and recommendations for improving water quality in the river and streams. Improving the water quality reduces the chance of human illness/infection, makes the water safer for agricultural uses, and supports healthy aquatic life and wildlife.

Middle River suffers from two major problems - bacteria and sediment - that impair the water quality. Sources of bacteria include runoff of manure and poultry litter, livestock pooping in the streams and on the banks, old leaking residential septic systems, and waste from pets and wildlife. The sediment is mostly caused by runoff from pastures and tilled cropland.

The good news is that we can take agricultural and residential conservation steps that not only restore the health of the creeks and rivers, those same actions will mean healthier people and more productive farms.

Recommended agricultural conservation practices include:

• Vegetated buffer strips along streams and bank restoration
• Manure/litter storage
• No-till practices on cropland
• Excluding livestock from streams

Recommended residential practices include

• Repairs and upgrades of septic systems
• Increased use of alternative waste treatment systems

We can be sure the naysayers will be there questioning the data and talking about private property rights. But, does anyone have the right to use a common resource such as a stream or river in ways that leave it seriously impaired for users downstream? I think not! Besides, the very practices that help clean the waters can also make even the naysayers' farms more productive and all our homes healthier.

Hope to see you at the Government Center. Speak up for clean water!

We all live downstream

Water quality is increasing becoming an issue for the Shenandoah Valley. Sediment, bacteria, and other pollutants are clogging many of our small streams and creeks. Since we are upstream of most of Virginia, these problems get passed on to the great rivers - the James and Shenandoah - and eventually to the Chesapeake Bay. Of course, these problems impact us right here too, affecting sports fishing and other recreational uses of our waterways and posing health risks to humans and livestock.

Want to learn more about the issues? Think government has a role through grants to assist farmers with best management practices to reduce runoff? Should developers have strict regulations to reduce pollution flowing into our streams? What is the role of private organizations, such as Friends of the Shenandoah River? Two upcoming events will inform you about water quality issues and give you a chance to express your opinion.

Public hearing on new stormwater regulations for developers

July 1 at 7:00 PM

Augusta County Government Center in Verona.

Hosted by the Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Three years in the making, the draft regulations had input from all stakeholders, including developers. Now the homebuilders lobby is proposing to gut much of the plan and to shift costs to farmers. Can't attend but want to comment and/or want to see the draft - go here.

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Public Forum on Middle River Water Quality Improvement Plan

July 16 at 7:00 PM

Churchville Elementary School in Churchville.

Hosted by the Department of Conservation and Recreation.

This forum will kick off development of a water quality improvement plan for Middle River, Moffett Creek, and Polecat Draft. Following a brief presentation, it will break into focus groups to review data and to solicit ideas about how to proceed. For more information contact Nesha Mizel or call 540.332.9238.