Augusta County needs data on nutrient pollution

The Augusta County Board of Supervisors is considering joining a nutrient monitoring program to get factual information on the amount of agricultural and non-point pollution entering the Middle and South rivers. This pollution, of course, travels downstream to other counties and eventually into the Chesapeake Bay.

The U.S. Geological Survey will provide equipment to monitor sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus over a three year period. The EPA has assured officials that the program will be accepted in setting the watershed model for the Chesapeake Bay.

All sounds good, right? Free equipment and accurate data to drive future decisions. Well, some supervisors say not so fast. The hangup is the $85,000 annual cost to properly conduct the monitoring. One member of the board, Larry Wills, is seeking state funding and/or cost sharing with downstream Rockingham County but apparently he has come up dry so far.

Even Rep. Bob Goodlatte seems to support a monitoring program because of the up-to-date data it will provide. But, in typical Bobblehead Bob talking out of both sides of his mouth fashion, he doesn't want the data to actually accomplish anything, saying the Chesapeake Bay model is flawed.

With a 2025 deadline approaching for Virginia's blueprint for cleaning up the Bay, we need all the data we can get to make accurate, scientific decisions. Yes, the Commonwealth should be picking up some or most of the tab for localities but even without that funding Augusta County should move forward now. Costs of monitoring and restoring our streams and rivers will only increase in the future and decision makers need quality information sooner rather than later. Plus, plenty of Augusta residents fish, swim, and canoe in these popular local rivers.

Perhaps Mr. Wills can explore the possibility of working with organizations that have trained volunteers to do the water monitoring to help trim some costs. Organizations like Friends of the Shenandoah River and Friends of Middle River have been doing just that for years.

Check out CCC's earlier posts on the South River and Middle River.

The message of the smallmouth bass

Read the 2013 smallmouth bass report

The smallmouth bass, a prized freshwater sport fish of the Shenandoah and many other rivers of the Commonwealth, is sending us a loud and clear message -- the same pollution that is killing fish is damaging water quality and the Chesapeake Bay.

You may remember smallmouth bass deaths and lesions in the North Fork of the Shenandoah in 2004. The very next year fish died in a 100 mile stretch of the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. In 2008 fish deaths and disease were reported in the Cowpasture River.

Smallmouth bass don't do well in polluted waters, hence they are an early indicator of declining water quality. Many fisheries biologists believe a toxic brew of contributing factors is decimating this sensitive species. Among the factors are high nitrogen and phosphorus levels in rivers and streams spur the growth of parasites and feed algal blooms that raise pH levels while reducing oxygen in the water. Rising water temperatures and endocrine disrupting chemicals also appear to play a role.

Smallmouth bass fishing isn't just a sport and popular leisure activity, it is an important part of Virginia's economy. Some 2,200 jobs with wages totaling about $74 million annually are supported by smallmouth bass fishing. It also generates about $17 million in state and local taxes.

The good news is that something can be done about it and smallmouth bass have actually made a comeback in the Shenandoah River (see page 9 in the report). Read the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Smallmouth Bass Report: Angling for Healthier Rivers to learn more about what needs to be done. Let your elected officials know that clean water is important to you and our communities. Get involved with groups such as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Friends of the Shenandoah River to find out what you can do in your home and community to protect and improve water quality. The smallmouth bass, and all of us, depend on clean water.

Bob, litter is part of the problem

Rep. Bob Goodlatte (VA-06) has introduced a bill to halt the EPA's Chesapeake Bay cleanup plans. Pointing to "more mandates and overzealous regulations," Goodlatte wants to turn the responsibility over to states and to rely on "voluntary efforts." He also calls for "nutrient trading" programs.

In response, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation issued a statement urging Congress to reject the legislation outright. The CBF said, in part, that the legislation will "undermine the pollution limits currently in place, derail cleanup efforts and undercut the federal government's role in making sure that all Americans have access to clean, swimmable, fishable waters."

Okay, let's keep it simple: Goodlatte's bill would result in uneven enforcement at best and a dirtier Chesapeake Bay. And a more polluted Bay impacts Virginia more than perhaps any other state.

The Chesapeake Bay watershed consists of 64,000 square miles and drains portions of six states (Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New York) and the nation's capitol. Leaving enforcement up to each individual state could mean no enforcement at all - Pennsylvania, a major contributor of the Bay's fresh water, might decide there is nothing in it for them and the costs just aren't worth it. So even if Virginia and Maryland made heroic efforts to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, it would all go for naught.

"Voluntary efforts" is laughable. Let's try voluntary speed limits on I-81. It is hard enough to keep trucks and cars at 70 mph with enforcement; can you imagine the chaos if it were voluntary. Drivers who voluntarily comply better have a huge and effective rear bumper! As someone who has waded streams collecting water and macroinvertebrate samples, I have personally visited farms that have voluntarily done wonderful things to stabilize stream banks and to keep excess nutrients and pollutants out of our waters. But, I've also seen that a few miles of protected stream can't make up for the others that continue to allow erosion and waste to spoil our precious water resources.

"Nutrient trading" programs may have some validity in the short term. Polluters who can't clean up as quickly or easily could, I imagine, buy/trade nutrient credits with others who have cleaned up their act. But, in the long term we need everyone to get it right and realize we can't keep treating our waterways as sewers. Besides, "nutrient trading" sounds a lot like "cap and trade" which I thought the congressman and his GOP colleagues detested. A bit of Republican hypocrisy and insincerity on display here?

Cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay will take the efforts of all 17 million Americans who live in the watershed. And I do mean all - while intensive agriculture is a major contributor to excess nutrients and pollution in the Bay we need everyone involved. That means enforceable regulations on homeowners (septic fields and overuse of fertilizers), municipal sewage systems, developers, manufacturers, and businesses large and small.

Want to get involved with water cleanup in the Shenandoah Valley? Check out these organizations doing good work in your community:

• Chesapeake Bay Foundation
• Friends of the Shenandoah River
• Friends of the Middle River
• Friends of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River
• Izaak Walton League
• James River Association
• Valley Conservation Council
• and many more....

You can also contact Rep. Bob Goodlate and let him know you oppose his bill (it is probably more about grandstanding against the EPA and posturing for the election than it is about good public policy). I just squawked at at the old bird.

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.