Toxic Commonwealth

With over 15 million pounds of toxins dumped into the Commonwealth's waterways, Virginia "ranks" among the worst states for pollution from industrial plants posing a threat to human health and the environment. While we all think of southwest Virginia as being pristine wilderness, the New River ranked #3 in the nation for toxic discharges with 12,529,948 pounds purposely dumped in the water. The Roanoke River came in at #15 in the nation with 2,762,330 pounds of toxic discharges. Sadly, the facts and figures about toxic discharges don't tell the whole story - industrial facilities must report Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) only if they exceed certain limits. Smaller plants may never report anything, yet their discharges get stirred into the witches' brew that has become our streams, lakes, and rivers.

The major contributor of toxins in the New River is the Radford Army Ammunition Plant which dumps over 12,000,000 pounds of toxins into the water. That's the second highest toxin discharge in the nation.  Bringing death to our hometowns....

Nationwide, the largest category of releases are nitrates which may be toxic "particularly to infants consuming formula made with nitrate-laden drinking water...." And, there are many other sources of nitrates (agricultural runoff, over application of lawn fertilizers, etc.) that are NOT included in the TRI.

Of course the problem isn't only found in the Toxic Commonwealth (but unfortunately we are one of the big uglies) but in every state from sea to shining sea:

• Pollution from just five states—Indiana, Virginia, Nebraska, Texas, and Georgia—accounted for nearly forty percent of the total amount of pollution dumped into our waterways in 2010
• Food and beverage manufacturing (slaughterhouses, rendering plants, etc.), primary metals manufacturing, chemical plants, and petroleum refineries were some of the largest polluters. AK Steel dumped the most toxic pollution—nearly 30 million pounds—into our waterways in 2010.
• In 2010, industries discharged approximately 1.5 million pounds of cancer-causing chemicals, like arsenic, chromium, and benzene, into America’s waterways. Nevada’s Burns Creek received the largest volume of carcinogens in 2010, while neighboring Mill Creek placed third.
• Nitrates accounted for nearly 90 percent of the total volume of discharges to waterways reported in 2010. Nitrates are toxic, particularly to infants consuming formula made with nitrate-laden drinking water, who may be susceptible to methemoglobinemia, or “blue baby” syndrome, a disease that reducesthe ability of blood to carry oxygen throughout the body.

So, I guess the question is: are the governor, the General Assembly, and representatives like Bob Goodlatte and Morgan Griffith looking out for the people of Virginia or for the profits of their big donors? You decide. But, don't drink the water... or swim in it either!

For more information visit Environment America and read their report, Wasting Our Waterways 2012 Toxic Industrial Pollution and the Unfulfilled Promise of the Clean Water Act.

Troubled waters

A new report (PDF file) entitled "Wasting Our Waterways: Toxic Industrial Pollution and the Unfilled Promise of the Clean Water Act" by Environment America says Virginia's waterways are the second dirtiest in the United States. The report says Virginia had more than 18 million pounds of toxic chemicals released into its waterways, second only to Indiana. The New River (NC, VA, WV) is the worst in the Commonwealth and second worst in the entire nation with 14,090,633 pounds of total discharges. Ranking second in the state (31st in the nation) is the James River with 1,686,939 pounds. The Roanoke River also made the nation's top dirty 50 in total discharges. The discharge numbers are from 2007 when Environment America says more than 232 million pounds of toxic chemicals were dumped into 1,900 waterways.

Here at CCC I've previously posted about water quality issues with Shenandoah Valley rivers, most notably trash and animal/human wastes in our streams. When you consider the trash, the mostly unseen mix of chemicals, the bacteria, the nutrients, and the sediment/run-off that goes into our waterways it is pretty scary for anybody who wants to swim, canoe, fish, or use our precious water resources. W.C. Fields only touched on one irrelevant aspect of water quality in his famous quote about why he doesn't drink water. W.C., there are lots of other reasons!

Tom Toles' cartoon in the Washington Post November 13, 2009 sums it up pretty well.

April Showers Bring....

The recent rains have me thinking about.... gardening. Well yes, that is true. You know what they say about April showers. Actually, with the warmer weather and the recent rain, some of us are anticipating more opportunities for canoeing and kayaking on the Valley's many rivers. While I used to get into early spring floats, with time and aging I actually prefer warmer days (and water) for activities on the rivers. It is true we didn't get those big snows that melt slowly and replenish the rivers well into the summer months. But, spring rains are helping. Hopefully, April will be wet and the river levels will remain good well into June and July. To keep track of water levels in your favorite stream or river, check out the USGS Real-Time Data for Virginia Stream Flows.

Today's Roanoke Times has a good article on floating the Roanoke River - which is one of the region's rivers I've never dipped a paddle into. It also has a cautionary reminder about the dangers for kayakers and canoeists - a kayaker drowned in the Maury River near Goshen Pass last Sunday. Always paddle within your skill level and do not go alone. Remember a dunking on a 90° summer afternoon isn't nearly as dangerous one on a blustery 45° morning. Wear a life vest. I've always made it a rule to not go on the river when the water level is rising, rather I wait for the crest and enjoy the river while the levels are still high enough to be exciting, but they are dropping. I recall a drowning where a kayaker became entangled in a strainer (limbs/brush) and couldn't free himself or get help quickly enough in the fast rising North River. In short, there are times you should be a little chicken when dealing with whitewater!

Good resources for anybody canoeing or kayaking Virginia rivers are Roger Corbett's Virginia Whitewater and riverfacts.com. Corbett does a great job describing the all the major canoeing/kayaking rivers, including info and maps detailing put-ins/take-outs, hazards, low-water paddling, scenery, and the area history. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries maintains ramps and other river access points and has good maps and other info on boating and fishing.

Some of my favorite floats and paddles over the years:

• The last few years we've enjoyed the South Fork of the Shenandoah River near Bentonville. Mostly Class I and II, with an occasional II+. Nice scenery. Since there are several rental outfits along this stretch, and it is close to NOVA, the river can be busy on weekends and holidays. Midweek is usually quiet. Nice tent-only camping at Shenandoah River State Park.
• Don't forget the rest of the South Fork of the Shenandoah. Nearly every stretch of the river from Port Republic to Front Royal has some good canoeing. But, do a little research before jumping in the river. Some areas are pretty slow, others have hazards that you may not want to deal with.
• The Maury River from Buena Vista to the James River is fun, fairly secluded, has good fishing, and can be a day trip or overnighter.
• The James River above and through Balcony Falls is great. You can break it into segments for day trips or string them together for a one or two night camping trip. Above the falls it is mostly Class I and II but the falls, even with normal water levels on a summer day, is Class III. Be prepared to get wet and/or lose unsecured gear. I've never done the falls in cold weather, but if you are running it in March and April a wet suit makes sense. Below Balcony and a couple other smaller falls is a long stretch of flat water to the take-out. This is a year-round river and can be fun even with low water levels. This popular area can be very busy on weekends.
• The upper James from Iron Gate to Buchanan is fun, secluded, and good for an overnight trip. I spent a very cold and blustery March weekend on it a few years back.
• The New River is fun and challenging. Stretches are great for a day trip and there are good areas for one or two night canoe/camping/fishing trips. Another year-round river.
• The North Fork of the Shenandoah through the bends section near Woodstock is mostly secluded, has good fishing, and is fun. I can still taste the "surf & turf" we enjoyed along the bank while camping - grilled rib eyes and pumpkinseed. Other parts of the North Fork have good kayaking and canoeing, too.
• We've had fun day trips on the Middle River and North River. The upper part of North River, through the gorge, is usually only canoeable a few days in the spring and your skill level and equipment better be top notch.

So, on this rainy April day, don't bemoan the gloomy weather. It is good for our gardens and our rivers.