Discover 11 fun facts about the mysterious, magical powers of trees and how we can help support them! 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. You can read through the full report and see what the Environmental Integrity Project recommends to solve these problems, Report: Shenandoah River polluted with unsafe levels of E. coli, Dog found dead under suspicious circumstances, SCSO says, ACSO looking for suspicious man in the Weyers Cave area, Pilot identified in fatal plane crash near Hillsville, Impacts the end of the COVID public health emergency will have, FDA advisers give green light for RSV vaccine approval; why this is important for older adults, Eastern Mennonite boys basketball defeats Walsingham 69-56, advances to VISAA DIII semifinals, Charlie Obaugh RV & Outdoor Student Athlete of the Week, Water Pollution from Livestock in the Shenandoah Valley.pdf. Recent heavy flooding in the Shenandoah Valley from Hurricane Isabel heightens the groups' concerns of contamination, since much of the mercury from the plant is thought to remain in floodplain sediments, which are disturbed during high river flows. Having guided on the Shenandoah and Potomac for almost twenty years, Mark Frondorf comes to the Shenandoah Riverkeeper position used to hard work and r Washington, DC 20005, Phone: (202) 296-8800 Lives are lost every year from this pollution, and our economy is forced to bear the burden of . The team has no cleanup plans. But many farms still lack livestock fencing. Those animals generate more than 410,000 tons of poultry litter and about 1 billion gallons (3.8 billion liters) of liquid manure a year. With all the progress made since the Clean Water Act was passed in 1972, it may still surprise you to learn there are plenty of ways you can still legally pollute the Potomac River. 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. The number of waterway sites sampled for bacteria by Virginia is also declining, with an average of 70 places on waterways in the Shenandoah Valley sampled between 2015 and 2018, but only 35 in 2019 and 25 in 2020. . It can be fatal to dogs and other animals. WASHINGTON, D.C. In a victory for clean water, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced its intent to publish updated water pollution control standards for slaughterhouses and animal rendering facilities by August 2025, following a lawsuit filed by community and conservation organizations late last year. Omission from the list means delay in addressing a serious and growing problem. 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. Back in 2018, Smigo said her agency asked the Virginia General Assembly for about $200,000 in additional state funding to start a freshwater swimming area safety program, including by conducting more sampling and raising bacteria warning signs for swimmers on waterways that are impaired for bacteria. Bill Hayden, a spokesman for the Department of Environmental Quality, said the state health department is responsible for deciding when and where to notify the public about water quality. Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, nursing mothers, and young children should not eat fish from these waters. 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. Periodically, we publish reports that describe what we are learning in the field. 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. 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. For example, EIP examined 11 watershed cleanup implementation plans in the Shenandoah Valley, and found that the state was not following its the water quality monitoring requirements in 10 of them. The Shenandoah River not only provides rich soils for farming, but also supports a wide variety of species, including white-tailed deer, black bears, bobcats, coyotes, eastern brook trout, red-tailed hawks, and the endangered Shenandoah salamander. This is a transmission line to get fracked gas out of Pennsylvania and West Virginia and ship it down to North Carolina and Portsmouth, Virginia. They offer links to cost share programs and other support for farmers who are willing to implement best management practices. Local groups challenge EPAs approval of Virginias decision to not list the Shenandoah as impaired, despite excessive algae blooms and nutrient pollution. member of Waterkeepers Alliance Unfortunately, to date, such efforts have not been successful.. Snows certainly not been a stanger this winter! The report by the Environmental Integrity Project, "Water Pollution from Livestock in the Shenandoah Valley," relies on state records to document that more than 90 percent of the water quality monitoring stations where the state regularly samples the Shenandoah River and its tributaries detected fecal bacteria (E. coli) at levels unsafe for . * Misrepresentation of your identity or affiliation 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. EIP Study Demands Stronger Regulation of Livestock Pollution and Health Advisories for Waterways Contaminated with Bacteria. Furthermore, the states manure control system allows manure containing far more phosphorous to be applied than the crops need, according to the report. Austin, TX 78701. Mercury pollution is known to cause severe physiological, behavioral, and reproductive disorders and is particularly harmful to developing fetuses. 72 Percent of Sampling Locations in Valley Had E Coli Bacteria Above EPA Safe Swimming Recommendations in 2020. Shenandoah Riverkeeper tracks, comments on and challenges Clean Water Act permits for stormwater from construction sites, industrial sites, and municipal stormwater systems. 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. DuPont stopped leaking mercury in 1950. And so Mark Frondorf, Shenandoah Riverkeeper, has launched the Respect the Shenandoah Campaign. 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. * Spam or comments that do not pertain to the posted article All across our region animals once in decline are making a comeback. Guest Article by Jeff "Yakfish" Little. Shenandoah National Park consists of nearly 200,000 acres of protected land in Northern Virginia and boasts over 500 miles of hiking trails, the 105 mile Skyline Drive with beautiful views, and thousands of living creatures, including the endangered Shenandoah Salamander that is only found in the park. (1/7) Dear Potomac Conservancy community: After much consideration, our organization has made the decision to paus, We're a proud sponsor of the 5th Taking Nature Black Conference hosted by @, Citing public health threats, local groups sue over Shenandoah River pollution, E.coli bacteria caused the cancellation of the Nations Triathlon swim portion, History we should know: How the Potomac shaped our community. The Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club has over 16,000 members. Recent heavy flooding in the Shenandoah Valley from Hurricane Isabel heightens the groups' concerns of contamination, since much of the mercury from the plant is thought to remain in floodplain. Cement manufacturers are dumping their pollution into Virginian communities with impunity. * Advertising or solicitations As a result of high air pollution levels, atmospheric deposition is the greatest threat to protected mountain streams. And many of the plans that have been in place for years have failed because they lack any enforcement or funding mechanisms and because monitoring has been inadequate. 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. many people love the Shenandoah River, "Despite its popularity, the river is often unsafe for swimming. Tom Pelton, Environmental Integrity Project, (443) 510-2574 or tpelton@environmentalintegrity.org The cleanup plans (also called Total Maximum Daily Loads or TMDLs) that do exist lack enforcement and funding mechanisms. Document changes in stream channel characteristics at sampling sites. Network Headquarters The . DEQs refusal to even evaluate this evidence to make an impairment determination is unacceptableas is EPAs failure to step in and perform its oversight duties as the Clean Water Act requires it to do.. The new standard tolerates higher concentrations of E. coli bacteria (410 counts of E coli bacteria per 100 ml of water, instead of 235 counts under the old standard) and requires more frequent testing to designate a waterway as impaired., VDEQ said they changed their standards in 2019 to follow updated recommended bacteria criteria published by EPA in 2012. The Sierra Club, founded over a century ago, is a national non-profit organization of over 700,000 members dedicated to exploring, enjoying, and protecting the wild places of the earth; to practicing and promoting the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources; to educating and enlisting humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to using all lawful means to carry out these objectives. Mark Frondorf, the Shenandoah Riverkeeper, said: The river and its users cannot afford the sleight-of-hand technique employed by authorities on water quality standards. keep you informed with the latest alerts and progress reports. That advisory continues today. The department continues to conduct water column tests to determine if the bacteria cells are present in higher concentrations. & Waterkeepers Chesapeake. Source: Data Store Saved Search 709. Virginia is required by the Act to consider all information about stream impairments when updating its list. 5 *completely legal* ways to pollute the Potomac, 6 local wetlands to quench your wanderlust. Listing a waterway as impaired triggers a regulatory process leading to the imposition of limits on the amount of the pollution causing the impairment into the waterway. The agreement comes in response to a lawsuit filed by community and conservation organizations late last year. Each of these rivers eventually flows into the Chesapeake Bay. 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. Among the causes: nutrient pollution from fertilizers and sewage, as well as increasing problems from climate change, such as extreme wet and dry spells and warmer water temperatures. Site Designed by DC Web Designers, a Washington DC web design company, Advocates Guide For Challenging LNG Projects, Water Quality in the Shenandoah Valley: Virginias Cleanup Plans Fail to Solve Bacteria Problem, Environmental Integrity Project's Twitter. POLLUTION REPORT HOTLINE Shenandoah 571.969.0746 Upper Potomac 443.480.8970 Potomac 336.809. . The main route of human exposure is through eating contaminated fish. The report focuses on four counties in the bucolic Shenandoah Valley watershed that are also home to a large-scale farming industry. Once your report is submitted it will be sent to your local Waterkeeper and to a live map available on the Water Reporter Website. Learn more about listing the Shenandoah as impaired, Learn more about Shenandoah Algae Elimination Campaign, Community Science Water Quality Monitoring Program, Shenandoah Riverkeeper on WZRV 95.3 The River. 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. Its springtime, so lets do a bad agriculture story.. There are 18 local Waterkeepers in the Chesapeake Bay region waiting for your reports. * Explicit or vulgar language Fish consumption advisories have been in place on the South River and South Fork Shenandoah River since the mid-1970s. 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