The main route of human exposure is through eating contaminated fish. 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 Shenandoah is one of the most beautiful rivers in the countryand a popular recreation destination. 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.. In 2012, Shenandoah Riverkeeper officially requested that Virginia DEQ designate all reaches of the Shenandoah River as impaired by algae on Virginias 303(d) list, the list on which states are required to designate water bodies that fail to meet water quality standards under the federal Clean Water Act. Posted on April 23, 2008. The Southern Environmental Law Center will be assisting in the case. The organization says it has approximately 35,000 farmer members. We hope this lawsuit will change that, said Mark Frondorf, Shenandoah Riverkeeper. member of Waterkeepers Alliance 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. When they find that a facility is violating its pollution permit, they consider factors, such as the impact of the violations on public health, and the size and scope of the violations, before taking action. Cement manufacturers are dumping their pollution into Virginian communities with impunity. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has also assessed a very low percentage of waters, leaving residents guessing whether it is safe to swim and recreate in the rivers and streams.. . Upper Potomac 443.480.8970 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. They include a descriptive narrative of what we monitor and why, our field methods, how we analyze and manage our data, and more. The. 5 *completely legal* ways to pollute the Potomac, 6 local wetlands to quench your wanderlust. Virginia should list the Shenandoah river segments that have too much algae as officially "impaired" under the federal Clean Water Act so that the state can start taking more meaningful steps to curb pollution and accelerate its cleanup. Furthermore, the states manure control system allows manure containing far more phosphorous to be applied than the crops need, according to the report. Virginia did not follow that recommendation, and instead eliminated its state freshwater beach action value.. * Incorrect, fraudulent or misleading content Network Headquarters Virginia in 2019 also eliminated its fecal bacteria public health warning advisory threshold for swimming in freshwater areas called the beach action value. The Virginia Department of Health continues to use a health warning and monitoring system for saltwater beaches in the state, but has never issued warnings or posted signs to protect people in freshwater areas like those along the Shenandoah River. Shenandoah Riverkeeper is working with the Allegheny Blue-Ridge Alliance and others to fight the construction of this pipeline. In addition to E. coli, which can sicken the swimmers, fishermen and tubers who flock to the river, the report also found elevated levels of phosphorous, which contributes to the growth of algae blooms and low-oxygen dead zones.. 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. The . 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. Washington, DC 20005, Phone: (202) 296-8800 To many environmental groups, the root of the algae issue in the Shenandoah is clear: nutrient pollution, especially from agriculture. Shenandoah Riverkeeper uses information from monitoring and community activity and takes actions to create positive change. 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. It can be fatal to dogs and other animals. The study, conducted by the Environmental Integrity Project, says the pollution is because. Document the status of and trends in water quality as influenced by point source and non-point source pollution (including atmospheric deposition). But pollution management plans, also called nutrient management plans, are only required for large livestock operations, which account for only 12.5 percent of the farmland in those counties, the report says. Small farms, when viewed as one, represent a large portion of the agricultural sector in the Shenandoah Valley and other parts of the Potomac River watershed. At any given time, the three Riverkeepers are working on roughly two dozen active enforcement and advocacy matters, including commenting on pollution permits when they are up for renewal, pushing government regulators to recognize major pollution problems and act on them, and filing lawsuits against polluters and government agencies that are allowing pollution to continue unchecked. Interactive map of the South River Science Team showing the fish consumption advisories: http://southriverscienceteam.org/map/, Purpose and roles of the SRST: http://southriverscienceteam.org/what-is-srst/, SRST Mercury Fact Sheet: http://southriverscienceteam.org/news/fact-sheets/SR_No2.pdf, SRST newsletter going into great detail as to how they are going to perform the remediation: http://southriverscienceteam.org/news/newsletters/2016/UPDATE_2016_First%20Half_final.pdf, Potomac Riverkeeper Listing would have triggered specific government plans to combat algae pollution on the Shenandoah. 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 The Shenandoah Riverkeeper Swim Guide lists over 70 access points on the three major reaches of the Shenandoah River. But 47 percent of the waterways impaired by bacteria in the Shenandoah Valley lack either cleanup or implementation plans. This is why Shenandoah Riverkeeper has filed its notice of intent to sue the EPA. 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. 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. Ninety-two percent of every dollardonated goes directly to efforts to reduce illegal pollution. 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. 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. 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. Protocols describe how we monitor. 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. RICHMOND, Va. (AP) Excessive livestock manure from millions of turkeys, chickens and cows in Virginia is making its way into the Shenandoah River, polluting the scenic waterway with unsafe levels of E. coli, according to a new report from an environmental advocacy group. Because of the sensitivity of the streams to acidification, long-term monitoring of stream water chemistry and hydrogeochemical processes is a major component of the Inventory and Monitoring Program. If they do not, they begin legal actions by filing a mandatory 60-day letter of intent to sue under the Clean Water Act. Contact Evan Childress, Shenandoah NP Supervisory Fish Biologist, Download the official NPS app before your next visit, Mid-Atlantic Inventory & Monitoring Network. That algae buildup can then get in the way of the fishing and paddling industries. 10/13/2020 Whenever it rains in Washington, D.C., raw sewage spills into the Potomac River. PRKNs EIN # is 54-1982624. 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. You can reach him at jcox@bayjournal.com. I make sure not to get it in my eyes, God forbid I drink any of it. Prevent cattle from using the river as a restroom by fencing cattle away from rivers and streams, Stop feeding of cattle on the banks of rivers and streams, Creating buffers to catch rainwater that carries animal waste, dirt, fertilizers and pesticides into the river during rain storms, Clean Water Act 50th Anniversary Campaign, South West & Rhode Riverkeeper Elle Bassett. But there's one part of the country that's bucking the trend. Fax: (202) 296-8822, 1206 San Antonio Street Working with, , Potomac Riverkeeper Network developed a mobile app, which is a Bay-wide initiative, to gather critical data on the waterways you love! Almost of half of the impaired waters in the Shenandoah Valley lack either the cleanup plans or implementation plans required by federal and state law. Photo credit: Alan Lehman, Program Manager, Shenandoah Riverkeeper. All Rights Reserved. Discover 11 fun facts about the mysterious, magical powers of trees and how we can help support them! EPA has failed to carry out a non-discretionary duty to either approve or disapprove of Virginias list of waters deemed impaired under the Clean Water Act, which was published in 2012 without an acknowledgment of the Shenandoahs algae problems. & Waterkeepers Chesapeake. 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. 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. For more than 20 years, DuPont leaked mercury from the textile plant into the South River, eventually ending up in the Shenandoah River. While Virginia has taken account of similar evidence in prior decisions to list other water bodies as impaired, it has refused to list the Shenandoah as impaired despite the ample evidence submitted in this case. Discharge Pipes (or any other apparent point source pollution) - Discharge pipes that are discolored, emitting a foul odor, a lot of foam, or some other detectable pollution fall under this . It could be your lawn. The Orange County Water District estimated earlier this year that treatment could cost the average home in a local district with PFAS $4 to $5 more monthly but could reach as high as $20 per . It is ideal for canoeing, kayaking, fishing, and observing nature. If they do not, they begin legal actions by filing a mandatory 60-day letter of intent to sue under the Clean Water Act. Mark joined Potomac Riverkeeper Network in 2015 as the official Shenandoah Riverkeeper. 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 . Greg Bilyeu, Director of Communications Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ), said his agency is planning to increase the frequency of its bacteria monitoring in certain, select areas where people actually swim, and will release an updated bacteria monitoring strategy this fall. Washington, DC 20005, Phone: (202) 296-8800 Media contacts: Mark Frondorf, Shenandoah Riverkeeper, (571) 969-0746) or mark@shenandoahriverkeeper.org, The James River is such an historic and iconic waterway, it is great news that this settlement agreement will help reduce sewage overflows that, About 12 hours ago from Environmental Integrity Project's Twitter, EPA has agreed to strengthen standards for the nations largest industrial source of phosphorus pollutionand second-largest industrial source of, About 13 hours ago from Environmental Integrity Project's Twitter, James Beauchamp, president of the Midland-Odessa Transportation Alliance, suggests that spikes in Permian Basin methane might be coming, About 2 days ago from Environmental Integrity Project's Twitter, Solar, wind, geothermal, battery and other alternative-energy businesses are adding workers from fossil fuel companies, where employment has fallen., Record winter warmth across much of the eastern US has caused spring-like conditions to arrive earlier than ever previously recorded in several, About 3 days ago from Environmental Integrity Project's Twitter, 1000 Vermont Avenue, NW, Suite 1100 Fun facts about the mysterious, magical powers of trees and how we can support! 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