Agricultural runoff, including manure from the Valleys many livestock operations and industrial scale poultry operations, is a source of contamination for 71 percent of the polluted river and stream miles in the Shenandoah Valley, according to state figures. Shenandoah Riverkeeper, represented by Earthjustice, filed a notice of intent to sue the EPA for its failure to act in the face of this threat. Last year, pollution credit trading allowed the Strasburg Sewage Treatment Plant to release 2,942 pounds of phosphorus into the North Fork of the Shenandoah, according to the new Environmental . The Environmental Integrity Project analyzed hundreds of state records for the report released Wednesday. It's just dangerous," said Herschel Finch, a fisherman in Front Royal. Photo credit: Alan Lehman, Program Manager, Shenandoah Riverkeeper. 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 Mark Frondorf, Shenandoah Riverkeeper, said: Virginia has failed to implement plans already on the books that would actually result in improved water quality in the Shenandoah Valley. Its website can be found at www.sierraclub.org. Some of problems are old and ongoing, but others are new. Xranks ! Until Virginias waters are cleaned up, Schaeffer said, the Commonwealth should raise no swimming advisory signs in parts of the Shenandoah that are often used for swimming and tubing but that have unsafe levels of fecal bacteria. RICHMOND, Va. (AP) 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. The Virginia Farm Bureau Federation is responding by calling the report "an opinion piece.". Paved, drained, dammed and polluted to the point where it is barely recognizable as a stream, the Santa Ana River has long been more a source of ridicule than recreation, more of a waste pit than . For many folks, the Shenandoah River is their only option to swim in the summer months.. Agricultural runoff, including manure from the Valley's many livestock operations and industrial scale poultry operations, is a source of contamination for 71 percent of the polluted river and stream miles in the Shenandoah Valley, according to state figures. Media contacts: Tom Pelton, Environmental Integrity Project (443) 510-2574 or tpelton@environmentalintegrity.org, Mark Frondorf, Shenandoah Riverkeeper, mark@shenandoahriverkeeper.org or (571) 969-0746, 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 The alert applies to about 11 miles of the rivers North Fork, extending from just above Strasburg at VA Route 644 to just below the town at Route 611. Washington, D.C. Almost three quarters of water quality monitoring sites in Virginias scenic Shenandoah Valley had levels of fecal bacteria last year that were so high that EPA would consider them unsafe for swimming. Ninety-two percent of every dollardonated goes directly to efforts to reduce illegal pollution. Shenandoah Riverkeeper tracks, comments on and challenges Clean Water Act permits for stormwater from construction sites, industrial sites, and municipal stormwater systems. Under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the federal statute under which the two groups are planning to bring suit, a notice of intent must be served 90 days in advance of filing a lawsuit. No fish other than trout should be eaten from the South River. Front Royal, VA Today, four local citizen groups filed a lawsuit filed a lawsuitagainst the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the agencys repeated failure to address the Shenandoah Rivers increasing problem with algae blooms and pollution. For years, Shenandoah Riverkeeper has been pressing Virginias Department of Environmental Quality to designate the river as impaired because of the algae blooms. 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., Phillip Ellis, Earthjustice, (202) 745-5221, Mark Frondorf, Shenandoah Riverkeeper, (571) 969-0746, Phillip Musegaas, Potomac Riverkeeper Network, (914) 806-0916, Hershel Finch, Warren County, VA Chapter of Izaak Walton League of America, (540) 270-1590, Stephan J. Kimm, Potomac River Smallmouth Club, (703) 928-5473, Potomac Riverkeeper 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. * Insults, verbal attacks or degrading statements Reports will go to your local Waterkeeper. The Environmental Integrity Project and Shenandoah Riverkeeper released a report in 2019 that used aerial photography to document that only about 20 percent of livestock farms in Virginias biggest agricultural counties, Rockingham and Augusta counties in the Shenandoah Valley, had fenced their cattle out of streams and rivers. 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. There are sections where its just completely unproductive to go fish anymore because the algae is taking up all the oxygen and the fish just cant survive, he said Wednesday in a conference call with reporters. 2023, Potomac Conservancy, Silver Spring, MD. A recent report found that 90 percent of the water quality monitoring stations along the Shenandoah River and its tributaries detected fecal bacteria (E. coli) at levels unsafe for human contact between 2014-2016." Schaeffer was formerly the director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys office of civil enforcement. State Disclosures, Nancy Marks, NRDC, 212-727-4414; Michael Town, Sierra Club, 804-225-9113; 804-319-6083. No more than two meals pound each or the size of your hand of fish per month should be eaten from the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. Fax: (202) 296-8822, 1206 San Antonio Street When it comes to E. coli, Virginia should do a better job of issuing public advisories about the elevated levels, the report advises. Source: Data Store Saved Search 686 (results presented are a subset). Ninety-two percent of every dollardonated goes directly to efforts to reduce illegal pollution. And so Mark Frondorf, Shenandoah Riverkeeper, has launched the Respect the Shenandoah Campaign. The agency has refused, even as evidence of the impairment has grown. its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. 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. 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. That means the health of the people in the Shenandoah Valley is at risk, and a Virginia treasure -- part of our children's heritage -- is being diminished," said Michael Town, director of the Sierra Club's Virginia Chapter. Shenandoah Riverkeeper isopposing the construction of the pipeline because it can be built without hurting the habitat of a number of endangered species, it endangers the George Washington National Forest, and sedimentation caused by construction could threaten the water quality. We aim to provide a forum for fair and open dialogue. * Misrepresentation of your identity or affiliation 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. A recent report found that 90 percent of the water quality monitoring stations along the Shenandoah River and its tributaries detected fecal bacteria (E. coli) at levels unsafe for human contact between 2014-2016. But there's one part of the country that's bucking the trend. The Commonwealth also eliminated the states swimming advisory standard for freshwater recreation areas in October 2019 and changed its standard for impaired waters. Source: Data Store Saved Search 699 (results presented are a subset). 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. Unfortunately, to date, such efforts have not been successful.. So far this time, cyanotoxins have been below or just above the detection level in water samples tested not high enough to trigger advisories, health officials say. Water sampling data from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, for sites that were sampled at least twice in the last six years. The study, conducted by the Environmental Integrity Project, says the pollution is because of animal waste runoff. 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