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The Rappahannock is a popular spot, but some worry that sediment
Sediment pollution is one of the most serious threats to the Rappahannock River. To combat the problem, |
By RUSTY DENNEN
One of the best ways to curb pollution is eyewitness reports.
For years, Friends of the Rappahannock has relied on volunteers to monitor water quality in area streams, for example.
The latest wrinkle is FOR's Get the Dirt Out campaign to cut stream-clogging sediment pollution by having volunteers monitor construction sites.
The pilot project will begin this fall in Stafford County and could be expanded to other area localities. Similar initiatives have worked elsewhere in Virginia.
Sediment pollution is one of the most serious threats to the Rappahannock, says FOR Executive Director John Tippett.
Especially in the lower part of the river, "It smothers aquatic organisms that live on the bottom, like oysters, clams and mussels," Tippett said.
In addition, "Sediment makes the water cloudy, and that prevents sunlight from getting down to underwater plants."
Area localities have erosion-control laws aimed at construction sites.
"But enforcement of those laws requires constant vigilance. You have to have eyes out there to to make sure that [conservation] practices don't fail. That's a hard job for any locality to have eyes out there all the time," Tippett said. "This is meant to help local government do their jobs."
Tippett said Get the Dirt Out simply formalizes what FOR has been doing already.
Here's how it will work: After a three-hour training session, volunteers will check on sites along routes where they live and work.
"Just to keep a general eye out for issues that might be going on," Tippett said. An example would be the edge of a construction site where a silt fence had been breached during a thunderstorm.
"They will not be going on private property. It's what can be viewed from the roadside," Tippett said.
The monitor would snap a digital photo and go to the mapping tool on FOR's Web site (riverfriends.org), locate the property, upload the photo and add text about the problem.
"The e-mail comes to us, we review it and send it to [local] code administration departments," which use the same mapping system, Tippett said.
The volunteer monitoring started on Georgia's Chattahoochee River and spread to other rivers, including portions of the Shenandoah and Potomac.
Tippett said such programs augment local and state pollution-control efforts.
At a time when state funding for monitoring is limited, "We can flag streams when a problem occurs."
Rusty Dennen: 540/374-5431
Email: rdennen@freelancestar.com
According to the Environmental Protection agency, sediment is the most common pollutant in rivers, streams, lakes and reservoirs. Stormwater flowing through the bare soil of a construction site may carry 2,000 times the sediment load that would typically leave an equally sized forest. The most concentrated sediment releases come from construction activities, including relatively minor home-building projects such as room additions and swimming pools. Sediment pollution causes $16 billion in environmental damage annually. To date, the Virginia Department of Water Quality has identified 4,318 stream miles that are impaired due to stormwater runoff.
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Friends of the Rappahannock will hold its first training session from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 14 at its headquarters at 3219 Fall Hill Ave. Participants will learn to identify, evaluate and report erosion and sediment control violations on construction sites. The workshop is free and limited to 20 participants. Those who live or work in Stafford County will be given priority. For information and registration, call FOR at 373-3448.
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