Published: November 30, 2008 08:50 pm            

Officials presenting plan to combat Bluestone bacteria

BLUEFIELD, Va. — Health officials are another step closer to correcting an “impaired” river in Tazewell County that could pose a risk of illness for people who come in contact with the streams’ waters.

A 13.2 mile segment of the Bluestone River is on the state’s “dirty waters” list, and has been identified as impaired because it violates the state’s water quality standard for bacteria and sediment. The impaired section of the river runs from above the Wrights Valley confluence near the western town limits of Bluefield to the state line of West Virginia, according to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Levels of bacteria in the 13.2 mile segment of the river could lead to increased risk of illness for people who come in contact with the streams’ waters, Gary Waugh, a public relations manager for the Department of Conservation and Recreation, said.

“The risk would be ingesting any of the water in the streams,” Waugh said. “That is a state standard based on the Clean Water Act. So it is a standard that is enforced across the state. But the main concern would be if you were swimming, or that type of thing, and ingested some of the water.”

Waugh said bacteria sources have been identified as septic systems, direct discharges of human waste, pet waste and agricultural practices in the area.

Waugh said the drinking water provided by the town of Bluefield, Va., is not impacted by the impaired river.

The state agency is now seeking public comment on the draft implementation plan, which details how bacteria and sediment will be removed from the stream to ensure the river will meet state water quality standards. A public meeting will be held Thursday, Dec. 4, at the Bluefield, Va. Town Hall beginning at 6 p.m. to receive public comment on the draft implementation plan. A 30-day comment period also will begin on Dec. 4.

Waugh said the state agency is hoping for a good public turnout at the Dec. 4 meeting.

“Absolutely, this is your local water quality that is being addressed,” Waugh said. “So we would certainly like to have as much of the public as possible to come out to give their input and their comment on the plan. So certainly the more public input we have the more consensus we have from the public.”

A meeting earlier this year at the town hall offices in Bluefield attracted a small crowd of citizens, who discussed various corrective action plans that include keeping livestock from the river and addressing failing septic systems.

To reduce residential and urban sources of bacteria, the draft implementation plan calls for replacing failing septic systems, removing direct discharges of human waste to streams, septic system pump outs, residential rain gardens, streambank stabilization and a pest waste disposal and educational program, according to the press release.

Corrective actions for agricultural bacterial and sediment sources, according to the draft plan, include stream-side livestock exclusion fencing, pasture management, stream bank stabilization and establishing stream-side buffers on cropland.

“Together, these actions are designed to preserve water resources, increase farm production and increase property values in the community,” Waugh said.

Health officials have been studying the water quality along the 13.2 mile segment of the Bluestone River since 2004.

– Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com

        

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