Number of polluted Virginia waterways highest ever

GLEN ALLEN

Eighty-five percent of Virginia's waterways are polluted, according to a report released Monday by the state Department of Environmental Quality.

Described as the most comprehensive assessment of state waters to date, the report found that 10,600 miles of rivers and streams, 94,000 acres of lakes and reservoirs and 2,200 square miles of estuaries, including much of the Chesapeake Bay, are tainted by at least one pollutant.

Only 15 percent of sampled water bodies passed all water-quality tests, most of them in rural, undeveloped areas.

The most common contaminant by far was bacteria, stemming from human sewage, storm water, farm runoff, pet wastes, development sites and wildlife, officials said.

The immense report, encompassing several volumes of data and interactive maps, is officially known as "the impaired waters list," though its more common nickname is "the dirty waters list."

Federal law requires the state to publish such an inventory every two years. The latest version measured conditions at thousands of monitoring stations between 2002 and 2008 and covered 95 percent of all known waterways, from the Eastern Shore to Big Stone Gap.

David K. Paylor, state DEQ director, cautioned against concluding that water quality is worsening. "We're finding more pollution because we're looking more closely throughout the state," he said.

Environmental groups have long pointed to the report as proof that Virginia must do more to clean up its waterways and prevent future pollution. And on Monday, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation declared that the 2008 report indicates "a statewide water pollution crisis."

"The term 'crisis' is no exaggeration," the foundation said in a statement. "Our waters now contain too few underwater grasses, too little dissolved oxygen, too much bacteria and too many toxic pollutants to support the ecosystems and economies in the commonwealth that rely on clean water."

The foundation urged state leaders to dedicate $100 million per year to clean-water programs. The General Assembly considered such a request earlier this year but balked because of economic hardships, budget cuts and other spending priorities.

The report released Monday added 1,100 miles of streams and rivers to the list of tainted waters, along with 3,300 acres of lakes and about half a square mile of estuaries.

Because of the complexity of the document, it was difficult to determine where those new waterway additions were located. The report, though, noted that the Elizabeth River, which flows through the industrial heart of South Hampton Roads, continued to exhibit some of the worst oxygen levels and highest rates of toxic contamination in the state.

For the first time, the report measured levels of chlorophyll A, an indicator of algae growth and nutrient pollution, in the James River. The result: Nearly all of the James flunked, except a small zone in the central part of the river.

The Chesapeake Bay remains impaired on at least 10 fronts, from poor oxygen levels, to excessive nitrogen and phosphorus, to fish consumption advisories due to high levels of toxic PCBs.

The Bay was supposed to be cleaned up enough to remove it from the impaired list in 2010. Officials conceded Monday that this will not happen. They said they already are preparing a new, required study of how best to remedy the famed estuary's many ills.

Whenever a waterway is classified as impaired, the state must compile a study, called a TMDL - short for "total maximum daily load" - that describes the problems and possible solutions.

The state has developed 546 TMDLs, and it has more than 200 more to complete by 2010, said Darryl Glover, state manager of water-quality monitoring programs.

Implementing the plans is another story, requiring money and scientific know-how. Some 24 such projects are ongoing today, Glover said.

In compiling the report, state officials measure myriad conditions, from oxygen levels to water clarity. Because of budget cuts this year, they had to rely more on citizen groups to conduct the sampling.

Of the nearly 1,200 watersheds across the state, 41 percent were impaired by one or two pollutants, 27 percent by between three and five pollutants, 11 percent by between six and nine pollutants, and 6 percent by more 10 or more, according to the report.

Since the last report, in 2006, conditions have improved or standards were changed so that 34 water bodies came off the impaired list. Most were lakes that showed too little oxygen before; now, the state believes natural conditions were responsible for the low levels, not any human pollution.

The report still must be accepted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as adequate and fair. A public hearing will be held June 24 at 7 p.m. in Richmond and shown via teleconference at seven regional sites, including the local DEQ office in Virginia Beach.

Scott Harper, (757) 446-22340, scott.harper@pilotonline.com