A cloudy bill of health for Currituck Sound vegetation

Cloudy water, not pollution, has wiped out much of the Currituck Sound vegetation that once fed millions of waterfowl and provided cover for largemouth bass.

Questions remain on why the water became cloudy and how to fix it.

"It's one of those things we don't entirely understand," said Mitch Hall, project manager for the Currituck Sound study conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Scientists know that particles suspended in the water, a condition known as turbidity, caused the decline of vegetation, but they don't know what caused the turbidity, Hall said. Compounding the problem, less vegetation leaves the sound's bottom vulnerable to disturbance, which causes more turbidity.

"It's a vicious cycle," he said.

Over the past two years, scientists and volunteers have collected and studied measurements on turbidity, oxygen levels, flow velocity, salinity and nutrients in the Currituck Sound. Theories on the sound's troubles were discussed in a meeting last week with the corps, state agencies and Currituck County officials, said Currituck County Manager Dan Scanlon.

Last week's meeting was a continuation of an effort started in 2001 by the Corps of Engineers in partnership with state environmental agencies that seeks to uncover why the Currituck Sound no longer attracts waterfowl or large mouth bass as it did years ago. Many believed farm runoff and shoreline development were the culprits.

But the data is showing that turbidity is the biggest problem, Hall said.

Also, increased salt content in the sound has led to a decline in freshwater-loving largemouth bass, according to earlier studies included on a Corps of Engineers Web site.

Much of the salt intrusion is natural, coming from tributaries that eventually connect to salt water bodies.

Incremental funding and personnel turnover has set back the timeline set seven years ago to complete this recent study, Scanlon said.

"It has dragged on," he said.

Federal funding is set at $150,000 annually and matched by the state with money or services, Hall said.

A revised schedule calls for a report next year on the data collected and a restoration plan completed in 2010. Environmental impact studies would take another two years. Afterward, depending on funding, parts of the sound could be restored with aquatic vegetation, Hall said.

Nicknamed the " Sportsman's Paradise," the sound once was known as one of the best places in the nation for duck hunting and bass fishing. Locals earned good livelihoods guiding for wealthy businessmen.

Currituck officials say a recovery of the sound could mean millions in tourist dollars, not just for guides, but for suppliers of groceries, lodging and restaurants, among other things.

Jeff Hampton, (252) 338-0159, jeff.hampton@pilotonline.com