The Virginian-Pilot
©
VIRGINIA BEACH
City crews were connecting a stormwater line near the Oceanfront last month when they noticed something funky in a manhole.
Somebody had dumped pollutants into a pipe that eventually emptied into a nearby creek and then Broad Bay.
The concoction was slimy, golden-brown and had a mysterious odor, like an entire pharmacy aisle of shampoos and perfumes mixed together, with the slightest hint of roses.
The culprit?
The Heritage store, Virginia Beach's all-natural food and health supply landmark, off Laskin Road.
The city issued the company a notice of violation for an illegal discharge in early June. There were no fines.
But the violation shook the staff of The Heritage, which prides itself on its eco-friendly track record. This is the company that offers vegetable waste oil to help customers fuel their biodiesel cars, buys renewable energy credits at a wind farm to offset its electricity use and ships its products on recycled pallets.
"We would never hurt the environment," said Anya Wolfenden, a spokeswoman for the store. "We were green, before green was ever known."
The problem, a city dye test revealed, was a sink at the store.
The sink was incorrectly tied to the city's stormwater pipe instead of a sanitary sewer line, said Chris Wojtowicz, a city public works engineer who oversees the road and utility work for the Laskin Gateway project.
The stormwater pipe collects rainwater and runoff from properties and streets and dumps it into Little Neck Creek. The sanitary sewer line takes indoor water from sinks, bathtubs and toilets, and sends it to a plant for treatment before the water is released.
The Heritage's employees used the sink to rinse utensils and to clean out empty storage containers that had held rose, lavender, olive and castor oils. Some of the oils were used in its massage mixtures.
The products were all pesticide-free and natural, compared with fertilizers and other lawn treatments that wash into the city's waterways daily, Wolfenden said.
"It definitely was unintentional, but it was definitely not good for Little Neck Creek," Wojtowicz said. "It is a form of pollution."
Nobody is certain how long the pipes have been incorrectly connected.
The last major construction at the building, which The Heritage leases, was in 1999, said Don Shipp, the store's operations manager.
But the store employee who oversaw that project is dead, and nobody is certain who did the plumbing, Shipp said.
The city doesn't have any records of permits issued for sink-plumbing work at The Heritage.
Beach officials disconnected and sealed the pipe from The Heritage the day after they discovered the violation.
Staff at The Heritage are discussing ways to make up for this transgression, Shipp said.
Giving to a charity that helps clean up the Chesapeake Bay has come up as an option.
Deirdre Fernandes, (757) 222-5121, deirdre.fernandes@pilotonline.com
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Wake up!
The Gateway project WILL happen, as planned. Any business owner in the way WILL disappear. I don't care if they've been there a hundred years. Do you have any idea how far out these things are planned? These kinds of "violations" are sometimes held in reserve for years and are, unfortunately, planned in certain cases. You can thank the Oberndorf and Kellam years for this, we certainly didn't want it this way. But this is the way it is. We went to sleep, Tidewater, and now we will pay. You have no idea what kind of people you are dealing with and what lengths they will go to. Any city that forgets its past loses its soul. And they don't give a damn about your past. Just the tourist dollar. You residents are a tax base. They sold out to that a very long time ago and you are only tolerated. Move now, if you know what's good for you.
What?!
You must work at the Heritage, the East Coast vortex of paranoia.
Really? This is what you chose to report?
A locally owned, independent company that has provided jobs, paid taxes, and promoted earth-friendly practices for over 4 decades, The Heritage Store has been an environmentally conscious destination for tourists and locals in the Tidewater area. One might wonder why more attention isn't paid to the ethics of those who are trying to destroy these premises?
The individuals who misrepresent The Heritage Store, which responsibly serves the natural health of this community, do so out of misguided ignorance. Go into the store and ask about natural approaches to a health goal and you will benefit from knowledgeable service.
Speaking of being misguided: how strange that a campaign to replace this unique Virginia Beach landmark with more chains, parking garage, condos, should coincide with a ludicrous "expose" of quickly remedied pipe situation. Time to cancel Virginian Pilot subscription.
what?!
The Pilot is just reporting. You think the Pilot is in partnership with the developers? That's the most brain-dead thing ever suggested.
Some Logic...
"The products were all pesticide-free and natural, compared with fertilizers and other lawn treatments that wash into the city's waterways daily, Wolfenden said."
Seems to me like BP's crude oil leak is also all pesticide-free and natural, so by this logic we should let it spew out until the well runs dry?
One important note is that the City only issued a Notice of Violation, WITHOUT a fine. It's basically the same as getting a warning instead of a speeding ticket. There is a paper trail however should the City find the Heritage somehow reconnected the sink to the storm drain, that fines could be assessed for future violations.
exactly
exactly
Coincidence?
I doubt it! Any reason to
help" get rid of someone or something in the name of progress is going to happen here. If it was connected in 1999, why has it slipped through the cracks, on inspections by the city, this long? Probably more natural than run offs and spills in other locations. Just sounds good to pump it up a little more and slow the business to a halt for "progress". I just don't buy it!
what?!
It was human error ten years ago. Are you saying the city is now using this?
If Sought Out, More Illicit Discharges Exist
Conflicts with storm water and sanitary connections abound in locales such as our big 6 cities. The connection at the store was found only when the CoVB was upgrading services in the area for the benefit of the upcoming development that will scrape from the planet all evidence of the store and surrounding viable businesses. When measured, is this incident worse than city crews and contractors blowing lawn cuttings into storm drains along city streets. Is this incident causing more eco-harm than the CoVB's vessel and barge maintenance facility in the rear of Owls Creek where toxic hull coatings and other deleterious materials may be discharged directly to a productive fishery? It was only because someone was looking into an issue based on a random reason that the CoVB found the offending situation. If the CoVB got the urge to look further and throughout the city, no doubt more such connections would be found. Guess we need a hilton hellion gateway everywhere in this city to make sure everyone's plumbing is up to spec.
hysterical
Okay, lets all form a circle, hold hands, sing kumbaya and chain ourselves to the the mean establishments' newspapers building. One of the liberal sacred cows has been besmirched! You are kidding me right? Yesterday they ran a story about an out of control kid that had a record of repeated violent felonies and all that was missing from the photo they chose was a halo. To get on the pilot for this is just pitiful. Its not like they actually are doing any hard news stories that expose anything for what it really is. This is a puff piece in its purest form.