James River:
“With 19 sections of the James River and its tributaries
observed to be violating legal bacteria levels, the Department of Environmental
Quality is asking for public comment in redeveloping a study on sources of
pollution. The DEQ in conjunction with Region 2000, held a public meeting
Tuesday night at Randolph College to present the study’s preliminary findings,
which examined sections of streams and the James River from which they stem.
Violations were found in water bodies in Amherst, Bedford
and Campbell counties and Lynchburg as well as the James. The total maximum
daily load study, which examines the amount of bacteria a body of water can
handle to meet standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency was last
completed in 2007. It is being redeveloped by request from Lynchburg so the
city can update its own combined sewer overflows strategy.
Jim Kern, who spoke for MapTech Inc., the company performing
the study, said streams were examined as representative of general watersheds
in the area. One impairment evidences pollution in another, he said. The TMDL
study includes estimates of farm, domestic and wild animals, and people because
fecal matter is the main source of E. coli. It also lists discharges that have
been permitted.”
~Writes Alex Rohr of the News
Advance
Click here for more information
Click here for the story from the Richmond Times Dispatch
Click here for more detail on the project
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