FONR NEWSLETTER NO. 3                                                        Spring 2005      

 

FRIENDS OF THE NEW RIVER   Friends of the New River is a nonprofit organization incorporated in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  The nucleus of the organization is the Board of Directors, which currently includes Rick Roth (President), Llyn Sharp (Vice President), Paul Angermeier, Mike Harvey, Suzie Lesley, and Rick Van Noy. Our mission is to promote the conservation, protection, and enjoyment of the natural, cultural, recreational, scenic, and historical values of the New River from Claytor Dam downstream to the West Virginia state line.   We encourage any FONR member interested in serving on the board to attend one of our meetings, which are announced on our listserver.

 

NEW RIVER BLUEWAY Is there a New River Blueway in your future?  FONR is working with a group of citizens, three state governments and two agencies of the federal government to establish a blueway on the New River.

 

What’s a blueway? Think of a greenway, an open space recreational corridor, and then transfer that idea onto a river: the New River. The proposal would create a river trail from its source near Boone, North Carolina, through Virginia and into West Virginia to its mouth, the junction with the Gauley River forming the Kanawha River. The blueway would have uniform signs and information all along its length. Users would have consistent expectations to find public access, camping, and other facilities as the blueway flows from one state to another.

 

Virginia already has at least one blueway, the James River Water Trail.  Along the New River, there are parks and public lands in each of the three states. Virginia has the New River Trail State Park, a former railroad along the river, and Claytor Lake State Park, as well as Whitt-Riverbend Park at Ripplemead. North Carolina has the 26.5 miles long New River State Park, in effect a blueway.  West Virginia has the New River Gorge National Park, and Virginia and West Virginia may soon share a National Scenic River or National Recreation Area on the river. The blueway will tie these public areas together.

 

The New River Blueway is unique in that it needs close cooperation of the three states (NC, VA, and WV), the US Army Corps of Engineers and the National Park Service, each of which has jurisdiction over sections of the river. A Memorandum of Understanding, now in preparation, will clarify the blueway roles of each of these agencies.

 

One of the first activities is to develop maps showing the detail needed by canoeists and campers, among other users. There are talks underway with Trails Illustrated (part of National Geographic) to publish a New River Blueway map. There will also be a series of waterproof strip maps, each encompassing about a day’s paddling trip, showing information such as public and private campsites, outfitters, bed and breakfasts, restaurants and grocery stores near the river.

 

Don’t expect the blueway to immediately result in additional river access points or to magically clean up the river, but it promises to give us more enjoyment along the river’s 255 miles.

UPDATE ON PCBs IN THE NEW  The New, considered by some to be the least polluted large river in Virginia, is among those Virginia rivers in which PCBs have been found.  Levels high enough to trigger a fish consumption advisory have been found in carp between Claytor Dam and Glen Lyn, and unexpectedly high levels have been found in sediments in Walker Creek as well.  Both Rick Roth and Llyn Sharp served as members of a citizens advisory group assisting the Virginia DEQ to determine the source of the PCBs.  The DEQ investigation concluded in 2004. 

DEQ took a number of samples of both fish tissue and sediments between Claytor Dam and Glen Lyn but unfortunately no pattern was seen that would point to a particular area as the source of the long-lasting toxic chemical.  DEQ staff then compiled a database of facilities that might have used PCBs or received wastes contaminated with PCBs in the watershed.  Using various criteria they narrowed down the list and visited a limited number of suspect sites to collect soil samples.  The only really high concentration was found at a quarry just upstream of the confluence with the Little River, but it was not thought to have reached the river.  This area is being remediated.  Several other sites had levels that some DEQ staff believed warranted further investigation.  Among these was the AEP Glen Llyn power plant, the old Bane school site, Intermet in Radford, the Radford Army Ammunition Plant, and the now-closed landfill at the top of Cloyds Mountain where Rt. 100 crosses over.  DEQ does not currently have any more money to continue the investigation, and DEQ also does not have authority to force cleanups (in Virginia, only the U.S. EPA can do that); however, the U.S. EPA has been notified of DEQ’s findings.  

PCBs were widely used until the 1970s in a variety of industrial and domestic applications, and it is likely that the PCBs in the New come from multiple sources.  Likely sources include defunct landfills, transformer storage sites and soil erosion from sites where PCBs were spilled.  One of the more disturbing findings was the relatively high level of PCBs in a sample taken from Big Walker Creek.  DEQ followed that sample up with another one, which also turned out to have a relatively high concentration in sediment.  Suspected sources affecting Big Walker include the old landfill on Cloyds Mountain mentioned above, and the old Bane school, which was used to refurbish electrical equipment during one period. 

Based on my involvement with the DEQ investigation, DEQ staff did an excellent job of planning and implementing the source search.  We knew at the outset that it was like looking for a needle in the proverbial haystack, and that it was quite possible that there was no active source.  If there is, we missed it (although as mentioned there are a couple of sites that need further investigation); but more likely the PCBs in the river are there because of things that happened decades ago.  In any case, PCBs are in the river, they’re in the sediment and the fish, and they’re not going anywhere anytime soon.  They will slowly biodegrade, but it is characteristic of PCBs that they also bioconcentrate.  I mentioned in the last edition that it was a bit of a mystery that the predator fish in the New have not displayed high levels of PCBs.  However, there are other predators besides fish.  I have personally seen mink and river otters on our segment of the New, and of course there are birds that eat fish too (Ospreys, for example).  Tissue samples from such animals have not been taken, and there are no plans to do so.

Incidentally, “our” stretch of the New has company:  the New from Route 77 to Claytor Dam is also under a fish consumption advisory for PCBs, as is the Bluestone River downstream from us.  The Virginia Department of Health’s advisory on all three of these river segments is on the web at http://www.vdh.state.va.us/HHControl/NewRiver.asp.  Also on the VDH website is a press release from December 13 2004 that contains information on the latest VDH PCB fish consumption advisory guidelines.  The essential point is that the “red flag” level of PCBs that triggers a fish consumption advisory has been decreased from 600 parts per billion (ppb) to 50 ppb.  Among the fish tested on the New, carp were found with PCB concentrations as high as 120 times the new red flag level (several tested out at more than 6000 ppb).  Some catfish were found with levels over 300 ppb.  The highest level found in a smallmouth bass was 40 ppb.

For more information call Rick (951-0403) or Llyn (231-4080) or visit the DEQ website at http://www.deq.state.va.us/water/   Some sediment and fish tissue sample data are posted on DEQ’s website at  http://www.deq.state.va.us/fishtissue/sediment.html.  There you will find that many other rivers throughout the state have elevated PCB levels.  General information on PCBs can be found on the U.S. EPA site at http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/pcb/.

I wonder what we’d find if we looked….I recently came across an article on the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences (VIMS) website (http://www.vims.edu/env/news/bde.html) describing a study that scientists there completed several years ago on the presence of a family of chemicals known as BDEs, brominated diphenyl ethers, in Virginia rivers and lakes.  BDEs, like PCBs, are biologically active, bioaccumulate, and are persistent in the environment.  Unlike PCBs, they are currently used (as flame retardants) and they continue to accumulate in the environment.  The VIMS article mentioned the Roanoke and Dan rivers as being two where elevated levels were found. ….I also recently attended the (excellent as usual) Virginia Water Research Symposium and heard a presentation on PCBs in the Bluestone, where DEQ researchers checked for PCBs in the water column.  Generally PCBs are not thought to be in the water, but rather to accumulate in the sediment, fish and other organisms.  They are not very water soluble.  Yet there they were, and at a site above a community drinking water intake.  Could they be in our water too?  I for one would like to know.

IMPAIRED WATERS IN OUR WATERSHED   The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) released the Final 2004 305(b)/303(d) Water Quality Assessment Integrated Report (Integrated Report) on September 20, 2004, after the U.S. EPA approved it earlier in September.  These show that over 50% of the state’s rivers and streams that were assessed are impaired, meaning that they either do not support a healthy aquatic ecosystem or are not safe to swim in, or both.  Because of the PCB issue, our section of the New appears once again on the list of polluted (impaired) waters.  Moreover, most of the major tributaries of the New upstream and in our area also continue to be listed as impaired. Still on the list since the last 303(d) report are Elk, Chesnut,  Peak, Reed, and Cripple Creeks; a number of segments of the New itself; Dodd and Meadow Creeks of the Little River watershed in Floyd, as well as the Little River itself, Crab Creek, Back Creek, Stroubles Creek, Little Stony Creek, Kimberling Creek, Wolf Creek, Hunting Camp Creek, Laurel Creek, and Rich Creek.  There are a number of new additions to the list within the New River watershed.  In the Claytor Dam – Glen Lyn section, new additions include Big Indian Creek, Brush Creek, and additional segments of the Little River; Plum Creek, Back Creek in Pulaski County, Little Walker Creek, and Standrock Branch.  The integrated report, along with fact sheets and maps, is available online at http://www.deq.state.va.us/wqa/ir2004.html.

GOOD NEWS   FONR actively supported the designation of the upstream part of Little Stony Creek in Giles County as a Tier III “Exceptional Water” under Virginia’s water quality standards.  The nomination was initiated by Friends of the Rivers of Virginia (FORVA), Trout Unlimited, and FONR.  A grueling and lengthy process of public meetings, notices, etc. ended well:  in December 2004 the Virginia Water Control Board voted unanimously to designate the Giles County attraction as an exceptional water.  So now what we always knew to be the case, that Little Stony is special and should be protected, has gotten the official seal of approval and permanent protection from pollutant discharges.  In our area (but not in our watershed), Bottom Creek, a tributary of the South Fork Roanoke River, was also designated as a Tier III water.  Special thanks to Bill Tanger of FORVA for his tireless efforts on behalf of these successful nominations.  For more information see http://www.deq.virginia.gov/wqs/rule.html#T3.

 

FONR WORKING WITH THE NEW RIVER ROUNDTABLE   FONR members have continued their involvement with the New River Watershed Roundtable. This group was formed in 2001 to develop a strategic approach to improve and maintain water quality in Virginia’s New River watershed, focusing particularly on nonpoint source pollution.  The Roundtable’s 190 members -- representing 73 different organizations -- are broad-based. Citizens, farmers, local government officials, soil and water conservation district officials, business and industry representatives, community and non-profit organizations, and state and federal resource management agencies all participate. The group will coordinate with similar efforts in North Carolina, where the New originates, and in West Virginia, where it flows into the Kanawha. 

Rick Roth, Mike Harvey, and Llyn Sharp (practically a quorum of the FONR board!) have served as members of the Steering Committee of the Roundtable.  The Steering Committee’s task is to begin the work of the Roundtable but more importantly to lay its organizational foundation.  This process has involved developing bylaws and a strategic plan, working toward incorporation and nonprofit status, and the seating of a Board of Directors.  We hope and anticipate that our work will culminate in the seating of an official Board at a meeting on January 22 at Wytheville Community College, at which point the Steering Committee will pass the baton to the Board.  We FONRs that have been involved to this point probably will continue our involvement in some capacity.  For more information contact Rick (951-0403).

MIF STUDY UNDERWAY  In 2003, FONR, along with Friends of the Rivers of Virginia, requested that the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) undertake a minimum instream flow (MIF) study for the New River.  DCR agreed that one should be done, and the ubiquitous Bob Munson, Environmental Program Manager with DCR, has headed up the study.  A MIF study, for those unfamiliar with the term, is a study to determine a base level of water in the river to protect public beneficial uses of the river.  In an ideal world MIF studies would not be needed because there would be no danger that water withdrawals would be so great as to threaten the values we associate with rivers.  In 21^st century Virginia, however, the number of people, farms, and industries competing for water keeps increasing, but the rivers don’t.  A number of rivers in the Commonwealth are already in grave danger of long-term harm as a result of too much water being withdrawn:  the Roanoke, the North Fork Shenandoah, the North River, the Mattaponi, the Rivanna, and the James are examples, along with a host of smaller streams.  The crunch comes during low-flow periods, particularly during droughts, when demand stays high but supply is low.  An MIF study by a state agency provides some level of protection during such periods.

           

There is a great deal to be said about the uses, techniques and wisdom, perhaps, of MIFs.  For example, while MIFs were at one time thought to be sufficient for river protection, river science has progressed.  We now recognize that the maintenance of other aspects of flow, such as seasonal variations, is necessary for river health too.  Nonetheless, establishing an MIF is better than not establishing one, because without an MIF that is defensible, water users are liable to suck the river dry.  And it certainly did not escape FONR’s notice that the water-short Roanoke valley has been looking at the “plentiful” waters of the New as a possible additional source.

 

MIFs are typically studied for two reasons:  1) identification of a minimum flow necessary for protection of aquatic life, or even for some particular target species; and 2) identification of a minimum flow necessary for recreation, i.e. canoeing.  This particular DCR MIF study is focused on recreation.  DCR was in the region last summer interviewing river users and collecting data.  They are now in the process of preparing their report.  We at FONR appreciate their efforts and look forward to this additional increment of protection for “our” river.  We certainly hope that the relicensing of Claytor Dam (current federal license expires in 2011) will be the occasion for a more thorough scientific study of river flows necessary for a healthy New.

 

NEW RIVER WILD AND SCENIC RIVER STUDY  The National Park Service (NPS) is continuing their study to determine whether and how the New, more or less from Glen Lyn  to Bluestone Lake, ought to be included in the national system of Wild and Scenic Rivers.  As of December 2003, the NPS had found that the study segment was “eligible in light of its free-flowing condition and array of outstanding resource values” and would most appropriately be classified as a “Scenic” river within the federal system.  However, several alternative ways of managing the Scenic River are under consideration (e.g., managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, or by the National Park Service, or by the two states). 

 

We at FONR support the designation and hope that you will too.  We have indicated to the National Park Service a preference for them and not the Corps of Engineers to manage it.   Please let the NPS hear of your support.  To garner public input, the NPS has held two open houses and plans more public participation activities.  For more information visit the National Park Service’s website on the Upper New Wild and Scenic River Study at http://www.nps.gov/phso/uppernew/index.htm.

 

RIVER ACCESS   The FONR board continues to be concerned about access issues and would like to be notified of restrictions on river access points traditionally enjoyed by the public.  We would also like very much to hear about any properties on the river that might be available for purchase for eventual use as public access points or protection with a conservation easement.  Call Rick at 951-0403 or the New River Valley Land Trust at P.O. Box 11057, Blacksburg, VA 24062.

 

LAND CONSERVATION Beth Obenshain, Executive Director of the New River Land Trust reports that conservation easements on two Grayson County farms will conserve the scenic view along 3 1/2 miles of the New River near where it enters Virginia from North Carolina.

The first land protection agreement on a 250-acre farm located at Mouth of Wilson, owned by Phil and Charlotte Hanes of Winston-Salem, N.C., connects North Carolina’s New River State Park to Virginia and will save 2.5 miles of the river’s scenic corridor. The second easement on a neighboring farm conserves 208 acres and over a mile along the New River. The land, owned by Jerry and Mary Osborne Young, overlooks a long stretch of river rapids, the famous “Molly Osborne Shoals.” The farm has been in Mary Osborne Young’s family since before the Revolutionary War. The shoals were named after Mary Young’s great-grandmother.

 

The New River Land Trust has named Jerry Moles, a conservationist with extensive national and international experience, to work with landowners in Grayson County on land conservation and on methods to make their farms and forests more profitable. The pristine stretch of the river in Grayson County, once threatened by damming for a power generation, is now under increasing development pressure, primarily from North Carolina’s urban areas.The area is part of the New River Blueway, a three-state canoe trail being promoted as a major tourism attraction for Western Virginia.“Land along this corridor is being cut up and sold in 50-foot-wide lots, forever changing the scenic character of the New River in Grayson County,” said  Elizabeth Obenshain, executive director of the New River Land Trust. “If we don’t start protecting this land, canoeing the New will soon have all the appeal of canoeing the world’s longest mobile home park.

 

The New River Land Trust, Virginia Outdoors Foundation, and the State Park have combined to create The New River Trail Conservation Land Fund to protect private lands along the 57-mile, unprotected New River Trail. Three year-old native hardwoods saplings will be planted this year along the New River Trail. Donors can sponsor a tree and meanwhile protect 100 square feet of vulnerable land along the New River Trail, in honor of any individual.

 

To Dedicate a Living Tree for Good Friday or Easter: Make a check payable to Virginia Outdoors Foundation, earmarked “New River Trail Fund.”  Send your names and contribution to V.O.F./ 900 South Main Street/ Blacksburg, VA 24060.

 

Finally, those dedicating trees or willing to help plant, or who want to take a spring pilgrimage on foot, are invited to an “Easter Pilgrimage and Tree Memorial” on Saturday, March 12, 11 AM at Pulaski Entrance to New River Trail. For questions on dedicating a tree and/or the Easter walk, please contact Liza Field fieldnotes@wiredog.com . The New River Land Trust relies on membership dues and donations to fund its work throughout the New River region. Contact Elizabeth Obenshain at nrlt@newriverlandtrust.org or [540] 951-1704 or NRLT/P.O. Box 11057, Blacksburg, Va. 24062

 

New River Homecoming 2005  The Radford Heritage Foundation and Glencoe Museum will be sponsoring a number of activities in recognition of the 250^th anniversary of Mary Draper Ingles return home to the New River Valley.  The keystone event will be a New River Homecoming Celebration during the weekend of July 30^th.  Mark your calendars and plan to come to Radford to the Ingles homestead for a weekend of outdoor historical drama, music, animals, and colonial activities.  There are also plans for a speaker series, website, and house tours of historic properties.  An exhibit in Bissett Park is planned as part of the opening of the new span of the Memorial Bridge over the New River in Radford this spring.

 

The Radford City Council has named Radford “The New River City”.  The city, Radford Heritage Foundation, and New River Community Partners will be working with other groups in the area to establish interest and support for a Museum of the New River, which could become a regional “destination”, as well as a central clearinghouse for cultural and scientific information about the New River.

 

The Radford Heritage Foundation and Glencoe Museum hope to encourage other organizations and sites to promote their own Homecoming activities, differing as unique to their geography and history.  This may be the start of some truly coordinated and synergistic tourism marketing for the New River watershed.

 

 

 

Visit our website at http://civic.bev.net/fonr/

 

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FONR

1000 Highland Circle

Blacksburg VA 24060