August 2007
News
- Chemical spill affects Nottoway River
- DEQ meets with Brookneal community on Staunton River work
- Avian influenza contained at Mt. Jackson farm
- Case settled with Du Pont on air quality concerns
- South Central hosts Cub Scout day camp
- West Central attends meeting of new community group
- Southwest hosts environmental workshop
- In other news
Community Involvement Highlight
South Central supports environmental forum in Lynchburg
Program of the Month
News
Chemical spill affects Nottoway River
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| Small fish and amphibians in the canal and near the discharge point in the Nottoway River were killed as a result of the spill. |
A discharge from the GEO Specialty Chemicals manufacturing unit at the Hercules plant in Franklin entered the Nottoway River on July 16. Approximately 920 gallons of tert-butyl hydroperoxide and 1,270 gallons of dimethylbenzyl alcohol escaped into piping that carries cooling water discharge. The discharge ran into a ditch and then into a canal that drains into the river.
The exact cause is still under investigation but initial findings indicate a failure of an internal gasket or cooling water tube. Hercules brought in an environmental contractor to recover any residual material. Small fish and amphibians in the canal and near the discharge point in the Nottoway River were killed. DEQ pollution response and compliance staff investigated the spill and monitored the recovery operations. DEQ water quality monitoring biologists, biologists from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and Jeff Turner, the Blackwater/Nottoway River Keeper, monitored the river and assessed the effects on fish and wildlife. The local sheriff closed the boat ramp located next to the plant and posted notices at other local river access points as a precaution. Hercules and GEO Specialty Chemicals are cooperating with DEQ, VDGIF and health officials to assess the impacts of the spill.
DEQ meets with Brookneal community on Staunton River work
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| DEQ staff members discuss the study with the public. |
More than 60 people attended a meeting in Brookneal on Aug. 7 to learn about DEQ’s investigation of PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, in the Staunton River. As part of the investigation, DEQ is working to identify sources of PCB compounds. At least three locations require additional testing to identify possible sources. These locations are Burlington Industries in Hurt, the Altavista wastewater treatment plant and the Dan River plant in Brookneal.
DEQ used a “café” approach at the meeting. Six tables with topics ranging from PCB testing to cleanup were positioned around the room. People were invited to sit at each “café” and ask questions to DEQ staff members from the south central and central offices. A representative from the Virginia Department of Health also participated. People were encouraged to visit as many tables as they wanted. Due to the interest in biosolids, DEQ also had a table and expert devoted to the topic. This ensured that people interested in the water quality study would have opportunities to learn about the topics important to them.
Avian influenza contained at Mt. Jackson farm
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Bob Peer with DEQ inspects the compost piles on the Mt. Jackson farm. |
An outbreak in July of avian influenza in commercial poultry was successfully contained to the first flock with the disease in Mt. Jackson. It was the nation’s first case of the low pathogenic H5N1 strain. Unlike the H5N1 virus found in Asia and Europe, this strain does not cause significant mortality in poultry and is not known to cause sickness in humans. In an effort to contain the disease, the 54,000 turkeys raised on the farm were managed on-site through composting. The resulting compost will be tested for the presence of the virus and if found to be virus free, will be land applied. Site operations were managed under an incident command structure with participation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the poultry industry, DEQ, the Virginia Department of Health and the Virginia Division of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Enhanced surveillance of all commercial and backyard poultry operations in the vicinity of the Mt. Jackson case continued through Aug. 7. More than 37,000 samples have been collected and analyzed since July 7 to confirm the containment of the disease. The testing was paid for by the USDA.
Case settled with Du Pont on air quality concerns
The U.S. Department of Justice lodged a consent decree on July 20 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio that settled a case involving Du Pont’s James River sulfuric acid plant in Richmond. The decree requires the James River plant to meet new sulfur dioxide limits by March 1, 2010, that are substantially more stringent than current ones. DEQ staff calculates that the 123 ton annual sulfur dioxide limit proposed in the decree would reduce sulfur dioxide emissions from the James River plant by more than 670 tons a year. The consent decree includes other restrictions and imposes similar pollution control requirements on Du Pont’s sulfuric acid plants in Louisiana, Kentucky and Ohio. Under the decree, Du Pont will pay a total civil penalty of $4,125,000. Of that amount, Virginia will receive $550,000. The decree must undergo a 30 day public comment process before it can be approved by the court and become effective.
South Central hosts Cub Scout day camp
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| Stephanie Bowman with DEQ teaches a class to Cub Scouts. |
Several employees in the South Central Regional Office devoted their time to assist with promoting environmental awareness at the Piedmont District Cub Scouts day camp June 25-29. David Kirby, Stephanie Bowman and Adrienne Averett taught separate classes that stressed the importance of natural resources and also helped scouts meet requirements to obtain belt loops, academic pins and activity badges in the areas of geology, naturalist and wildlife conservation. Michael Sexton served as camp director, and Frank Bowman was the program director. The SCRO employees who supported or taught additional classes were Blake Apo, Alan Ball, Rose Brooks, Tim Fletcher, Scott Hasinger and Leah Revelle.
West Central attends meeting of new community group
Greg Anderson and Mary Dail in the West Central Regional Office attended a meeting sponsored by Catawba LandCare near Blacksburg on July 22. LandCare is a conservation movement that brings local communities, private corporations and government agencies together to promote sustainable land and water management. At this meeting, there was a presentation on LandCare from David Robertson with the Virginia Tech LandCare Center, reports from both the New River Land Trust and the Western Virginia Land Trust, and an illustrated presentation on the 500-Year Forest Foundation. Other agencies and programs were present to discuss management and conservation issues with landowners and residents. Greg and Mary set up a DEQ display and spoke briefly about the agency and water quality improvement activities. Dr. Roberts expressed an interest in briefing DEQ on the concept of Landcare and indicated that the movement was starting to garner significant federal support.
Southwest hosts environmental workshop
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| Informal educators show off their edible landfills. |
The Upper Tennessee River Roundtable, DEQ and Virginia Naturally hosted an educational training workshop for 41 participants on July 12 in Abingdon at the Southwest Regional Office. Teresa Frazier welcomed the audience, which included litter officers who work with Assign-a-Highway, litter and recycling program managers, non-formal educators and teachers from nine counties and two cities. The agenda highlighted easy ways to integrate litter prevention with environmental education lessons. Nancy Drumheller, Steve Coe and Vince Maiden presented waste management and recycling information along with key environmental educators from that region. Worm composting and landfills – a simulated one built by DEQ in an aquarium and an edible one – were both hits of the day. The training workshop was coordinated by the Upper Tennessee River Roundtable and Virginia Naturally in celebration of the newly formed Keep America regional affiliate: Keep Southwest Virginia Beautiful. The activities and educational resource notebook were well received and more workshops have been requested. In an effort to reduce waste, the group used biodegradable products for cups, napkins, plates and silverware, and donated leftover food and used biodegradable products to a local compost pile.
In other news
- DEQ has agreed on a proposed consent order with the Hampton Roads Sanitation District and 13 local jurisdictions in Hampton Roads to complete long-term improvements to their sewage collection systems and to reduce releases of untreated sewage to the environment.
- The Drought Monitoring Task Force and state and local governments are closely monitoring drought conditions across Virginia. The Commonwealth is encouraging localities, public water suppliers and self-supplied water users to take steps to help protect current water supplies. Additional water conservation tips are available on the DEQ website.
- There was a significant fish kill on July 11 in Mattox Creek, just below Colonial Beach on the Potomac River. About 296,000 fish died, and 98 percent of the dead fish were menhaden, white perch and croaker. The most likely cause of the fish kill was an algal bloom that has occurred in the Potomac River since early June.
Community Involvement Highlight
South Central supports environmental forum in Lynchburg
The Greater Lynchburg Regional Environmental Forum will meet for second time on Aug. 15 in Lynchburg. The meeting is an opportunity for an open dialogue about environmental issues in the greater Lynchburg area (the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, and Campbell and cities of Bedford and Lynchburg). More than 25 agency and civic group representatives were present at the first meeting in July. This is a stellar model of needs-based community involvement. Amanda Gray, Lauren Theodore and Adrienne Averett in the South Central Regional Office support the forum by coordinating and facilitating the meetings. Participants in a May watershed meeting about the James River voiced a need for an extended discussion on several topics, leading to the development of the forum group.