Water PollutionBy: Hunter Bowen and Dillon Persaud

Background InformationThe Chesapeake Bay is the Nation's largest and most productive

estuary. The economic, commercial, and recreational values of the Bay are

threatened, however, by pollution entering it from its major tributaries.Each year, runoff from city streets, fertilizer-laden waters from

farmlands, outflows from sewage-treatment plants, and airborne pollution carry large amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus into the rivers and ultimately the Bay.

Too much nitrogen and phosphorus cause algae blooms that block sunlight to underwater grasses. When the blooms decompose, they consume oxygen and create “dead zones,” where dissolved oxygen levels are too low to sustain marine life.

Background Information Cont.With high levels of nutrients in the water from winter storms and

fertilization, the James River is at 110% of its yearly pollution load.Most of the excessive nutrients found in the water are also phosphorous and

nitrogen. While people of various extensively purify large amounts of water from the

river, there isn’t very much clean water for other wildlife. The organisms most affected by this include fish.

Program InformationThe James Riverkeeper Program was launched in 2001 when JRA joined

the Waterkeeper Alliance. The Waterkeeper Alliance is a growing international organization with

over 153 local “Riverkeeper”, “Baykeeper”, and “Coastkeeper” programs, all dedicated to protecting local waters from pollution.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) fights for bold and creative solutions to the pollution that plagues the Bay and its tributaries.

Across the six-state Chesapeake watershed, CBF sets the agenda, serves as a watchdog, and speaks out on behalf of the Chesapeake Bay to business, government, and the public.

CBF urges for laws and regulations and works with the government, businesses, and citizens in order to protect and restore the Bay.

IntervieweesGabe SilverEducation and Outreach ManagerJames River Association---------------------------------Eric WiegandtEducation and Outreach ManagerChesapeake Bay Foundation

What different types of pollution can be found in the James River/Chesapeake Bay?

-Point Source pollution comes from one identifiable source. On the James we have sewage treatment plants, power plants, and factories that emit nutrient pollution, toxic chemical pollution, and thermal pollution.

-Non-point Source pollution is sometimes called storm water runoff. When it rains, soil, fertilizers, manure, pesticides, automotive fluids, etc. get washed off the land and into the river. This is the larger source of pollution for the James.

-Air pollution can actually become water pollution during precipitation, so the James gets some of its nitrogen pollution from air emissions from vehicles and power plants.

Water Pollution includes: Nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates from agriculture, industry, urban and suburban runoff, and fossil fuel consumption.

Sediment or excessive soil erosion and runoff from poor land use practices.

Toxics such as industrial and household chemicals and petroleum products.

Bacterial or pathogens that benefit from the poor water quality conditions and threaten the health of humans and aquatic organisms.

What is the main source of the water pollution?

     The most important and largest by volume pollutant in the James is sediment. That’s right, good old dirt is bad for the river in large quantities. Erosion caused by water running off impervious surface (remember the parking lots, rooftops, and roads), suburban development, and agriculture all make a contribution to this type of pollution. Sediment pollution causes turbidity to be high, can blanket the bottom of the river thereby killing shellfish and reducing fish spawning habitat, and can act as a “taxi-cab” bringing other pollution particles to the river.

The sources are listed in the previous answer. Nutrient Pollution is considered to be the most harmful. The plankton community is fed by the excessive nutrients and grows rapidly. When the plankton die off and decompose, dissolved oxygen is used up in the process called eutrophication creating a “dead zone”.

 Is there an effect on the time of day or year on the pollution amount? (When do you see the most pollution generally?)

The James is the most polluted after heavy rains, when erosion is increased and lots of pollutants get swept off the land and into the water. Sometimes sewage systems are overwhelmed and untreated sewage makes it into the river. We see the effects of pollution most prominently in the summer, when increased sunlight and temperature creates ideal conditions for algae to grow in unnaturally high levels due to nutrient pollution.

Most pollution enters the Bay during rainy periods in the Spring and during tropical storm and hurricane events in the late Summer and Fall. The effects of the pollution may not be observed until the warmest period during the summer months when plankton and bacterial growth is at its highest and the water naturally holds less dissolved oxygen due to higher water temperatures.

 What effect does the pollution have on the organisms inhabiting the environment and how does that affect the James River/Chesapeake Bay?

A good question, both for people and other wildlife. A particularly nasty pesticide called Kepone got put in the lower James by an unethical company in the mid-1970s, causing the state to close the commercial fishery on the James for 13 years. Water moves pollution around, and often the pollution ends up moving from the physical environment to the biological environment. That is, a small fish eats something covered in the pollutant, and now it is in the food chain. When a bigger fish (or any predator) eats many of the smaller fish over time, the pollution piles up in its body. This process is called bio-accumulation. So toxic pollution in the aquatic environment can stick around both in animals and on the bottom of the river. For this reason, even though most of the toxic pollution like Kepone is not found at high concentration in water anymore, there are still advisories from the state health department that warn people not to eat too many fish from the river. Another toxic pollutant that unfortunately still gets into our waters is mercury, which is emitted from coal-fired power plants. Mercury also moves easily into a fish’s body, and can be hazardous for humans. Because of bio-accumulation, it is best to eat “low on the food chain” when it come to fish.

Poor water quality resulting from pollution limits habitat. The typical summer “dead zone” in the Chesapeake Bay may include up to 30% of its volume.

 Does the JRA/CBF measure the pollution and/or the severity of it? If so, which ways? JRA does not directly conduct ongoing water quality testing. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality does,

though.

Here are the ways scientists do this work:

Today, scientists use chemical reagents and probes (electronic instruments) to test the chemical and physical properties of the water and the pollutants dissolved in it. These tests can yield very accurate descriptions of the pollutants in the river on the day the tests were conducted, but may not tell us everything about the health of the aquatic ecosystem over time. For this, scientists and citizen volunteers collect aquatic organisms such as macro invertebrates and measure the amount of biodiversity the stream or river supports. More biodiversity generally means a healthier waterway. 

One of the most important water quality indicators for the James River is called turbidity, which basically measures how clear the water is. Water made particularly turbid, or murky, by sediment pollution or algae growth, blocks sunlight from underwater grasses and thus reduces the habitat, food, and dissolved oxygen benefits provided by these grasses. Turbidity can be measured with a simple black and white tool called a Secchi disk. The Secchi disk is lowered into the water until it is no longer visible. The farther it can be lowered while still visible, the lower the turbidity. Lower turbidity means good things for water quality and wildlife.

CBF collects and compares data from government agencies, educational, and research institutions and publishes reports to its board and the public.

What steps are you taking to eliminate water pollution?

This would be a pretty long answer in detail, but here are the key things we do.

1.       Advocacy-work with state and local governments to make betters laws and codes for protecting water quality

2.       Education-teach people about the importance of the river and how they can help keep it clean

3.       Watershed restoration-Use tools like rain gardens and riparian buffers to help use the natural qualities of native plants to reduce erosion and “filter” polluted storm water run-off

I conserve water and electricity in my home, limit driving, recycle, and keep informed about environmental issues.

Can pollution be prevented in the first place? If so, how?

Once water is polluted, it is essentially impossible to clean up. Thus the focus is on keeping the pollution out in the first place. All the efforts above are aimed at preventing pollution from getting to the river in the first place.

Providing support to the farming community to implement better soil and livestock management practices, upgrade storm and waste water treatment processes to include bio nutrient reduction, explore and use alternative energy to fossil fuels.

Are volunteers and others in the community taking steps to contribute? If so, how? If not, what can the people do to help the cause?

Yes. This is the really great news. There are so many people that want to help out, both by cleaning up trash and by changing their habits to have less of an impact on the environment. People pick volunteer to physically remove garbage from the river, to help monitor and patrol the river, to help plant more trees to reduce erosion, and to help teach others about the river. You can see JRA’s recommended actions at What You Can Do Video or http://www.jamesriverassociation.org/get-involved/seven-simple-steps .

What you can do video- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPfR1g02Rk0

Volunteers contribute by practicing conservation, participating in river clean-ups and tree plantings, and becoming informed and politically active.

 How is awareness being raised of the problem? If it is not, how can it be raised?

We work to raise awareness through programs for kids, through online articles and newsletters, through volunteer programs, and through doing projects and programs that get attention from the press (newspapers, magazines, and television.

It would help even more if more people like you learn about issues affecting our environment and share what you know with friends and family.

Awareness is addressed by CBF through its education and media programs. CBF has approximately 14 education programs in VA, MD and PA serving about 30,000 participants each year, mostly public school students

Is this water being used for any beneficial cause to the community? For example, heating/cooling, drinking, treatment plants, electricity, etc…

Check out State of the James Video for more info on the state of our river and see James River Watershed Video and Drinking the James Video for more general info.

State of the James- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn0Lv18fp3A James River Watershed Video- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6i9q34euzPA Drinking the James Video- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8fhrN0TowU

The waters of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries are used for countless benefits to the community, including but not limited to: hydroelectric, nuclear, and coal-fired power plants; industry and agriculture; commercial and recreational fishing and boating; a huge shipping industry and its associated infrastructure; drinking water for millions; etc.

Does the pollution affect the economy in any way?

Absolutely. Mostly by drastically reducing the health of important commercial fisheries (like crabs, oysters, and striped bass), but also by reducing potential tourism dollars spent by people who want to visit a clean river to fish and swim.

Pollution degrades and limits the environmental resources reducing the economic potential..

What is your view on how this can be stopped?

The appropriate laws need to be in place and need to be enforced to keep polluters from getting away with essentially stealing the public’s right to clean water. Also, every individual in the watershed can make a difference by changing a few small habits and how they take care of their home.

Limiting pollution through development of better water use policy and enforcement of current environmental laws.

 Are you looking to expand your program to a larger scale in pollution prevention? If so, how is this achieved?

We mostly work to expand our impact by reaching many more of the watersheds 2.5 million citizens than we do currently. We want every citizen to be aware of the importance of the James, to understand how the James touches their lives and is touched by their actions, and to commit to making a difference by their action.

CBF is limited as a non-profit organization by the economic slowdown. Fortunately, the staff of CBF is extremely creative, talented, and hard-working. New programs and ideas are developed and implemented every day.

CitationsKnight, Danielle. "ENVIRONMENT: WASTE AND POLLUTION UP IN

INDUSTRIALIZED NATIONS." Environment Bulletin (2000): ITEM00270002. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.

Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Web. 03 Dec. 2011.

<http://www.cbf.org/page.aspx?pid=515>. "Chesapeake Bay: Measuring Pollution Reduction." USGS Water

Resources of the United States. Web. 20 Nov. 2011. <http://water.usgs.gov/wid/html/chesbay.html>.

Silver, Gabe. “James River Association." E-mail interview. 2 Dec. 2011.Wiegandt, Eric. "Chesapeake Bay Foundation." E-mail interview. 5 Dec.

2011.