0 likes

   0 likes

(Keith) Fowler (VDEQ), however, said recent monitoring indicated conditions were worse upstream from the discharge point, and most likely caused by “nonpoint source pollution.”

Huh? So what?

Then pulling on his Wizard’s Chapeau (or is that a Dunce Cap?) we hear intoned;

Fowler said the permit allowing for expanded discharge wouldn’t further harm the river.

   0 likes

   0 likes

Again, the problem with bacterium is that they bloom, kill, and then change their form – sinking back into the bottom. Pfisteria Piscicide is thought to have between 10 and 24 life stages. They are very curious, have complex life cycles, and are poorly understood. And once a fish is sick, many parasite bac join the predatory bac that attacked the fish. Dr. Burkholder at NC State spent 10 years learning how to culture and figure out that one critter!

http://www.bayjournal.com/article.cfm?article=2601

   0 likes

After years of inaction and finger pointing by the State, the local people screamed loud enough to get various studies conducted and the culprit was found to be a dinoflagellate called Pfiesteria. An algae-like organism (cousin the dinoflagellate that causes “red tide”) that thrives in low oxygen, high nutrient load water sources.

Although Pfiesteria is not known at this time to inhabit inland waters, maybe we ought to start samplin’ and testin’.

   0 likes

   0 likes

   0 likes

1).Coors will be pumping much larger quantities of of nutrient (Phosphorus, Nitrogen) into the river along with Suspended Solids. These degrade water quality, and damage the bottom dwelling bugs that would clean the river.

2) Nutrification in general. I’m intrigued by Riverkeeper Kelble’s observation that the fishkill locations are overlayed by the location of poultry litter land application sites. As any bird-rancher knows, birds are full of pathogens – most of which are poorly understood. And poultry waste is the most nutrient-concentrated manure in the valley.

The low flow, and warming spring waters of our Valley rivers, combined with too many dissolved nutrients together make the perfect environment for cyanobacteria, a primitive algae-like animal that secretes toxins to kill it’s prey and create rotting flesh in which to continue its life cycle. A very, very small amount of this toxin can cause ulceration.

Monitoring for bacteria in water is tricky. The sampling is difficult and the lab work requires skill and careful handling. In addition, the amount of cyanobacteria, or other bacterial contaminant required is way small. I believe that is why we haven’t pinned down the culprit.

But we already know one large suspect – over-nutrification of our rivers. That is why reduction of nutrients is so important to improving water quality in the Shen, Cowpasture, Potomac, and James.

I urge anyone who is concerned about good stewardship of our commonwealth to support efforts to reduce nutrient discharge to the river, and continued funding for river ecology studies.

   0 likes