ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, June 4, 1996 TAG: 9606040029
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG
SOURCE: KENNETH SINGLETARY STAFF WRITER
Almost all of the New River Valley's waterways, including the New River and Claytor Lake, showed little or no pollution or contamination in the most recent round of state Department of Environmental Quality tests.
But New River Health Director Jody Hershey cautions swimmers, boaters, anglers and other recreational water users to use common sense when having fun in the water. Local conditions can vary from day to day or even hour to hour, because of weather, runoff or debris left by other people. Broken glass, and animal and human waste could be in the water, and submerged rocks or wood could be dangers.
"You need to be aware of the risk of the use of recreational water," Hershey said.
The state agency identified segments of six New River Valley waterways that did not meet water quality standards based on chemical and biological analysis done between April 1, 1993, and March 30, 1995. The tests were done monthly or quarterly, and a stream segment had to be impaired more than once to appear on the list.
The most common cause of contamination was farm or urban runoff that cannot be pinpointed to a specific source.
The state agency gives contaminated waterways a priority rank - of low, medium or high - based on its level of contamination. Two of the valley's contaminated stream segments were given a medium priority, and four were given a low priority. None rated a high priority.
Four of the six stream segments are in Montgomery County, and two are in Pulaski County. None of the segments is among the most popular with recreational water users.
The stream segments are:
* 5.68 miles of Mill Creek in Montgomery County, beginning at its meeting with Meadow Creek near Childress, and continuing southeast to Riner. The presence of fecal coliform bacteria in the water caused the creek to be given a medium priority. The source is unknown, but the area is prime beef cattle and dairy farming land.
* 5 miles of Wilson Creek in Montgomery County, beginning at the mouth of the stream, which is a feeder to the North Fork of the Roanoke River that forms the southern end of the Ellett Valley. Fecal coliform bacteria gave the creek a low priority. The source is nonspecific source agricultural and urban activities.
* 10.35 miles of Crab Creek in Montgomery County, between the creek's mouth on the New River and the mouth of Walnut Branch, near the intersection of Roanoke and Depot streets. The creek - which drains much of Christiansburg - was given a medium priority, and the sources of pollution are agricultural and urban runoff and stream bank erosion.
* 9.21 miles of Stroubles Creek in Montgomery County, between the New River and Virginia Tech's campus. The stream rated a low priority, and the source of pollution is a dairy farm. The environmental agency said a recent agreement to develop control measures should solve the problem.
* 17.38 miles of Back Creek in Pulaski County, between the mouth of the creek on the New River to the stream's headwaters on Little Walker Mountain northwest of Dublin. The stream rated a low priority, and the pollution was fecal coliform bacteria from agricultural runoff.
* 4.6 miles of Peak Creek in Pulaski County, between its joining with Claytor Lake to a point about one mile south of the Washington Street Bridge in the town of Pulaski. The stream rated a low priority, and the pollution is heavy metals and habitat loss, because of the channeling of two miles of the stream from runoff from the old Allied Chemical plant. The plant's runoff source has been capped, but the heavy metals that were put into the creek before the source was capped continue to appear in tests.
Hershey pointed out that many of the pollution sources - such as cattle - have been present in the valley for years. He also said that while the streams drain into either the New River or Claytor Lake, those larger bodies of water effectively dilute the pollution.
The state Health Department has issued guidelines on avoiding recreational water hazards including:
* Look for posted signs and follow their advice.
* Don't swim in water that looks muddy, stagnant or smells unpleasant.
* Don't swallow the water.
* Avoid swimming several days after a rainfall.
* Prevent broken skin from directly contacting recreational water.
* Don't use alcohol or drugs while swimming or boating.
* Avoid areas where you could become trapped by rocks or debris.
* Avoid waters that could have hidden debris or traps.
* Use appropriate toilet facilities.
Across the state, according to the Department of Environmental Quality, 95 percent of the state's waterways met all quality standards. For the 1,436 miles of streamway, lake or estuary that did not meet the standards, the leading cause of pollution was runoff from farms, cities and other nonspecific sources.
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