All the Rain Flushed Trash into the Rivers

This past year, the Chesapeake Bay TMDL cleanup plan, now know as the “Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint” was recognized as a model of environmental improvement. This is also the year that record breaking storms delivered more than 160% of the average rainfall. High river flows were prolonged and the rain washed huge volumes of debris and litter off the land into our rivers and streams, in addition to the nutrients and sediment carried with the soil washed from our farms and gardens.

Last spring because of this flush of nutrients, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science were forecasting that the Chesapeake Bay would have a larger-than-average “dead zone” in 2018, due to increased rainfall in the watershed this spring. At that time the scientists thought that last summer’s dead zone, an area of low to no oxygen that can kill fish and other aquatic life, would very large.

However, when the Maryland Department of Natural Resources actually performed their July measurements they found the opposite. Due to the winds and rain, dissolved oxygen conditions in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay mainstem were the best ever observed in late July, reported the Maryland Department to Natural Resources. The Bay's dead zones did not grow as originally predicted, last year and the grasses on the bottom a measure of the Chesapeake Bay health survived. The scientists are monitoring the bay for possible longer-term harm, but so far the improved bay health has been resilient.

The rain that soaked the entire Chesapeake Bay watershed however, flushed huge volumes of debris off the landscape, in addition to the nutrients and sediment. Almost 6 times the normal amount of trash and debris was collected at the Conowingo dam, ranging from beverage containers to floating docks. The stormwater management system in Washington DC captured more than 700 tons of trash and debris flowing off streets last year and our own Prince William Soil and Water Conservation District Adopt a Stream program collected 39,364 pounds of trash in our river cleanups.

Nonetheless the summer, fall and winter rains have carried tons of trash into our rivers. There is a lot of work to do to clear our streams. We kick off the year with the Quantico Creek Cleanup in Dumfries on February 23, 2019. This is a great one day volunteer opportunity come out and help us. In 2018, over 1451 volunteers supported the District's Water Quality programs compared to 1057 volunteers in 2017. There is need for more of you to help us.

from PWSWCD

Saturday Feb. 23

9 a.m-12 noon

Quantico Creek Cleanup in the Town of Dumfries

Saturday Mar. 2

9 a.m-12 noon

2019 PWC Big Stream Cleanup Launching at

Neabsco Eagles Park, Woodbridge.

Sat. March 16

9 am -12 noon

Costco Manassas 4th Phase Cleanup Project.

Sat. March 23

9 am -12 noon

Powell's Creek Cleanup at Montclair

Sat. April 13

Lower Occoquan Cleanup

Sat. April 27,

+25 miles Big Upper Occoquan Annual Cleanup

Trash-Free Potomac

The Potomac Watershed Roundtable met last Friday at the River View at the Jean R. Packard Center in the Occoquan Regional Park. It is a beautiful place to meet and the view of the Occoquan River was amazing. One of the speakers was Samantha Battersby the new Program Coordinator for the Trash-Free Potomac Watershed Initiatives at the Alice Ferguson Foundation.

Established in 1954, the Alice Ferguson Foundation aims to connect people to their local watersheds through education, stewardship and advocacy. The Trash Free Potomac Watershed Initiative seeks to prevent litter and the negative impacts of trash on our waterways. They coordinate the Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup working with the region’s soil and water conservation districts, community groups, employers, and schools. The Potomac River Watershed Cleanup is the largest regional event of its kind and happens over several weekends every April. It is a great opportunity to engage with the environment, and help restore the earth.

What started as a few cleanup events along the Potomac River is now a regional event spanning Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The Potomac River Cleanup is the largest regional event of its kind. Over the past 31 years 145,000 volunteers have picked up and removed a total of 7 million pounds of trash from the Potomac Watershed.

The Alice Ferguson Foundation has several programs designed for education and outreach: The Hard Bargain Farm which has interactive educational and outreach programs geared to elementary school children. Bridging The Watershed which operates programs for middle and high school students. The Trash-Free Potomac Watershed Initiatives Trash-Free Potomac Watershed Initiatives for citizens at large and the adult populations teaches how trash impacts the watershed and what we all can do to help. The Trash Free School Initiative examines trash at elementary schools with the students to develop plans to reduce trash.

As part of her presentation Samantha divided us into groups and handed each group a bag of trash that had been found in our watershed and asked us to line them up in order of how long it would take for the trash to breakdown. We all did pretty well considering that the room was filled with trash and environmental professionals. In order of decomposition (from fastest to never) we were given:

1. Newspaper 
2. Cardboard 
3. Milk carton 
4. Steel can 
5. Aluminum can 
6. Plastic bag 
7. Plastic bottle 
8. Glass bottle 
9. Styrofoam  (never decomposes)

I will say that no one really knew how long it would take an aluminum can to decompose (400-600 years) we had all only thought about its recycling potential. Aluminum can be recycled over and over and made into food quality cans. Plastic bottles cannot be recycled into new plastic bottles- the fibers cannot be used to make food quality plastic and have to be used for fleece, carpeting or other product. Those plastic water bottles are a real problem. In recycling the problem with glass is that in the combined stream recycling the glass ends up in the bypass stream and there is too much trash ends up stuck to the glass and it cannot be recycled in our Material Recovery Facilities.

The one bin recycle system has failed. Now that China and India will no longer take our mixed recycles waste, we need to change our recycle system and our behaviors. The trash in our water ways ultimately comes from litter and improperly secured or illegally dumped of trash. Unfortunately, it is necessary to hold these river cleanups annually. Year after year volunteers clean our streams, rivers, and streambeds of trash that started as litter and carried along by stormwater and wind into our waterways and parks. Volunteers also remove items that were illegally dumped in the woods like old appliances and tires or carried by off by storms (backyard toys and boating equipment).

To solve this problem we need to change our behavior and reduce or eliminate the single use disposable products in our lives. Alice Ferguson Foundation is just one of the groups working towards that goal. In communities where there are plastic bag fees or outright bans, the number of plastic bags found in trash cleanups has fallen. Every year the Alice Ferguson Foundation holds a Trash Summit this year the theme was “Business Solutions to Plastic Pollution.” You can watch some of the videos at this link to learn about progress and idea to reduce trash. All of the solutions begin with us.

April 13, 2019 is the 31st Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup. Lead a cleanup, participate and work on prevention.

When Buying a House get a Well Inspection

If you are buying a house, you need to make sure that you will have an adequate and safe water supply. A house with a well should have an inspection of the well and its equipment. Most people get a home inspection when they buy a house. Home inspections are not mandatory, but are a good idea. Though they can be weaponized for negotiations, mostly home inspections should allow a buy to make an informed decision of the purchase. The typical house inspection starts looks at the house from roof to the foundation, and most major house system (plumbing, electrical, heating, etc.). They look for indications of faulty wiring, water damage that might indicate mold, infiltration, roof leaks etc. Most inspections also include tests for radon gas. However, home inspections do not typically include inspection of the well nor do they assure the proper functioning of the septic system. These are essential components of an inspection for homes that have these items.

A failed septic system could cost as much as $40,000 to replace the system. An inadequate well or failed well could cost $10,000-$20,000 to replace, but that does not guarantee that an adequate well can be drilled. Not every well produces adequate good quality water. So, before you buy that house, make sure the well is working and the water is of good quality. The Water Systems Council puts out a Guide to Evaluating Water Wells for Home Inspectors at a minimum make sure that is properly filled out by a knowledgeable person. It is best to hire a licensed well driller for this examine the condition of the well.

The essential elements of a well inspection are:

• Reviewing the Well’s History
• Examining the Well’s Location
• Inspecting Well Components
• Testing the Water Quality
• Determining the Well Yield/Flow rate

Reviewing the Well’s History. Most states require a permit to drill a well and well drillers to be licensed. There are a few locations where a shallow dug well does not require a permit or license. Do not ever buy a house with a shallow dug well. It is the first to dry out in a drought and very susceptible to pollution. All modern drilled wells should have a well log on file with the local regulators. In Virginia that is the local Health Department. The log will have various details like depth, the types of soil encountered and water zones, the static water level at the time of completion and yield. Depth and casing are also reported. Your well inspector should be able to tell you a lot about your well from the log.

Examining the Well’s Location. The area of the well should be up-gradient of any potential nearby sources of pollution and water should flow away from the well head and comply with regulatory separation requirements for things like property lines, septic systems, foundations, etc.

Inspecting Well Components. The well casing should extend at least 12 inches above the ground surface and should not have any cracks or holes. The well should have a sanitary well cap that is securely attached to the well casing. There are two types of pumps: a jet pump that is above ground and a submersible pump in the well. Jet pumps are only used on shallow wells that you do not want, so the pump should be submerged in the well. Make sure you know the age of the pump- submersible pumps are designed to last about 17 years with normal household use. The pressure tank and wiring should be examined for age and damage.

Testing the Water Quality. In Virginia our Rural Household Water Quality water clinics test for: iron, manganese, nitrate, lead, arsenic, fluoride, sulfate, pH, total dissolved solids, hardness, sodium, copper, total coliform bacteria and E. Coli bacteria. This is a good list to test for. Note that is there is water treatment equipment in the house test both before and after the treatment equipment to understand the quality of the water, if treatment is necessary and if the water treatment equipment is working properly.

Determining the Well Yield/Flow. This has to be done by a well driller. The next best proxy is to turn on the outside hoses (away from the house) and run them for a few hours. The flow rate of a hose is dependent on the diameter (there is more than one), the pressure most pressure tanks provide 30-40 psi and the length of the hose (the pressure falls in a longer hose). So use a 5 gallon bucket and see how long it takes to fill. My 100 foot hose flows at about 4 gallons a minute. So every hour that the hose runs represents about 150 feet of storage depth in the well. Basically, after a few hours you know that the well is recharging faster than the hose is running. You can increase the flow rate by using a short hose. This simple test will tell you if the well yield is adequate to support a household. (Most households can live easily on 5-6 gallons a minute. Ten gallons a minute is the typical pump rate.)

Potomac Pipeline Stopped (for now)

Last Wednesday, Maryland’s Board of Public Works voted NO to granting an easement for the Potomac Pipeline right-of-way that would cross the C&O Canal and Maryland Rail Trail to cross under the Potomac River. Citing ongoing environmental concerns about running the gas pipeline under the Potomac River and a lack of benefit to Maryland for these environmental risks, the three members of the Board of Public Works, Governor Hogan, Comptroller Peter Franchot and Treasurer Nancy Kopp rejected the request for 0.12-acre easement under the Rail Trail west of Hancock.

As you recall, Columbia Gas Transmission is proposing a new 3.9 mile, 8-inch diameter pipeline to connect Mountaineer Gas (the West Virginia consumer gas distribution company) to gas supplies in Pennsylvania. The proposed pipeline would have been driven about 72 feet below the Potomac River bed using horizontal directional drilling. The new pipeline would bring gas from the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania and Utica shale in Ohio to a new proposed Mountaineer Gas pipeline, The Mountaineer Xpress project.

On March 16th 2018 the Maryland Department of the Environment granted a state wetlands and waterways permit for the proposed project that included customized conditions specific to the project and its location to ensure protection of public health and the environment. Nonetheless, the Board of Public Works found the risk to the Potomac River to be too high and denied the request for an easement. The Potomac River supplies drinking water to almost 6 million people and any potential threat to the water supply should be carefully studied and fully mitigated.

This Potomac River crossing is part of a new approximate 165 miles of pipeline and three new compressor stations in addition upgrades to existing compressor stations and a regulating station being developed by Columbia Pipeline Group, Inc. This project called the Mountaineer XPress project (MXP) would be able to move an additional 2.7 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas from the Marcellus and Utica shale production areas to commercial and consumer markets on the Columbia Gas Transmission system, including markets in western West Virginia.

The technological breakthrough in modern methods of fracking, combined with directional drilling, allowed the United States to tap massive new supplies of shale oil and natural gas, cutting domestic and global energy prices dramatically, improving U.S. energy security and slashing pollution by particulates, and carbon dioxide by displacing coal-fired electric power generation. In addition, natural gas is really good at integrating with renewable energy.

The widespread nature of the shale business has therefore raised questions about its local impacts both costs and benefits. The Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) hosted an event on April 17th 2018 which can be viewed on-line that explored these costs and benefits of fracking based on recent research by Michael Greenstone and others. “It’s not as though, if you ban fracking tomorrow, that you are going to have a step-function increase in renewable energy in a way that could satisfy the nature of energy demand that we have today,” said Sue Tierney, a former assistant secretary for policy at the Department of Energy under President Clinton and a state cabinet officer for environmental affairs for Massachusetts during the EPIC event. “Renewable energy is already entering the market at a fast pace, and a ban on fracking would make coal more attractive in the marketplace.”

Watch the entire panel discussion for more details, but essentially there are both costs and benefits to fracking and pipelines. Though there are local benefits to fracking that according to Michael Greenstone, the Milton Friedman Professor in Economics at the University of Chicago, the benefits of fracking and pipelines accrue mostly to society as a whole (though there is a positive household wealth impact with fracking); the costs of fracking and pipelines are borne by the local populations. It is essential that we make sure the costs are not unreasonable.

A Wet Year in Virginia

I moved to Virginia for the water. It has been quite the wet year. Total precipitation was almost 71 inches in my yard, while raining almost 69 inches west of Leesburg, just a few miles north.  I know this because I scrolled through all the Virginia reporting rain stations on the CoCoRaHS network Monday morning after entering my data.

The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network known as CoCoRaHSis a unique, non-profit, community-based network of volunteer citizen scientists of all ages and backgrounds working together to measure and map precipitation (rain, hail and snow). We use low-cost measurement tools, and enter our data into an interactive Web-site. Through education and training videos and help from other volunteers we aim to provide the highest quality data for natural resource, education and research applications.

The CoCoRaHS network just turned 20 years old and was started at the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University. CoCoRaHS was originally founded as the "Colorado Collaborative Rain and Hail Study" in response to the July 28, 1997 Fort Collins Flood. That flash flood producing storm dumped nearly a year's worth of rain (over 14" at the center) in a few hours, claimed 5 lives and did extensive damage to the Colorado State University campus and nearby communities.

In the early days of CoCoRaHS, the website was much more simplified. Many of the early volunteers called in their reports by phone as they did not yet have internet access. CoCoRaHS began studying local intense storms just in Colorado and didn't think volunteers would be interested in doing measurements of winter snow, too. Little did they know.

Today the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) are major sponsors of CoCoRaHS, but many of the volunteer station monitors also donate cash as well as time, and equipment. CoCoRaHS is now in all fifty states and Canada. Virginia was the seventh state to join the network. I got introduced to the program by a local farmer who volunteers with me as a director of the conservation district.

The data we collect is used by the National Weather Service, other meteorologists, hydrologists, emergency managers, city utilities (water supply, water conservation, storm water), insurance adjusters, USDA, engineers, mosquito control, ranchers and farmers, teachers, students, and neighbors in the community are just some examples of those who visit our Web site and use the data.

I got involved through my interest in groundwater and noticing that often it rained in parts of the county, but not others. Groundwater recharge is very local in this part of Prince William County Virginia in our fractured rock system. The rainfall in my yard is the best predictor of groundwater recharge and availability for my well.

I joined the CoCoRaHS network in October 2015. You can support the network by becoming a monitor, or more simply donating to fundraising campaign, “$10 for CoCoRaHS” please consider a gift of $10.  If you wish to make a larger donation of $55 or more, they will send you a CoCoRaHS Blizzard t-shirt. To make a donation please click on this link:

https://giving.colostate.edu/ramfunder/?cfpage=project&project_id=23235

Check the Sewer Line Before You Buy the House

from Fairfax City

Replacing the sewer line running from your house to the sewer main in the street can end up costing from $3,000 to $25,000: $50 to $275 per foot for the pipe replacement and if you have to trench additional costs to repair damaged landscaping and any hardscapes (driveways, walkways, patios etc.) that were impacted. These costs are borne by the homeowner, not the sewer utility or county. So, before you consider buying an older home, have the sewer line inspected.

A sewer line inspection is not included as part of the home inspection. A sewer line can be inspected by inserting a special camera into the sewer line and viewing the viewing the resulting Closed Circuit Television Video (CCTV). This typically costs $300 to $400 and allows a plumber or rooter company to see the complete system. A trained professional will be able to identify any blockage within the pipe, tree root infiltration and broken pipes or joints and view the general condition of the pipe. Make sure that you get a copy of the video.

The sanitary sewer lateral is the pipe that carries waste water from the house to the public sanitary sewer main. The sanitary sewer lateral is located on private property and crosses the right of way, and its maintenance and repair is entirely the responsibility of the property owner. Sanitary sewer laterals are typically 4” in diameter. The public sewer mains are typically 8” and larger in diameter.

The building lateral is part of the home. Maintenance repair, and replacement of laterals is the responsibility of the owner and is enforceable by law in most jurisdictions, because a failed sewer lateral is a threat to public health. Many of the sewer laterals installed in this part of the country before the 1980’s were essentially made of cardboard and pitch a product known as Orangeburg pipe which was used for both water pipe and sewer pipes from the 1860's through the 1970's. After 1980 PVC was used for water pipes and ABS pipe for sewer pipes.

Some of the signs that a sewer lateral may require repair include: Frequently clogged drains, Odor of sewage, and basement sewer backups during rain. Sewer backups in the basement can be caused by a variety of factors including a blockage in the sewer lateral. Most sewer laterals can be cleaned by accessing the sanitary clean-

out and this is the service of the “rooter” companies and plumbers. If they occur during heavy rain storms, then it is likely due to the fact that sewer system is being inundated and indicates that rainwater is entering the sewer pipe.

There are three basic methods of repairing/replacing a sewer lateral; Excavating from sewer main to house and replacing the pipe, CIPP (Cured-in-place-pipe) lining of the pipe, and the pipe-bursting method. CIPP involves inserting a fiberglass or polyester sleeve that is saturated with an epoxy resin inside a pipe that has been cleaned out. The sleeve is then inflated and cured. This is typically done on Orangeburg pipe and when appropriate is very effective. Taking this route allows you to keep more of your property intact. The pipe-bursting method a pneumatic or hydraulic head is fed into the sewer pipe to break up existing brittle clay or iron piping. At the same time, a new, flexible line is drawn through the original space. CIPP and pipe bursting are not options for all repairs.

CIPP and Pipe Bursting can only be used on pipes where the tuberculation (mounding and corrosion) of the pipe inner surface is not too excessive to prevent a thorough cleaning and preparation. Joints of the pipe must not be offset and the pipe does not sag (this is seen during the inspection if the video camera goes underwater). The bottom of the pipe, the invert, must be round and straight and in Orangeburg pipe the bottom must not be raised in the middle of the pipe signifying that the pipe is failing. The pipe must not have already collapsed, and there are no turns greater than 15-degrees. If you repair the pipe before complete pipe failure, then these methods can be used.

In Northern Virginia, NOVAC and Dominion Power sell sewer line insurance, while not a perfect solution- they only pay to repair breaks not prevention or maintenance, the insurance is reasonably priced. In Fairfax City, there is a cost share program that will pay up to 75% of $5,000 to replace the entire lateral line.

Scott Surovell’s Push to Remove Coal Ash from Possum Point

There is a whole lot of coal ash in Prince William County-3.7 million tons of the stuff. It is all sitting on a peninsula where Quantico Creek meets the Potomac River in eastern Prince William County, known as Possum Point. All this coal ash was produced by Dominion Power at their Possum Point power plant. Coal ash is the remainder left after coal is burned to generate electricity. Dominion Power is proposing to “close in place” all that coal ash by capping an existing surface impoundment.

State Senator Scott Surovell is fighting that plan and plans to draft legislation for the next session of the General Assembly prohibiting that. Senator Surovell whose district includes Possum Point wants the coal ash to be recycled or hauled away. Recycling the coal ash is also the option favored by the Southern Environmental Law Center and me.

If you recall, in 2017 Virginia’s General Assembly passed a bill that required Dominion Power to study and report on the costs and benefits, risks and recycling options for the 30million tons of coal ash now stored in lagoons at the company’s power plants across the state. Governor McAuliffe amended the bill to include a moratorium until 2018 on any new permits for coal ash disposal until a study of its risks and possible alternatives for coal ash disposal could be completed.

The consultant for Dominion Power prepared a report that examines the expenses and time frames for the three methods of disposal or recycling the coal ash: recycling for use in concrete, cinder block or wallboard; hauling it to a modern, lined landfill by truck, barge or rail; and Dominion’s original plan of consolidating all of the on-site coal ash into one impoundment , dewatering and closing in place. According to a report in the Prince William Times, Dominion Power obtained bids for recycling the coal ash at between $126-$942 million and costs for closing the coal ash ponds in place at between $137 to $418 million.

For decades the millions of cubic yards of coal ash has sat in open ponds at Possum Point. Today there is estimated to be 3.7 million cubic yards of coal ash there that Dominion Power has consolidated into one pond. 

The groundwater monitoring at Possum Point has found occasional instances where tests of downgradient wells showed elevated levels of heavy metals associated with coal ash. Monitoring has found traces of arsenic, boron, cadmium, calcium, chloride, cobalt, hardness, iron, lithium, manganese, nickel, phenol, sodium, sulfate, total dissolved solids (TDS), and zinc down gradient of the coal ash pond where all the coal ash had been consolidate, Pond D; however, the concentrations found were below the federal Safe Drinking Water Standards for those substances that have them (lithium does not have a drinking water standard). 

Dominion Power has only tested the shallow aquifer up-gradient and down-gradient of Pond D. Groundwater impacts were observed. As Dominion Points out no impact to human health or the environment was found, but it was not looked for, either. You do not find what is not tested for. It is clear by the presence of contaminants in the surrounding aquifer that the coal ash ponds at Possum Point were not adequately lined or had a functioning barrier (there is some question if there was a slurry wall installed to prevent impact to the groundwater in 1988) there is clearly hydraulic communication between Pond D and the surrounding groundwater.

The coal ash has been impacting groundwater for decades. Pond D does not appear to have adequate containment for the coal ash to be permanently disposed in. Additional groundwater monitoring is needed to determine what corrective measures are needed to restore the groundwater. As Senator Surovell argues the best option even at a high cost that will ultimately be borne by electric rate payers is recycling of the coal ash into concrete and road base.

I disagree with Senator Srovell and believe that the next best option is properly disposing the coal ash on site. However, to do this properly, Dominion Power needs to build a new disposal pond with a synthetic impermeable liner and comply with all the monitoring requirements of modern landfills. All physical barriers fail over time. This risk is best controlled by monitoring and maintenance; and Possum Point is downstream from most drinking water supplies and residents. Moving the coal ash would only make sure that ultimately more locations in Virginia will be impacted.