JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
Fishers and kayakers can often be spotted along the shores of Fort Eustis, Virginia's, Mulberry Island on the Chesapeake Bay's James River.
To keep such activities safe and accessible for all waterways like the Chesapeake Bay, the Environmental Protection Agency established the Total Maximum Daily Load as part of the U.S. Clean Water Act. The TMDL is a pollution budget that establishes caps on the amount of pollution coming from different sources in a watershed. This budget is designed to restore the health of the Bay's waters by reducing pollutants that threaten the waterway's health.
"It serves as a planning tool and potential starting point for restoration or protection activities, with the ultimate goal of attaining or maintaining water quality standards," said Ron Holcomb, 733rd Civil Engineer Division storm and wastewater manager. "When waterways are too polluted to support fishing or recreation, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality adds them to a list required by the federal Clean Water Act. When a particular kind of pollution is extreme, the state assigns the waterway a TMDL."
Unfortunately for fishers, boaters and those wanting to take a swim, the water surrounding Fort Eustis including the James River, the Warwick River and Skiffes Creek are assigned TMDLs due to the amount of nitrogen, phosphorous sediment and fecal coliform.
Another contributor to the local waterways TMDL label is the approved storm water discharges, which are safe so long as only rain goes down the storm water drains. As an approved discharger installation, Holcomb asks that Fort Eustis personnel don't pollute the drains by following the slogan: 'only rain down the drain.'
"Despite extensive efforts to improve water quality during the prior 25 years, the TMDL was prompted by insufficient progress and continued poor water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries," explained Holcomb. "If you have ever driven down Harrison Road and looked at the quality of the water in the James River, I am sure you would agree it can be vastly improved. It's the same thing with the Warwick River, going out the West gate at low tide, one can see the sediment building up in the bottom of that channel."
While corrective actions won't change the quality of water overnight, there are ways everyone can contribute to ensuring they improve in the next 25 years, said Holcomb.
Nonpoint sources can be reduced by implementing preventative measures such as:
· Reducing the use of fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides
· Keeping septic systems in proper working order
· Planting appropriate vegetative buffers along waterways
· Discouraging the feeding of waterfowl
· Proper pet waste management
· Public education
"Local commitment to cleanup impaired waters are key to reducing nonpoint sources of pollution," said Holcomb. "It is actually pretty simple, just remember 'only rain down the drain.' If we all practice good environmental stewardship, we can return our waterways back to a healthier state and leave something positive for future generations."
For more information on Fort Eustis environment programs including storm water and waste water management, visit
http://www.jble.af.mil/library/jbleenviromentalinformation.asp.
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