James River Association Responds to West Virginia Bakken Crude Oil Train Derailment and Explosion on Kanawha River

February 17, 2015

Yesterday afternoon another freight train carrying over 100 cars of Bakken crude oil on its way to Yorktown, VA derailed in Fayette County, West Virginia, resulting in 25 derailed tank cars – 14 of these cars exploded and one spilled into the Kanawha River. The accident prompted an evacuation of a mile and a half radius around the derailment, and two water treatment plants were immediately closed to assess impacts to drinking water. The incident is similar to the Bakken crude oil train explosion and oil spill that occurred on the James River in Lynchburg on April 30, 2014, when 17 cars derailed and one ruptured spilling its contents into the river.

“This dangerous event could have happened on the James River again,” said Pat Calvert, Upper James Riverkeeper. “This is the same rail line that runs along hundreds of miles of the James River and through many population centers in Virginia. This is an alarming reminder that our river and communities continue to be at risk every day without stronger safety requirements for Bakken crude oil transport.”

Both the Commonwealth of Virginia and the U.S. Department of Transportation are considering new safety measures to address the risks posed to communities and the environment from the 4,000% increase in crude oil transport by railroads over the last five years. According to the rail carrier, CSX, both incidents involved the newer CPC 1232 train cars and not the older DOT 111 model that has been much of the focus of safety concerns.

“The James River Association believes that this incident further highlights the need for swift action by Governor McAuliffe’s Rail Safety Taskforce to issue recommendations improving safety on Virginia’s crude by rail lines,” said Adrienne Kotula, Policy Specialist for the James River Association. “Increased inspections of the lines carrying this highly volatile material are vital to the safety of Virginians and the James River – a key drinking water supply for millions.”

“We also urge the McAuliffe administration and Virginia’s congressional representatives to call on the White House to quickly complete their review of the new federal rail safety regulations so they may be rapidly implemented, Kotula continued. “We believe that immediate implementation of the strictest tank car standards proposed (Tank Car Option 1 in the proposed regulations) is the most prudent option given this recent incident and the similar derailment that occurred in Lynchburg, Virginia.”

Contact:

Adrienne Kotula, Policy Specialist

James River Association

804-788-8811, ext. 206

akotula@jrava.org

Become a Citizen Water Quality Monitor

The James Needs YOU to be a Citizen Water Quality Monitor

Many portions of the James River and tributaries are currently impaired due to excessive harmful bacteria. One of the most common questions JRA receives during the summer months is whether it is safe to swim in certain parts of the James River.

JRA launched a water quality monitoring initiative in 2013 across the James River watershed. We are currently looking for volunteers to help us do water testing during the 2014 season. JRA needs your help as a citizen scientist, collecting water samples and recording data to track the environmental health of the River.

As a Citizen Water Quality Monitor you will:

• Be able to identify types of harmful bacteria 
• Learn water sampling methods 
• Be able to collect turbidity and temperature data from the field.
•  Test sampling locations weekly from May to September
• Submit data to the JRA's James River Watch website (thejamesriver.org/jrw).  

No monitoring or science background is required. JRA will assign volunteers to sampling teams, and work with each volunteer to help establish a sampling schedule that fits individual schedules and availability. Volunteers already participating in JRA's RiverRat project may count their water monitoring work as an Action Project.

• Sampling Locations:
• Jamestown Beach, Williamsburg 
• City Point, Hopewell 
• Harvell Dam, Petersburg
• Grapevine Bridge - Chickahominy River, Sandston
• Rocketts Landing, Richmond
• 14th Street Access Point, Richmond 
• Pipeline Rapids, Richmond 
• Rope Swing Beach at Tredegar, Richmond
• Tucker Park, Goochland County 
• DGIF Public Landing, Scottsville
• Riveredge Park, Madison Heights
• Jordan Point Park, Lexington
• DGIF Public landing, Buchanan

Training Sessions:

•  Richmond TrainingMarch 27th, 5:30 pm-7:30 pm
  Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), 2nd Floor Conference Room
  629 East main Street, Richmond, VA 23218
  Directions
• Scottsville Training April 9th, 3:00 pm-6:00 pm
  Victory Hall Theater
  2nd Floor, 401 Valley Street, Scottsville,  VA 24590
  Directions
• Buchanan Training April 17th, 3:00 pm-6:00 pm
  Twin River Outfitters
  653 Lowe Street, Buchanan, VA 24066
  Directions
• Lynchburg TrainingApril 15th, 3:00 pm-6:00 pm
  Riveredge Park
  154 Rock Hill Road, Lynchburg, VA 24572
  Directions
• Lexington TrainingApril 26th, 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
  Boxerwood Nature Center & Woodland Garden
  963 Ross Road, Lexington, Virginia 24450
  Directions
• Goochland TrainingApril 29th, 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm.
  Tucker Park At Maidens Crossing
  Maidens Road, Goochland, VA 23063
  Directions
• Williamsburg TrainingMay 8th, 6pm-7:30pm
  Eco Discovery Park
  2054 Jamestown Rd, Williamsburg, VA 23185
  Directions
• Richmond Remedial/Practice Open HouseMay 21st, 12 pm - 5 pm
  JRA Richmond Office
  4833 Old Main Street
  Richmond, VA 23231
  Directions

New or veteran volunteers needing a little extra practice can stop by the JRA office during our monitoring open house. This is a great opportunity to get any remaining questions answered and to practice any of the monitoring tests. Although the open house is informal with no set agenda, registration is still requested

I will embed the registration form as well.

The Tire-Less James - The Numbers Are In!

Thanks to volunteers from Virginia Canals & Navigations Society, Heart of Virginia Council Boy Scouts of America, the crews of six The James River batteaux, some JRA RiverRats and a host of other volunteers, the James is now tire-less!

On Saturday, August 17, 154 volunteers took to the river in boats of all kinds as part of the first Tire-Less James event and together they removed 479 tires from a 59-mile stretch of the James River between Lynchburg and Richmond.

A big thank you also goes to Bridgestone Americas LLC’s "One Team One Planet" Spent Tire Program, for providing free hauling and recycling of all the tires that were collected.

If you are interested in participating in next year’s event you can sign up to volunteer, select the Tire-Less James event in the interest section, and we will send you information as next year’s event gets closer!

These photos were taken by volunteers during the event. See all the fun they were having on our facebook album. 

An Urgent Message from Your James Riverkeepers

Your Help is Needed to Protect Virginia Rivers and Streams from Construction Site Pollution.  Please Send Your Comments Before June 7^th!

Construction sites can make a mess of local streams and contribute to water quality problems of the James River. Developers are required to have stormwater pollution plans to prevent erosion and sediment pollution.  But citizen access to those water quality protection plans and related permits afforded to construction sites will soon end without YOUR input.

Here’s the scoop:
You’ve likely seen how local streams and rivers run dirty after significant rainfall.  This sediment clogs streams, suffocates and stresses river life and literally buries riverbed habitat with silt. Mismanaged construction sites frequently contribute to these unhealthy conditions.  For the past three years permitted construction sites in Virginia have been required to make publicly accessible Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPP), a working document of construction site water quality assurances and strategies. Agency inspectors cannot be everywhere so informed citizens play a critical role in making sure SWPP’s are followed.  The general permit for construction in Virginia is now up for scheduled renewal and the state is under pressure to permanently extinguish the public’s right to access to these plans.  JRA believes that disabling the public’s ability to know and respond appropriately to water quality threats in their own community is not in the best interested of improved James River water quality. 

What you can do to help:
The Virginia Soil & Water Conservation Board is now receiving public comments on this permit, but only until June 7.  Please follow the below guidelines and be heard today.  Board members have stated their intent to follow its advising agency’s recommendation to remove public SWPP accessibility from the permit unless persuaded to reconsider concerns from the public.  Now is your opportunity!  In your comments, the Soil & Water Conservation Board should be encouraged to maintain its earlier decision to “require public accessibility of Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans from construction sites upon request,” and should further be encouraged to “re-instate this requirement into the pending construction general permit.”  Any personal accounts of construction site effects on stream water quality would be helpful.

1)      Send an email to “Regulatory Coordinator”regcord@dcr.virginia.gov
cc: pcalvert@jrava.org)

Subject Line: Please send your email with the subject line “Comment on Virginia Stormwater Management Program (VSMP) Permit Regulations (4VAC50-60)”

2)      Send a letter to:

Regulatory Coordinator

Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation

203 Governor Street, Suite 302

Richmond, VA 23219

Rivers cannot defend themselves.  Please speak on behalf of your local streams and rivers and prevent the concealment of pollution requirements from the public.

Thank you for safeguarding Virginia waterways,

Pat Calvert                                                          Jamie Brunkow
Upper James Riverkeeper                           Lower James Riverkeeper

In Service to the Environment

On a sunny, chilly January 21, volunteers led by JRA RiverRats from the Lynchburg region and your Upper James Riverkeeper celebrated the MLK Day of Service doing exactly that – service. RiverRat Billy Taylor of Amherst County received notice of an illegal dumping of tires into a beautiful and historic James River tributary historically known as Stovall’s Creek, now called Beck Creek. One can find paintings and photos representing these once vibrant resources of James River industry and community. The historically registered Galt’s Mill and headrace, still intact hand-laid stone bridge pilings and gorgeous waterfalls are eye-catchingly on display to the fortunate public who drive beside this rural and otherwise unspoiled feeder stream. Well, that and dozens of tires and piles of trash discarded by passersby.

It simply did not seem appropriate. Alarmed folks who saw it were caught speechless. But thanks to multiple volunteers, including students from Lynchburg’s E.C. Glass High School, the stream was restored to its previous splendor. Fifty-two tires and a truckload of rubbish were removed and properly disposed. Bridgestone Americas, Inc. graciously covered all costs of hauling the tires to a local tire re-use/recycle facility. Local television and newspaper sources spotlighted these generous efforts. The issue was noticed and conscientious people responded with timely and appropriate action, bringing to light the pride and responsibility that we each share in the protection of our shared public waters. Clean water is not a privilege -- it is a right. And that right must be defended.

Dr. King challenged Americans to act collaboratively to defeat the ills of society. Tires are a blight to James River’s rich history, ecological importance and legacy. This group of individuals made a choice: To rise above the unthinking acts of a few individuals in order to show pride and stewardship for the resource that connects each of us – water.

Pat Calvert, Your Upper James RIVERKEEPER



Volunteers Not Afraid to Get TheirHands Dirty on MLK Day
WSET

Volunteers remove tires fromAmherst County creek
WDBJ7

A Perfect Weekend for the 2nd Annual RiverRats Raft-Up

On October 20^th, a group of our 30 RiverRats came out to Rockcliffe Farm Retreat in Concord  for JRA’s 2^nd Annual RiverRats Raft-Up. It was a gorgeous fall weekend and the trees had really started to peak. The day started with a talk from Scott Smith, a Fisheries Biologist with the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, about the various types of fish found in the Upper James and their monitoring efforts.

The advanced training portion of the day included bacteria monitoring from Jamie Brunkow, our Lower James Riverkeeper, and about fishing and boating conditions from Pat Calvert, our Upper James Riverkeeper. Both of these trainings were created to help RiverRats learn more about what they can do to help our Riverkeepers gather data for the new James River Watch.

Lunch was a great time to chat with other Rats from throughout the watershed and share their experiences. After lunch, some RiverRats joined Pat and Jamie on a short float. The river was pretty low, so lots of rocks, but everyone had a good time. They all returned to relax and hear from the Marshall Expedition, which was an inspiring story for everyone.

 Awards were given out at dinner to Kim Payne for the Upper James, Kevin Hansen for the Middle James, Chris Gwaltney for the Lower James, and Joe Seiffert for his overall outstanding commitment to the James River and the RiverRats program. For those  who stuck around, we got to enjoy the campfire and listen to music by the local group, Farm Use String Band.

Some folks stayed the night and went on an 8-mile float from Rockcliffe to Bent Creek on Sunday, which was another gorgeous fall day on the James.

It was a great weekend filled with education, new friendships, and fun with a group of people sharing a love of the James River.  Thank you RiverRats!

View more photos from the Raft-up on flickr.

The Call for a Cattle-free James River

by Pat Calvert, Upper James Riverkeeper

Healthy, working farms and farmers are critical assets to the sustainable protection of the James River and its tributaries. Virginia's agriculture community provides the Commonwealth with economic well-being, beautiful rural landscapes, food and a deepened "sense of place." With little doubt, farming is a rich source of Virginia's cultural heritage. Well-managed farms which utilize "best management practices" (BMPs) are assets that recharge groundwater and that permit the slowed infiltration, filtration and purification of runoff to prevent potential river pollution. Much has been done by our federal, state and local governments to assist farmers in excluding cattle from creeks and rivers since the inception of the Clean Water Act 40 years ago. Countless farmers and land managers have enrolled in cost-share and rebate programs to ensure that their farms are effectively ensuring clean water on the farm and off.

Unfortunately, too many farms to this day do not contain necessary BMPs to prevent cattle from entering and defecating in our public waters. These cattle access points contribute significantly to streambank erosion, nutrient pollution and bacterial contamination ― major pollutants to the James River. These same farms attract the kind of unwanted negative attention with which the greater farming community must concern itself. Though old habits may die hard, the agricultural community is a necessary and crucial partner in James River restoration. This excellent publication (http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/442/442-766/442-766_pdf.pdf) from Virginia Cooperative Extension details how farmers can actively and affordably improve their herd, land and economic health through streamside cattle exclusion strategies.

Destabilized riverbanks resulting from heavy-hoofed cattle entering the James River.

Land conversion from agriculture/forestry to urban/suburban is irreversible. If farmland is not lucrative through growing corn, cows or hay, then that land is very likely to grow buildings, roads, stormwater drains, parking lots and septic tanks. Even the worst polluting farm can be made healthy through relatively low cost and effective means while urban stormwater can be much more expensive and difficult to mitigate. As the Upper James Riverkeeper, I am currently spearheading a project to identify farms where cattle have direct access to the James River, engage in discussion with land managers and farmers, and to proactively ensure that these farms are provided with the necessary resources and funding to successfully achieve a "cow-free James River." We all need healthy farms for a healthy James.