Department of Environmental Quality
State Water Control Board
Meeting:
Technical Advisory Committee Meeting - James River, Maury River and Jackson River PCB TMDL Project
| Meeting Details | |
|---|---|
| Date / Time | 8/2/2022 2:00 pm |
| Type | Physical Location Only |
| Location | Virginia Department of Forestry Office Building located at 900 Natural Resources Drive, #800, Charlottesville, VA 22903 |
| Board Website | http://www.deq.virginia.gov |
| Agenda document |
Meeting Agenda
7/11/2022
(61k)
|
| Minutes document |
Meeting minutes
8/10/2022
(106k)
FINAL
|
| Disability Friendly? Yes Deaf interpreter available upon request? Yes | |
| Purpose of the meeting The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and its contractors, Virginia Tech Biological Systems Engineering, are in the process of developing a water quality study to address Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) contamination in the James River, Maury River and Jackson River watersheds. This water quality study is known as a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), or simply a watershed clean-up study. Description of Study: DEQ monitoring data indicates levels of PCBs in fish tissue are elevated in portions of the James, Maury and Jackson Rivers and present a risk to individuals who consume the fish (for more information on PCBs watch this DEQ video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He4eloh1NBw&t=6s ). As a result, sections of these rivers are listed as impaired for PCBs on the 303(d) TMDL priority list. Additionally, Fishing Creek in Lynchburg and Reedy Creek in Richmond are also listed as impaired on the 303(d) TMDL priority list because DEQ monitoring data indicates levels of PCBs in the water above the state water quality criteria. Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act and §62.1-44.19:7.C of the Code of Virginia requires DEQ to develop TMDLs for pollutants responsible for each impaired water contained in Virginia’s 303(d) TMDL priority list and report. TMDLs are developed to identify the total amount of a pollutant (i.e., PCBs) that a waterbody can receive and still meet water quality standards. To restore water quality, pollutant levels must be reduced to the TMDL. TMDLs will be developed for the entire Jackson River and Maury River watersheds and all of the James River watershed draining from the headwaters to Richmond. The affected counties include Albemarle, Alleghany, Amherst, Appomattox, Augusta, Bath, Bedford, Botetourt, Buckingham, Campbell, Chesterfield, Craig, Cumberland, Fluvanna, Giles, Goochland, Greene, Hanover, Henrico, Highland, Montgomery, Nelson, Powhatan, and Roanoke, and the affected cities include Buena Vista, Charlottesville, Covington, Lexington, Lynchburg, and Richmond. For questions about the upcoming meeting, please contact Nesha McRae at 540-217-7173; Nesha.mcrae@deq.virginia.gov or Mark Richards at 804-659-1126; mark.richards@deq.virginia.gov. | |
| Meeting Scope |
Public hearing to receive comment on a proposed stage
X
General business of the board
Discuss particular regulations / chapters
|
| Contact Information | |
|---|---|
| Name / Title: | Nesha McRae |
| Address: |
1111 East Main Street, Suite 1400 P.O. Box 1105 Richmond, 23218 |
| Email Address: | Nesha.mcrae@deq.virginia.gov |
| Telephone: | (540)217-7173 FAX: (804)698-4178 TDD: ()- |