Issue of High Bacteria Levels Being Resolved
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By Brit Moorer
In the last three months, non-profits StreamWatch and the Rivanna Conservation Society have noticed elevated bacteria levels in Lodge Creek near Jefferson Park Avenue in Charlottesville. Levels so high, they were six times greater than the state standard for clean water.
“It can get people sick and can be particularly difficult for wildlife and for our dogs when we’re walking near the river their in the river, our animals and pets,” said Robbi Savage, executive director of the Rivanna Conservation Society. “So it’s very important that we keep that eye out.”
There are always background levels of bacteria in waterways, but once they reach a certain point it can mean more issues, which is why finding an explanation is so important. “Often normal for bacterial levels to rise after a rainfall event because the rain washes pollution or substance off the land and into the streams, so after rain bacterial levels are often high,” said David Hannah, executive director of StreamWatch. “The three high counts we’ve had at Lodge Creek though came during dry periods.”
That is why StreamWatch and the RCS reached out to the City of Charlottesville to find out what was causing the problem. “They found a line upstream of where we sampled in Lodge Creek that does have a sewage leak so the city has already been in touch with the property owner, so it looks like that’s going to be cleared up very soon” said Hannah.
The Rivanna River is upstream to the James and the James is upstream to the Chesapeake Bay, so all the pollution that we put into our river system here translates and flows right down through the James, through Richmond all the way to the Chesapeake Bay,” said Savage.
The two groups say it is crucial to keep all local creeks and streams healthy in order to keep the many other waterways in the region healthy as well. StreamWatch plans to get back to sampling local creeks and streams next year.