Our February members meeting guest speakers were Elizabeth Taraski and Geoff Payne. Both are members of the Nansemond River Preservation Alliance (NRPA). Elizabeth is the President and CEO and Geoff is a Director.
Their presentation addressed the current state of the Nansemond River as well as some historical information and future plans regarding water quality. The NRPA works with the Virginia Department of Health. Their water sampling and monitoring program is certified by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The NRPA launched their monitoring program in 2011. The data generated by the sampling program is entered into the DEQ water quality data base. Their monitoring program currently samples 17 sites in addition to 10 sites in support of the VDH program. Every two years the NRPA publishes the State of the Nansemond River Report and Report Card. The sampling is focused on bacteria levels in the water. Bacteria levels are a good indicator of the health of the waterway and its effect on shell fish. Historical information gathered from as early as 1929 through 2016 was discussed to show how bacteria levels changed over time in various sections of the river.
The City of Suffolk’s program for monitoring impaired waterways and the city’s action plan for bacteria reduction was explained. Going forward, the NRPA in conjunction with the city, VDH and DEQ and others are establishing a collaborative program to perform pollution source assessments to identify bacterial contamination hot spots by obtaining samples during wet and dry periods using time-series sampling studies and molecular source tracking methodologies. In order to improve the water quality, the sources of the pollution must be identified so they can be addressed on a case by case basis.
For more information or if you have specific questions, you can contact the Nansemond River Preservation Alliance at 757-745-7447.
