The proposed discharge threatens the ecosystem of the Pamunkey River
On February 5, 2001, in an article for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Lawrence Latane made the following observation regarding a U.S. Geological Survey report entitled "Factors Affecting Nutrient Trends in Major Rivers of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed" that examined all tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay.
"Nutrient levels in all but two of the rivers studied declined over the study period. The exceptions were created by a 457 percent increase in the amount of nutrients from wastewater on the Pamunkey because of increased discharges into the river and a 10 percent increase in nitrogen from urban runoff on the Mattaponi River." (Quoted text is copyright Richmond Times-Dispatch and is used with permision.)
Note that the 457% increase mentioned above does not account for Hanover County's proposed discharge, which would be far larger than any existing on the Pamunkey.
Increased nutrient loads from discharges promote the rampant growth of algae and other plant life that ultimately depletes dissolved oxygen in the water when the plants decay. Without sufficient amounts of dissolved oxygen, fish populations may begin to decline. This is especially true for anadromous fish, which live in marine waters but spawn in freshwater. Juvenile anadromous fish may not make it back to the marine waters if there is not adequate dissolved oxygen along their route. Entire generations of shad, striped bass, herring and others can be lost this way.
The Environmental Protection Agency had been encouraging Virginia to designate the Pamunkey River as "impaired" as early as December 1998 for its inadequate levels of dissolved oxygen. Owing to the fact that Virginia would not do so, the EPA was forced to act against the state by federally imposing the designation. It became official on May 12, 1999. Two weeks earlier, Hanover County had managed to push its permit proposal through the Virginia State Water Control Board.
