Ask the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors to Protect our Water Help Farmers who Protect our WaterVirginia has done there part and compensated farmers who voluntarily plant trees near stream to protect streams and creeks like Swift Creek from runoff. The Federal Government has money for these types of programs too. We want these subsidies for Virginia Farmers who don't receive their fair share of subsidies. Congress is trying to strip Virginia Farmers of their fair share. For More Information visit the Chesapeake Bay Foundation Action Center and let your member of congress know you oppose this raid on our resources. Click Here Comprehensive Planning Meetings Ask your county leaders if the new plan will protect the swift creek reservoir and other water sources from algae blooms caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus. The Swift Creek Reservoir recently reached a phosphorus level of 0.035 mg/L and it becomes unusable after 0.04mg/L. If the Swift Creek Reservoir becomes unusable demand for water in Chesterfield will be greater than the supply in the next two decades. HAL hopes to be able to mitigate 100% of stormwater pollution through a combination of LID, tree-save, clear cutting, mass grading, Anionic PAM. See How this was done in Washington State: Click Here Ask your county supervisor if the new Comprehensive Plan with continue the Swift Creek Plan with measurements of Phosphorus for accountability. Uranium Mining to Threaten Virginia's Streams, Bay and Drinking Water Sources. Many of the former Uranium Mining Sites in the West are Superfund sites. This Eastern U.S.A. has much more rainfall so toxic pollution can spread from the Piedmont to the Coast in Virginia. The current proposed site is upstream of Norfolk, VA so many City Officials are concerned about Uranium Mining. Lifting the Ban on Uranium Mining in all Virginia could allow sites upstream from Richmond and Chesterfield. Please come out and voice your opinion on this important matter at the Town Hall meeting in Richmond. We don't want Virginia to end up like Chernobyl that can't be cleaned up in a million years. Mining would take place in the open with flowing air and water. Uranium Mining Symposium in Richmond, VA Southern Environmental Law Center Statement Lake Chesden News: Water Supply for Chesterfield is LimitedHopewell has a Stinky Water Problem for Months due to AlgaeHopewell Residents had a 33% increase is their water bill last year and stinky water for months do to an Algae Bloom. The Swift Creek Reservoir does have the Blue-Green Algae Anabaena which can cause a septic odor like the algae bloom in the 1980's that had everyone buying bottled water. This is usually treated anywhere from zero to a couple of times a year in parts of the Swift Creek Reservoir with Copper Sulfate.Copper Sulfate is not toxic to humans but can be toxic to fish and other aquatic wildlife. In Minnesota certain types of Blue-Green Algae became resistant to Copper Sulfate after 26 years of use. http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/coppersu.htm The Environmental Protection Agency informs that “Excess nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen from watershed sources are major contributing factors to Harmful Algae Blooms.” The  Virginia Department of Environmental Quality recommends that a reservoir be kept at or below a threshold of 0.04 mg of phosphorous per liter to be acceptable as a drinking water reservoir. The Swift Creek Reservoir was at or under half that level from 1992 through 1996. Since 1997 the reservoir has been at or above 0.03 mg phosphorous per liter for over half of the years though 1999 Two years were at 0.034 mg/L and 0.035 mg/L just 0.005 mg/L and 0.006 mg/L under the maximum threshold. Chart from 2009 Swift Creek Reservoir and Watershed Report
Hydrilla Invading Swift Creek ReservoirBy David L. Faulkner; Woodlake Resident, Natural Resource Economist with the USDA/NRCS, and WCA Environmental Committee MemberNovember, 2009  Hydrilla is a non-native, invasive submerged aquatic plant that poses a serious threat to water environments such as Swift Creek Reservoir. The plant is native to Africa and was introduced to the USA via imports to Florida for aquarium owners. Presumably some got thrown out into local waterways and spread from there. It is now well established in the United States, especially the south where millions are spent every year in management and control efforts. Virginia’s Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) indicates that hydrilla is increasingly found in Virginia’s waterways and water bodies and currently is resident from the Potomac River in the north to Lake Gaston on the North Carolina border. Hydrilla stems can grow up to 25-30ft. long and it has several advantages over native species of aquatic plants. It can thrive with less light than native species of water plants, is more efficient in taking up nutrients and can crowd-out the natives due to rapid growth. It also can reproduce through numerous means, especially through simple vegetative reproduction which means small pieces stuck on the underside of boats and on boat trailers can easily be transported to new waterways and water bodies where it can start growing anew. It grows into dense mats that interfere with water-based recreation activities such as boating, swimming and fishing. It also alters fish and wildlife habitat so that some species can no longer survive as well and favors other species including many invertebrates and mosquitoes. It also provides great nursery habitat for small fish. It can limit boat movement, clog propellers and rudders, shade out native plants and thereby reduce biodiversity, reduce oxygen levels in the water and degrade water quality by making the bottom stratum of the water column somewhat lifeless. It also thrives in a wide range of water depth, flow, temperature and water quality conditions…an ideal invasive mess.  There are numerous management practices for managing hydrilla ranging from chemical herbicides (some effective and some not so effective) to manual removal (a stop-gap measure as it simply grows back) to biological control through introduction of triploid sterile grass carp (a non-native fish species) that feed upon the vegetation (requires a permit from DGIF, and they can be very effective, but their populations have to be managed also). Each control method has advantages and disadvantages and are effective to one degree or another, but the bad news is that they all require human resources (knowledge, muscle and active management) which in turn requires financial resources. What we can do: Hydrilla is in Swift Creek Reservoir (mainly on the Brandermill side) and will now likely be spread to all areas of the lake by the movement of boats. We really can’t do anything about that. However, we can help to limit the spread of hydrilla to other streams and lakes by having all boaters examine and clean the underneath sides of their vehicles, boats and trailers when leaving the lake to make sure that hydrilla fragments are removed. The WCA Board of Directors and Community Manager Julie Walker spoke at length to county officials about the need for immediate action in this matter when they met with them last month. The county has contracted with a consultant for a study and action plan. The BOD will continue to monitor and press for swift action on this issue. Stay tuned for more information about how you can help! Church Volunteers Cleaned up Swift Creek Watershed Tributaries Our friends at New Ventures Christian Church and a HAL member volunteered to spend Sunday Morning helping to ensure cleaner drinking water and beautify two branches of Blackman on Otterdale Road and Horsepen Creek at Clover Hill Sports Complex. Sixteen bags of trash and recyclables were removed from the watershed. In addition, a tractor tire, car tire and a 32” television were recycled at the Chesterfield Transfer Station. Lucas Johnston of New Ventures Christian Church contacted HAL and made the offer. Many members of the church including Josh, John, Wayne, Tiffany, Debbie and many other came out to pitch in. See pictures of the clean up effort and what we found on the HAL Educational Outreach Page. Educational Outreach Page
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