Current Agenda Archives Meeting Minutes Well Depth Report Members

Attendees: Dennis Atwood, Vito Gentile, Seth Coffman, Rick Stanford, Leslie Watson, Steve Baker, Pat Felling, Hilary Gochenour, Joyce Fadeley and Guest Speaker Jeff Kelbe, Shenandoah RiverKeeper

Meeting called to order at 7:08pm by Chairman Atwood.

The agenda was opened for any additions, changes or corrections. Item number two on the agenda was removed for lack of December 17, 2009 minutes being provided. Three items were added for discussion: Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Well issue in Rockingham County, Chesapeake Bay TMDL webinair, and Recyc Inc. biosolids application permit request. Otherwise, the agenda was approved and seconded.

The meeting continued with guest speaker Jeff Kelbe, the Shenandoah Riverkeepers. The topic of discussion, the effects of winter storms on the North Fork of the Shenandoah River watershed.

Kelbe said that the impact of winter storms resulted in plenty of groundwater recharge with no shortage of water in the river this year. He noted that the more shallow aquifers or newer water may react quickly to the snow melt and the Augusta gauge shows ponds restored to normal depth in 6 months.

Watson noted that there is a 20' difference in the water level at the St Luke test well location from last year's level and responded that seven wells are checked for water level when questioned about the number of wells currently in the program.

Atwood noted that the snow is melting slow enough not to cause a sediment problem leading to a response from Kelbe who said that sediment contains chlorides that runoff to the river. He also mentioned that before the Civil War the flow of the river was such that commerce was tied to the spring rains with merchant goods shipped via waterways. Moderate rainfall in April will be favorable for fish reproduction since some fish, like sunfish and bass are sensitive to stream flow.

Kelbe was asked if 70% of streams are impaired and he responded that it is unknown. Watson said that every major tributary (of the Shenandoah River) is impaired. Kelbe told the group that he's been with Shenandoah Riverkeeper for four years and confirmed that his nonprofit organization partners with the Potomac Riverkeeper. He said that there is little information on drinking wells but the average age of water in wells is about 10 years.

Discussion on well depths continued with Gentile noting that our county is historically dry and that agricultural requirements for water is a growing problem. Atwood noted that water travel through karst terrain is a complicated process as reported by USGS research. Coffman said that the DEQ website contains a document on Shenandoah county groundwater that explains were aquifers are located, some containing large quantities of water and noted that one is located near the Stoney Creek area of Edinburg.

Watson of Friends of the North Fork distributed the most recent well depth report. She also mentioned that a workshop is scheduled for April to teach participants how to make a rain garden and rain barrels. Watson also told the group that a program hosted by the Friends of the North Fork designed for teachers is coming up in June of 2010.

Other items discussed briefly, EPA water resources scorecard, discussion of a watershed planning process, and related to the final stage of the Community Planning Process, the impact on water resources of cluster housing and Transfer of Development Rights/Purchase of Development Rights.

The meeting then turned to Rockingham County and a recent Special Use Permit request for the installation of a test well for hydrofracking purposes in the Marcellus shale bed. This is the first such permit request in Virginia. Coffman referred to a map showing where the shale lies in PA, WV and VA, and informed the group that deep seams of natural gas are trapped 5,000-8,000 feet below the surface of the ground and although it has long been known that the natural gas exists it has only just become feasible to extract it.

Coffman further said that the Rockingham County special use permit is out of the Bergton area with a Texas company looking to install an exploratory well on property zoned agriculture. He went on to say that the process uses large amounts of water to fracture the shale to release the natural gas. He is concerned about the amount of water needed and where it comes from and how it will be treated once recovered. He noted that it is highly concentrated brine.

Kelbe joined in with information about the land lease and said that it contained 10-12,000 acres of land and noted that the process is under DMME regulations.

Atwood noted that the EPA does not regulate the solution used in the hydrofracking process, which is known to contain significant amounts of toxic materials, because it is proprietary information, and not covered under the 2005 revisions to the Safe Drinking Water Act, known as the "Halliburton loophole."

Coffman also mentioned that the site is in the floodplain.

Felling said that West Virginia has special facilities to handle the processing of the water from the activities at the landfill, but has suspended processing it at water treatment plants because they could not handle it adequately.

Atwood noted that U.S. EPA Region 3 conducted the first in a series of "webinars" (internet web-based seminars) on the Chesapeake Bay TMDL Implementation Plan, earlier in the day. He said the two hour session (see at: http://www.epa.gov/reg3wapd/tmdl/ChesapeakeBay/CalendarOfEvents_2009.html?tab1=1&tab3=2) was very informative and focused on state and local aspects of TMDL implementation. The Virginia DEQ briefer, Alan Pollock, posted only a single slide, which limited understanding of his extensive audio talking points. There is a tight schedule in 2010 for state level watershed implementation plans, with preliminary plans due June 1, and local plans will be required in 2011.

Atwood reminded that, as discussed at the December 17 WRAC meeting, and provided in several e-mails, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation granted $1.8M, three year period, for a Shenandoah Valley Clean Streams initiative under the Bay TMDL, and that the Virginia officials had designated Smith Creek as a showcase project under this grant.

The discussion turned to the recent 30 day public comment period for a permit request to land apply biosolids from Recyc Systems. Atwood mentioned that the draft DEQ permit public notice should appear in the Northern Virginia Daily tomorrow (Feb 26th) and that it is similar to last year's permit request, but is modified to include significantly reduced acreage.

Atwood noted that the next meeting would normally be March 18th, but that the first Shenandoah Forum's first session on strengthening agriculture in Shenandoah County is scheduled then, and several WRAC members are involved in that event. Accordingly, it was tentatively agreed to next meet on March 25th at 7pm.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:38pm.

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