The French Broad Watershed in North Carolina covers more than 2,800 square miles. In 2008, more than 15 percent of the streams in the watershed were impaired for bacterial pollution.
While bacterial pollution in the French Broad watershed is prevalent, it is largely undetected and therefore unresolved. Bacteria impairment is a significant health concern, as the presence of certain types of bacteria increases the likelihood of waterborne pathogens, increasing the risks to human and aquatic health. Despite the importance of understanding the effects of bacteria pollution, knowledge about its distribution is the key to reducing and preventing future pollution.
The Riverkeeper has developed a program that uses local volunteers to monitor fecal coliform levels in in the French Broad River and its surrounding tributaries. Samples are taken weekly and the results are postedhere in the Swim Guide,which was created to inform the public about the environmental safety of their local waterways. It helps users identify which waterways are safe for swimming and recreation. The French Broad Riverkeeper also uses the data from this program to identify areas of point-source pollution, and in turn, develops tactics to remediate these problems.
Bacteria in our streams come from a variety of sources, including leaking sewer lines, faulty septic systems, straight piped sewage, animal waste, agricultural runoff, and other point and non-point sources. Mountain True’s French Broad Riverkeeper is currently looking into the sources of pollution in Henderson and Buncombe counties. The Riverkeeper has developed a bacteria monitoring program that, with the help of volunteers, involves sampling for fecal coliform levels in the French Broad River and surrounding tributaries.
The presence of fecal coliform bacteria in water is a strong indicator of the presence of waterborne pathogens, such as giardia, cholera, and several other gastrointestinal diseases. However, while testing for specific diseases is expensive and not as accurate, the Riverkeeper tests for fecal coliforms and can identify the presence of E. coli, which can then be used to quantitatively express the quality of the water. Depending on the use of the stream, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses the # of E. coli/100 mL sample to identify whether a stream is impaired and unsuitable for fishing, swimming, and drinking, or if it is healthy.
Along with Waterkeeper Alliance’s Pure Farms Pure Watercampaign, the French Broad Riverkeeper is focusing bacterial sampling around Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) in Henderson and Buncombe counties. While other sources of pollution may be identified through sampling, CAFOs can contribute to bacteria pollution through leaks in waste storage lagoons, improperly discharging waste around streams, and waste runoff from rain and misapplication. The Riverkeeper identified four CAFOs last year that are contributing to high fecal coliform contamination. The Riverkeeper hopes to identify additional sources and work with known polluters to mitigate contamination in the future.
Check out the current EPA status of impaired streams in the French Broad Watershed to see which waterways are impaired near you.
Coal ash, which contains many of the world’s worst carcinogens, is what’s left over when coal is burnt for electricity. An estimated 113 million tons of coal ash are produced annually in the US, and stored in almost every state — some of it literally in people’s backyards. With very little government oversight and few safeguards in place, toxic chemicals have been known to leak from these storage sites and into nearby communities, contaminating drinking water and making residents sick. In the upcoming series, VICE News travels across the US to meet the people and visit the areas most affected by this toxic waste stream. Since coal production is predicted to remain steady for the next few decades, coal ash will be a problem that will affect the US for years to come.
The French Broad Riverkeeper’s best friend, June Bug, keeps watch on the water.
WNCA is looking for a volunteer with graphic design experience to help create a State of the River Report for Henderson County.
You’ll work directly with French Broad Riverkeeper to distill data from current reports into a simple, attractive and easy to understand information graphic for the general public to consume.
Examples of previous reports will be provided.
If you’re interested, please email Hartwell@WNCA.org with the subject line: State of the River Report.
Below is a summary of our French Broad Riverkeeper’s work and observations about the oil spill at Hominy Creek on Feb. 14. WNCA has gathered information on how you can help us stop this type on incident from happening again.
What You Can Do: Current state law requires the responsible party of a spill (oil, sewage, etc) to notify the public within 24 hours. The state then has 48 hours to notify the public. This law needs to change to ensure the state is notified immediately and that the public is also notified immediately.
Contact your legislator and let them know we want them to act on this issue:
There must be better communication fromthe Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to the public. DENR should use existing technology (Twitter, Facebook, email, etc.) to notify the public and impacted municipalities immediately. Also, additional oil storage facilities should be inspected to make sure they are properly constructed and maintained to prevent future spills.
Contact DENR to let them know oil facilities should all be inspected and that the public needs good timely information to protect human health and the environment.
Drew Elliot, public information officer, drew.elliot@ncdenr.gov or (919) 707-8619
Video: French Broad Riverkeeper Hartwell Carson got an update Feb. 16 about the Hominy Creek oil spill from EPA emergency response coordinator Terry Stillman. Stillman shared information on the cleanup effort and what the community can expect over the coming days and weeks.
French Broad Riverkeeper’s summary of events surrounding the Hominy Creek oil spill:
At about 1:30 p.m. on Friday Feb. 14, workers at the Vulcan Materials Co., noticed oil running through their property.
Oil bubbling out of the sediment when stirred up.
They quickly built berms and basins to try to prevent the oil from entering Hominy Creek, which dissects Vulcan’s quarry. Workers at the quarry notified Harrison Construction Co., that the spill originated from the company’s 20,000 gallon fuel oil tank, which was leaking.
Harrison Construction reported there were 5,800 gallons in the tank at the time of the release, and about 5,000 escaped the tank. A portion of that oil was captured on site before entering Hominy Creek. The oil leaked from the tank when a coupling failed. The concrete containment system, that is required by law, also failed, because the drain valve was left open. The drain valve is used to drain rain water, but is supposed to remain closed in the event of a spill.
The Feb. 17 edition of the Asheville Citizen-Times quoted Harrison Construction President Todd Quigg as saying he “does not know whether human or mechanical error, or a combination, is to blame for allowing diesel fuel leaking from a tank to escape a secondary containment system and get into Hominy Creek through a storm water runoff pipe.”
WNCA’s French Broad RiverkeeperHartwell Carson and Asheville Greenworks’ Volunteer/Clean Communities Coordinator Eric Bradford talk on scene with EPA Emergency Response staff.
NEO Corp., an environmental remediation company, was on the site shortly after the spill and began to use a vacuum truck to remove oil that had pooled up on the site. Around 3 p.m., as required by law, Harrison Construction called the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to report the spill.
Harrison Construction reported that the spill was contained, and it was not until additional calls were made by the public that the local fire department, then DENR, and then EPA from Atlanta responded.
It is still unclear why the spill was reported as contained and what DENR did to investigate the original call.
The Buncombe County Fire Marshal surveyed the river Friday at about 6:30 p.m., finding oil as far downstream as East Oakview Road. He instructed the company to place oil absorbent booms at Hominy Creek Road, downstream where they observed oil in the creek. No booms were placed in the river prior to the fire marshal’s instructions. It is still unclear why Harrison Construction did not try to remediate the oil in the creek, prior to instructions from the fire marshal. DENR arrived on the scene sometime after 6 p.m., and EPA arrived a few hours after that. Oil absorbent booms were placed in the river that afternoon and evening. Booms were placed overnight and based on what was visible Friday it was believed the spill had not reached the French Broad River. The spill was reported in the media by WLOS TV at 9 p.m. on Friday night, but it was reported as being contained.
Local photographer Bill Rhodes noticed the spill on Saturday morning, at the spot where Sand Hill Road crosses Hominy Creek, near Biltmore Lake. Rhodes also saw that the oil at Hominy Creek Park was entering the French Broad River and a few miles down the French Broad River at French Broad River Park.
Rhodes called the fire department, and crews then installed additional booms across Hominy Creek, just before it enters the French Broad River. WNCA French Broad Riverkeeper Hartwell Carson and Eric Bradford of Asheville Greenworks saw and reported lots of oil visible on the river at about noon on Saturday.
EPA and the hired cleanup contractor, ERC, put oil absorbent pads in the eddy where oil gathered on Pond Road. The original oil boom is visible with the hard plastic boom that was added Feb. 15.
Booms were also added in a few other locations along Hominy Creek on Saturday, and Saturday night additional hard plastic booms were added to support the soft absorbent booms.
As of Tuesday afternoon (Feb. 18), a lot of oil remained in all parts of Hominy Creek. The fuel oil smell was still heavy, and there was sheen and some product visible in the water
EPA and DENR both say it will take some time before all of the oil sheen is gone from the creek.
DENR has taken water samples to investigate the impact of the spill and WNCA will be watching the spill, cleanup, enforcement and impact to the river closely to fully understand what went wrong, what impact there is to the river, and what can be done better in the future to make sure this type of incident does not happen again.
Feb 19: Five days after the Hominy Creek oil spill, you can still smell fuel at the creek. Our French Broad Riverkeeper reports that as many as five hours passed before cleanup crews took measures to protect area rivers. Click here to view the story.
Feb. 25: Asheville Fire Chief Scott Burnette releases a PowerPoint updated on the Hominy Creek oil spill. See it here.
Feb. 26: From the Asheville Citizen-Times: “State environmental officials issued a notice of violation to the company blamed for spilling thousands of gallons of fuel oil and contaminating Hominy Creek. Harrison Construction Co. faces fines of up to $25,000 per day for each of three violations cited in the notice, said Chuck Cranford of the N.C. Division of Water Resources. Meanwhile, Cranford said cleanup efforts to contain the fuel spilled on Feb. 14 have concluded and the creek appears to be free of contaminants.”
