Aquatic quality linked to land use

By JULIE STAVITSKI / Daily Progress staff writer
Originally published: April 15, 2005

Evidence of a high correlation between intensive land use and poor stream health has been presented by a local ecological monitoring group.

StreamWatch, a local stream monitoring and data collection program, published the results of a two-year study that declares seven of nine streams surveyed in Albemarle County in poor or very poor condition. All nine are in development areas.

“The findings aren’t a surprise to anyone familiar with water-quality issues,” Program Director John Murphy said.

According to Murphy, 85 percent of the streams tested don’t meet the aquatic life requirements of the Clean Water Act.

Additionally, both Moore’s and Meadow creeks have been declared impaired by the state Department of Environmental Quality, and Murphy suspects that other streams in the county could be considered impaired by DEQ standards.

Albemarle County had commissioned the report in 2003, and Greg Harper, water resources manager for the county, said that the findings will help improve the county’s decision-making regarding water.

“Now we can look and say ‘this type of development results in that type of water quality’ and we can figure out the best type of capital improvement to use in each situation,” Harper said.

In October, StreamWatch published the results of an 18-month study that found the Rivanna basin stream network in fair health.

The streams monitored in Albemarle are “significantly poorer than the average Rivanna basin stream,” Murphy said.

Rivers are categorized based on the variety and amount of benthic macroinvertebrates in the streams, using both the Virginia Save Our Streams method of evaluation and an adapted version of the DEQ’s Stream Condition Index.

The presence of a variety of invertebrates, particularly more stress-sensitive organisms such as mayflies and stoneflies, indicates a healthy stream.

Murphy said the possibility of a stream rebounding could depend on how long it has been impaired.

“It’s unrealistic to expect highly urbanized watersheds to recover to the point where we consider them biologically robust,” Murphy said.

The question, Murphy said, is whether suburban streams can recover to the point of a fair or very good rating. To make that change might require an adjustment in the habits of people living in the watershed, such as using less pesticides or fertilizers on lawns.

Murphy said he was pleased with the county’s cooperation and response to the report.

“They’ve got a posture on this that is open and proactive, which is traditional for Albemarle County,” Murphy said.

Harper said StreamWatch is delivering “good science at a bargain price” – the 18 sampling events in 2004 were built on roughly 116 hours of volunteer participation, according to StreamWatch.

“It’s great to be getting the message out,” Harper said. “When you develop an area, you will impact the watershed. We don’t live in a pristine environment anymore.”

Contact Julie Stavitski at (434) 978-7237 or jstavitski@dailyprogress.com.

© 2005 Media General