2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the 1972 passage of the Clean Water Act. Three years prior to that milestone, on June 22, 1969, the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland caught fire. As the narrative goes, this conflagration was one of the chief galvanizing events to build support for cleaner water in the country. A river
This is a story that includes several threads. One, appropriately, is a fabric known as Rayon. That thread is interwoven with two others: the chemical mercury and the South River Watershed in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. It is indeed a complex weave of science, history, changing economic forces, and an exceptional river.
Another Dam Done Gone
The crowd of close to 3,500 gathered on the riverbank of the Rappahannock River in Fredericksburg, VA on February 23, 2004. They had come to see the explosion. The atmosphere was celebratory, even jubilant, with dignitaries and media buzzing around. The crowd had come to see the Embrey Dam be blown up by an Army Engineering team from Fort Eustis, ultimately opening up 700 miles of river and tributary waters to migratory fish and creating a unique river paddling experience. John Warner, a U.S. Senator from Virginia at the time, donning his floppy brimmed fishing hat, pushed the symbolic demolition plunger, and the crowd held its collective breath.
Recently, I had the occasion to put a canoe in the water, which of course involved getting the canoe on and off of the car. When it came to lashing the boat to the car, my companions for the day just stood back and watched. They observed the placement of the canoe on the racks, the positioning of the ropes, and finally the slip knots that sealed the deal. One actually muttered softly, “oh, that’s how you do it,” as if I were performing a magic trick.
I assure you, there was no sleight of hand involved. Far from it – it was the direct product of the best lecture I heard in college, delivered by the renowned lake researcher, Dr. Daniel Livingstone.
The Dam Keeper’s Dilemma
On the September 17, 2018, the remnants of Hurricane Florence had moved inland from the North Carolina coast and up into the Shenandoah Valley. As he did during all major storm events, Michael was in his Soil and Water District truck patrolling the water levels at several flood control dams. At the Tom’s Branch dam, Michael realized that things were a bit different with this storm. The water level had already topped the 40 foot gauge and water was flowing through the emergency spillway. Plus, the access road below was underwater, so Michael couldn’t drive out. He spent the night there, in constant contact with County emergency services crews and his District co-workers in case mandatory evacuations had to be enacted.