Apr. 13- Health Official report a manure spill into a stream in Patrick County, VA. It is considered accidental and was approximately 10,000 gallons of cattle manure from a holding lagoon on Hurricane Ridge Road near Meadcows of Dan.
Health officials report a manure spill into stream
On the morning of April 13, an accidental spill of approximately 10,000 gallons of cattle manure occurred from a holding lagoon on Hurricane Ridge Road in the Meadows of Dan area of Patrick County, according to a news release from the Virginia Health Department.
Some of the spill entered a small, unnamed tributary of Mayberry Creek, approximately a mile and a half upstream from the point where Mayberry Creek enters Towns Reservoir in Meadows of Dan. Towns Reservoir is owned by the City of Danville and is used to produce electricity, and for fishing and boating, by permit.
"At this time, the spill does not appear to have caused any negative effects on the waters involved," said Dr. Gordon Green, director of the West Piedmont Health District (WPHD). "There is no evidence of any elevated risk to drinking water, either from reservoirs storing surface water, or from wells producing ground water."
"While there is no indication that this spill poses any increased risk to drinking water, it's important to note that any surface waters may contain organisms that cause disease," continued Dr. Green. "Anytime you go swimming, boating, fishing, or wading, you should avoid drinking or swallowing any water from an unknown or unapproved source, and afterwards thoroughly wash any area exposed to these waters."
Though there is no evidence of any increased risk from catching and eating fish from these waters--as long as they are thoroughly cleaned and cooked--the posted advisories recommend that citizens temporarily avoid fishing in these waters, until the advisories are lifted. Any potential risk resulting from this spill would be from coming into contact with or swallowing the water, not from eating properly-prepared fish. (The Health Department recommends a cooking temperature of 145 degrees Farenheit, for at least 15 seconds.
After receiving notice of the spill on April 14, officials from the Patrick County Health Department and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality visited the site to evaluate the spill and its effects. "We saw no visual evidence of the spill in the tributary, in Mayberry Creek, or in Towns Reservoir," said WPHD Environmental Manager Tim Baker. "But as a normal precautionary measure in situations like this, we posted signs alerting the public to avoid contact with these waters until further notice."
Two signs were placed along Mayberry Creek and one sign was placed at the entrance to Towns Reservoir, which has temporarily closed for recreational use. "These signs are to notify the public of this event and to advise them to use caution in and around these streams, as we continue to assess the situation," said Baker.
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality will perform further tests to evaluate the water quality in these streams, and will advise the Health Department of the results of those tests. For more information, call DEQ at (540) 562-6700.
"Once there is sufficient indication the waters are safe for recreation, we'll remove the posted advisories," said Dr. Green. "In the meantime, it's important to exercise a little extra caution, and avoid exposure to these waters."
