Fish Kill Leads Monongahela River Summit
Scientists, citizens and regulators discuss a solution to golden
algae blooms.
WBOY-TV- 19 April 2010
By Stacy Moniot
MORGANTOWN -- The fifth annual Mon River Summit included businesses,
state and federal agencies and concerned residents to discuss the
Dunkard Creek Fish Kill and whether another algae bloom will occur.
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection officials say the
Dunkard Creek kill was only the tip of the iceberg and it's going to
take a collaborative effort, like the Mon River Summit, to find a
solution.
"It's not a matter of if another outbreak's going to happen, it's a
matter of when and where," said W.Va. DEP secretary Randy Huffman.
He called the Dunkard Creek fish kill the worst natural disaster in the
rivers over at least the last 20 years.
Now 10 other West Virginia streams have the golden algae that killed
thousands of fish and mussels in Dunkard Creek in September 2009. Five
of those streams are tributaries of the Monongahela River.
"It isn't fully understood yet," said Wallace Venable, a member of the
Upper Mon River Association (UMWRA). "We know a lot but there's more to
be learned."
Officials fear that knowledge will only come with experience, but
they're looking for solutions to at least limit the spread of the algae.
"First identifying those streams and finding a way to reduce whatever
is causing the high conductivity in those streams," said Frank
Jernejcic with the W.Va. Division of Natural Resources.
The algae grow in brackish water with a high amount of total dissolved
solids (TDS).
Some blame CONSOL Energy's mine drainage at the Blacksville Number Two
mine for causing the high conductivity in Dunkard Creek. Huffman says
there were likely several factors creating the right chemistry for the
first algae of it's kind in the mid-Atlantic.
CONSOL is working with the DEP under a compliance order to control the
water more carefully, and officials will monitor the other algae sites
for the next toxic bloom.
"It is somewhat temperature-dependent as the temperatures rise, then
we'll see if these start reproducing at higher levels," Jernejcic said.
When the algae bloom beyond a naturally sustainable level, it releases
the toxins that kill aquatic life as a food source. So far, Jernejcic
said, that hasn't happened in the other ten streams.
Huffman doesn't believe tighter regulations alone are the solution.
"I don't know that we can draft regulations in order to protect against
an invasive species," he said.
"I don't want to sound helpless, but there is unfortunately with this
stuff there's very little that you can do as far as being able to
predict when it's going to happen," Huffman said. "So we're doing our
best."
Golden algae aren’t the only challenge facing the Monongahela River.
The summit also tackled energy issues, commerce, and other
environmental issues.
A panelist discussing the economic future of the river concluded, "No
Mon, no gas. No Mon, no electricity," because of the high demand for
freight barges, and the potential for growth in that section of the
economy.
"This is nationally a unique meeting," Venable said. "People are coming
together to talk, not to scream at each other, but to hold a discussion
of the facts and to share concerns because we all have to use the
river."