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Angling Publications - Index

Angling Publications - may2008 - Index

32
FEDERATION OF FLY FISHERS
Pete “Van” Gytenbeek
A Sewer Runs Through It
If state and county officials
get their way, spring water
won’t be the only thing running
through West Virginia’s
Elk River. There will also be
treated sewage from a proposed
sewage treatment plant released
directly into this river known
for its wild brook, rainbow and
brown trout and hailed as one
of the most underrated trout
streams in America.
The plan calls for bringing
millions of gallons of raw sewage
through an underground
network of pipelines that cut
through caves, limestone formations
and ancient springs to
a new treatment plant located
on a flood plain with karst
geology and adjacent to the
headwaters of the Elk River.
Sound surreal? Unfortunately,
this battle is being
fought in Pocahontas County,
West Virginia. It pits a development
company (the owner of
nearby Snowshoe Mountain
Resort that would benefit the
most from the new plant) and
government officials against a
grassroots effort of concerned
citizens comprised of outdoor
and cave enthusiasts, anglers,
conservation organizations (including
the Federation of Fly
Fishers, Trout Unlimited and
the Sportsman Alliance) and
the Sharp family, owners of the
farm that is the proposed site of
the treatment plant.
But one thing is for real: The
Elk River is fed by underground
springs from more than 60 karst
caves that bring cold, icy water
enriched with limestone to create
a delicate ecosystem for trout
to spawn and live. One spill or
leak in a raw sewage pipeline
could completely wipe out the
native trout population, not to
mention trapping raw sewage in
underground caves for months,
or even years. This would
continue to contaminate the
water in the river that also feeds
private wells. To make matters
worse, the proposed treatment
plant would sit on land prone to
seasonal flooding and sink holes.
There are several issues
at hand: a proposed use of
eminent domain by the state
and county to take the Sharp
family’s historic farm for the
plant’s site, and the failure by
the West Virginia legislature
to fully implement the Clean
Water Act to help protect the
state’s rivers and streams that
run both on the surface and
underground.
But most disturbing are the
actions—or lack thereof—by
the West Virginia Department
of Environmental Protection
(WVDEP). In the proposal to
the Pocahontas County commissioners,
the WVDEP issued
a finding of no significant
environmental impact for the
proposed treatment plant on
the Sharp farm, even though
no environmental impact study
was ever conducted!
George Phillips, a fly fisher,
cave enthusiast and leader of
8 Rivers Safe Development
(www.8riverssafedevelopment.
com) is suing the WVDEP for
failing to produce this environmental
study. The coalition is
hoping this suit will either stop
the project or, at the very least,
provide other alternatives to a
regional plant, including using
new technology to re-engineer
the existing treatment plant
currently operated by Snowshoe
Mountain Resort. The Federation
of Fly Fishers, along with
other organizations, is supporting
Phillips and his coalition.
As of this writing, one major
victory occurred on March 4,
2008. Through the efforts of
the Sharp family and their supporters,
the Pocahontas County
Commissioners directed the
Pocahontas Public Service District
to remove eminent domain
on the Sharp Farm, thus eliminating
it as a potential site. The
Sharp farm has been saved. The
next milestone will be in June
when the suit brought by 8 Rivers
Safe Development against
the WVDEP will be heard.
Even if the courts agree with
8 Rivers Safe Development,
however, the Elk River is still
not out of harms way. There are
sites other than the Sharp Farm
West Virginia’s pristine Elk River
is threatened by a proposed
sewage treatment plant.
proposed for consideration.
Too often we assume our
elected officials have the proper
processes in place to protect
our country’s natural assets.
The same can be said for
elected officials who assume
government agencies have conducted
proper due diligence for
important projects that have far
reaching implications on the
future of our resources.
We must continue to exert
support of the Elk River. It
doesn’t matter whether you are
a West Virginian or not, as all
of us could have an “Elk River
scenario” in our own state,
or even our own community.
That’s why FFF is diligently
working on other conservation
efforts, such as protecting
Alaska’s Bristol Bay against
the proposed Pebble Mine,
and helping to bring back the
Snake River salmon.
Unfortunately, the list of
conservation issues grows
daily. But the work being done
on behalf of the Elk River
by grassroots coalitions and
individuals proves that we can
make a difference in our world.
Pete “Van” Gytenbeek is the
Executive Director of the Federation
of Fly Fishers (FFF).
Send Van your comments at
www.fedflyfishers.org