Problems within the Lynnhaven River Watershed

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality develops a list of impaired water bodies in Virginia every even year. The first step in assembling this list is to designate a use for each body of water. A designated use for a body of water is defined as an intended human or aquatic life objective, use or goal. Once the use is determined, water quality standards are set to ensure protection of those uses.More than 130 different pollutants are monitored to determine whether a water body can meet the standards set for drinking, swimming, and/or fishing uses.

Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) is the maximum amount of a pollutant that can be introduced into a water body and still have the water body meet water quality standards.  The Lynnhaven River has been identified as being impaired for bacterial contamination based on State water quality standards. Because of this, a TMDL was issued in 2004 for the Lynnhaven with hopes of cleaning up the river. As part of the implementation plan, the entire Lynnhaven River was designated as a "No Discharge Zone" for boats. In 2007, 1462 acres of the Lynnhaven River were opened to shellfish harvesting, the largest area opened since 1931. 

As of 2012, the river has seen improved bacterial contamination. However, Mill Dam creek, located near the Broad Bay area of the watershed, is the most polluted. The bacteria levels in this creek have not been able to be traced back to any particular source. The City of Virginia Beach, in partnership with the Hampton Roads Sanitation District, have been working with the University of North Carolina to develop a method of tracking and identifying the source of the bacteria. There are some substances that are uniquely human such as pharmaceuticals that can be identified in the water as way to help distinguish the source. For example, if the bacteria has human markers, then it is plausible that there could be a sanitary sewer cross connection within the city's stormwater system. However, if the bacteria is recognized as animal, then the city can focus it's effort of public education regarding pet waste disposal. The truth of the matter may be a combination of public education, sanitary sewer system upgrades, better erosion and sediment control, and fertilizer restrictions may be necessary to have the Lynnhaven River removed from the impaired water bodies list.

For more information on TMDL development and implementation in the Lynnhaven River, please refer to this link on the EPA's website.

http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/lawsguidance/cwa/tmdl/upload/2009_12_11_tmdl_tmdlsatwork_lynnhaven_river_technical.pdf