More Virginia waterways are polluted than ever before, but more than ever are being cleaned. That was the good and bad news in a 2010 water-quality report the state Department of Environmental Quality issued in August.
According to the report:
•12,103 miles of streams are polluted, up from 10,543 in 2008, when the last report came out.
•96,510 acres of lakes are dirty, up from 94,044.
•2,157 square miles of estuaries — basically tidal waters — are polluted, down from 2,182.
At the same time, 433 stretches were removed from the state’s dirty-water list because they met pollution standards. That’s up from 318 in 2008. Read more in the Richmond Times-Dispatch and on NBC12.
Do you think the James is dirty? Does this report scare you off from river activities?
James River News Hub 