On September 17, 2008, the
Charlottesville-Albemarle League of Women Voters
held the latest in the Treva Cromwell Memorial Lecture series on water quality issues. The forums are being held in the memory of Treva and Howard Cromwell, a pair of school-teachers who moved to the area in the 1970’s who became active in water quality issues through the League’s Natural Resources Committee. Treva Cromwell served for seven years on the Board of Directors of the
Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority
, and was the only woman to ever serve as Chair.
The event was held at the
Ivy Creek Natural Area
. A series of experts discussed “non-point source pollution,” or what happens to streams and reservoirs when stormwater carries sediment and pollutants from parking lots, lawns, farms and construction sites.
Watch the video:
 Dan Frisbee |
The first speaker is Dan Frisbee, the Environmental and Stormwater Program Coordinator for the City of Charlottesville. He said that non-point source pollution is the leading cause of water-quality problems, but is also much harder to regulate than point-source pollution where effluent is routed directly into a waterway. Frisbee also talks about Charlottesville’s recent environmental commitments.
The second speaker is Alyson Sappington, District Manager for the Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District. She discusses how she works with farmers to mitigate their impact on the environment. This involves keeping cows out of streams, improving grazing management and developing other best management practices. Sappington also detailed changes that are coming to the way the state of
Virginia manages stormwater, including granting localities the
authority to regulate pervious surfaces through permits and fees.
 Greg Harper |
The third speaker is Greg Harper, Water Resources Manager for Albemarle County, who discusses the County’s efforts to implement erosion and sediment controls on new developments. He outlines the challenges that come with mitigating the impact caused by denuding forests.
Previous lectures from the Treva Cromwell series include a
June 2007 discussion of groundwater
, a
November 2007 presentation by RWSA Executive Director Tom Frederick
, and a
March 2008 presentation detailing proposed upgrades to the area’s water and sewer infrastructure
.
TIMELINE FOR VIDEO:
Brian Wheeler & Sean Tubbs
