Among many residents’ concerns surrounding the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline that would run through Nelson County, one deals with the most basic of human needs — water.
Taylor Smack, owner of Blue Mountain Brewery and Blue Mountain Barrel House in Nelson County, is a member of The Natural Resources Defense Council’s Brewers for Clean Water. The goal of the campaign is to raise awareness among other craft brewers about clean water issues and how the resource contributes to making great beer, Smack said.
Smack is one of many Nelson County residents who has expressed concerns at meetings, in letters to the editor, and in interviews about how the pipeline proposed by Dominion Resources could potentially affect water sources in the region.
Dominion representatives, meanwhile, have said the construction of the pipeline will not cause adverse impacts to water resources or cause any loss of water bodies including streams, creeks, rivers, lakes and wetlands.
Smack said he has expressed his concern with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as well as the Natural Resources Defense Council, agencies that Smack said seem sensitive to the issue and how it could potentially impact farmers.
The EPA declined to comment for this story.
Bill Hayden from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality said it is too early for the DEQ to comment directly on the proposed pipeline, as it has not yet been approved. Eventually, Dominion will submit applications for the DEQ to review.
Hayden said DEQ would require different permits that are designed to protect water quality.
“These would focus on potential effects on wetlands, or construction activities that could affect water quality through runoff or discharges,” he said.
Last month, Blue Mountain Brewery hosted a fundraiser to support the local group Friends of Nelson in opposition to the pipeline. On the same day, Nov. 14, Friends of Nelson submitted comments to the EPA in support of a proposed clarification to the Clean Water Act that would make it clear that wetlands and seasonal- and rain-dependant streams are covered by the act, said Joanna Salidis, a member of the group.
The comments also were submitted to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the regulatory body that ultimately would approve or deny construction of the pipeline.
The Clean Water Act regulates the discharging of pollutants into waters in the United States. Under this act, it is unlawful to discharge any pollutant into navigable water unless a permit is obtained, according to the EPA website.
“Despite Nelson’s vital mountains, forests, streams and rivers, the county is now in the bulls-eye of a major industrial infrastructure project by Dominion Transmission Inc.,” the letter reads. “The proposal to build the Atlantic Coast Pipeline… directly through Nelson County, is a threat to the county’s resources. Nelson County’s high number of steep slopes increases this concern. The county’s health and economy are dependent on our water, and the number one pollutant to surface waters is sediment.”
Dominion spokesman Chet Wade said the company takes the issue of water safety very seriously as to not harm anyone’s water source, whether it’s a home, business or brewery.
“We give everyone a high priority in that regard and we understand people’s concerns,” he said.
Randy Rogers, an environmental consultant who works with Dominion, said the construction of the pipeline will not cause permanent adverse impacts or the loss of any bodies of water.
“Dominion will implement best management practices and restore the construction right of way in all areas including where the pipeline crosses wetlands and streams,” Rogers said in an email. “Additionally, regulatory agencies, including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the various state agencies, such as the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, will regulate construction and restoration activities in streams and wetland activities.”
Rogers said many precautions are taken while installing pipelines under streams and water sources. In places where the pipeline crosses underneath a stream, it must be located a minimum of five feet below the streambed.
In agricultural areas, the pipeline must be a minimum of four feet below the ground, and in all other areas, the minimum is three feet below ground.
“We look at each crossing topographically,” Rogers said during an editorial board meeting with the Nelson County Times in November. “We look at the type of stream and make a determination as to how it’s crossed.”
Most streams will be crossed using a dry crossing technique such as a “dam and pump” method, Rogers said in a later interview.
“During a dam and pump crossing, the installation of the pipeline will occur in single, short duration event where the pipeline section to be installed is fabricated at streamside and made ready for installation to limit the duration of time the stream is temporarily impacted,” he said.
However, Smack isn’t convinced, saying that Dominion has no problem crossing protected wetlands and conservation easements because of their “size and financial power.”
“Not much sacred when money sets the laws.” Smack said. “But every American — Democrat and Republican — can appreciate that a for-profit company should not be able to take personal property from private citizens when the goal of the project is not verifiably for the common good.”
