On September 5, 2023, members of the Jackson River Preservation Association, Inc. (JRPA) met with representatives of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR), the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and riparian landowners above Covington, to talk about erosion damage caused by the “Pulses” which are being released by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE) from the Gathright Dam.
JRPA president, Bill Wilson, said that increasingly over the last few years he has been receiving complaints from landowners along the river about alarming amounts of land being washed downstream from their properties because of the “Pulses.” The “Pulses” are releases of 3,500 cubic feet per second (cfs) from the Dam, once of month, five or six times a year, beginning in June of each year and ending in October. They are designed to flush out an algae accumulation below WestRock Corporation in Covington.
The group visited the properties of Lela and Carl Behrens, Mike and Ellen Collins, and Whitman Ellis, just south of Petticoat Junction, before traveling just upstream to the farm of Anne Wright, where they had lunch.
After lunch, there was a general discussion of what might be done about the problem. According to Steve Reeser, DWR Fisheries Biologist, he plans to co-ordinate with members of his department, representatives of DEQ, representatives of the USACOE, and others, to accomplish the following:
- Create a better working relationship with JRPA members, landowners and other “stakeholders,” with the goal of keeping them better informed regarding the “Pulses” and the general operation of the Dam.
- Receive more information from WestRock about its water treatment facilities and its plans for improving those facilities.
- Better advise the public about the timing of the “Pulse” releases and the dangers involved.
- Attempt to quantify the erosion damage being caused by the “Pulses” and the options that might be available to what is being done at present.
- Check with the USACOE to see if they have “climate resiliency” plans that might be helpful.
- Have a “stakeholders” meeting in late winter or early spring to give a status report.
Several JRPA members proposed that DEQ and DWR representatives be taken on a float trip so they can see the extent of the erosion damages firsthand. That proposal is being considered.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Wilson thanked everyone for coming and said, “This Erosion issue has become a big deal. Landowners from the Dam downstream are complaining, with increased frequency, about the dramatic erosion damage to their properties. They are sympathetic to WestRock’s problem but they ask me why they should be required to pay the price for that when they get no benefit. Each year, the “Pulses” take more of their property. Soil and other debris, like trees, simply washes away, headed to the Chesapeake Bay. It is encouraging to me that so many representatives of our regulatory agencies have appeared here today to seriously address these complaints. I am hopeful that, working together, we can solve the problem.”
The JRPA is a non-profit, 501©(3) Corporation that has been in existence since 2014. It is all about the protection and preservation of the Jackson River. Those who may be interested in joining should send a check for $20.00, per person, to Lang Wilson, Secretary/Treasurer of JRPA, P. O. Box 590, Covington, Virginia, 24426. Please include your address, telephone number and email.
