Acid rain eats away at Virginia streams

Water samples were taken from 344 different brook trout streams in Virginia for the study

By Environmental News Network staff

The data is in and the picture isn't pretty from the Virginia Trout Stream Sensitivity Study.

Water samples collected by anglers around the state confirm a grim truth: Acid rain continues to degrade Virginia's streams, endangering fish, especially brook trout, Virginia's state fish.

Despite a handful water quality improvements in several of the streams that were sampled, the research suggests that acidification continues to cause biological harm to most Virginia trout streams.

"It's like death by a thousand cuts," said Leon Szeptycki of Trout Unlimited. "We now have 13 years of state-of-the-art, scientific data indicating that Virginia streams continue to be slowly eaten away by acid rain."

In a massive volunteer effort launched in April, anglers collected 452 water samples across the state for the study, which was conducted by the University of Virginia's Department of Environmental Sciences.

The Virginia Council of Trout Unlimited coordinated the on-site, volunteer effort.

The burning of fossil fuels such as coal in power plants is the primary cause of acid rain. These emissions prompt reactions in the atmosphere, and the chemicals bind with moisture, creating a solution of sulfuric acid and nitric acid that falls to Earth as rain or snow.

Susie Maben, laboratory manager for the Virginia Trout Stream Sensitivity Study, directed the processing and packaging of acid rain samples

The results are prompting Virginia conservationists to question whether the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act are enough to protect the delicate piscine ecosystem.

"While the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act may have slowed acidification, it appears they cannot provide enough protection to stop the biological damage caused by acid rain. These results confirm that we will continue to lose streams in Virginia," said Szeptycki.

The study re-examined 344 Virginia brook trout streams sampled in 1987 to determine changes in acidity levels. In addition, UVA scientists compared this year's water samples to 48 quarterly samples collected over 12 years from 60 geographically diverse streams included in the 1987 and 2000 surveys.

Based on this data, UVA scientists concluded the following:

• Acidification is continuing in most Virginia brook trout streams. Of 58 streams monitored on a quarterly basis for 12 years, acid levels decreased in 15 streams and increased in 43 streams.



• A comparison of the 1987 and 2000 surveys suggests that the recent reduction in sulfur dioxide has slowed the overall degradation of Virginia's mountain streams. However, the number of acidic streams (those in which lethal or near-lethal effects on brook trout are expected) in the state has increased.

Most of Virginia's brook trout streams possess a natural but limited ability to neutralize acid formed by nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide. Watersheds above limestone bedrock have virtually unlimited acid neutralizing capacity, but watersheds with other types of bedrock eventually use up their ANC when subjected to continuous acid rain.

As this capacity is used up, watersheds are subjected to "acid pulses" during rainstorms and snowmelt — water too acidic for a stream to neutralize quickly. That, in turn, kills trout and other fish as well as insects and other components of the ecosystem. A once-healthy stream can deteriorate rapidly once its neutralizing capacity is expended.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Park Service funded the study, which will supply scientists with critical data to evaluate current environmental standards.

Copyright 2000, Environmental News Network, All Rights Reserved

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Virginia's state fish
Trout Unlimited
  • how acid rain affects America's cold water fisheries
University of Virginia's Department of Environmental Sciences
1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act
VTSSS2000
results of the VTSSS study
Acid Rain Program

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