Help stop pollution of the Maury River from the Goshen Scout Reservation

Competing Interests, Mutual Respect

There’s an undeniable tension between respect for the environment and respect for property rights. We wrestle with that tension all the time in our work on behalf of acceptable water quality in the Maury River and a tributary waterway, the Little Calfpasture River.

In 2010, Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) announced the approval of a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for sediment pollution in the short segment of the Little Calfpasture River situated between Lake Merriweather and the head of the Maury.

The TMDL process determines how much of a particular pollutant is allowed. If more than that amount is present it means the waterway—in this case, the Little Calfpasture River—cannot sustain aquatic life and therefore is “impaired.” The affected segment of Little Calf has been considered impaired since 1996.

In 2018, DEQ published a plan for implementing the approved TMDL. All stakeholders participated in the plan’s development. The plan recommends best management practices to reduce sediment, estimates the costs of those practices, and identifies sources of funding to help affected landowners make improvements.

Landowner compliance with TMDL recommendations, by law, is voluntary. This is where the tension between respect for property rights and respect for the environment comes into play.

Lake Merriweather, on the Goshen Scout Reservation, is a prime example.

Under the TMDL process, the landowner—the National Capital Area Council BSA, in Bethesda, Maryland—can’t be forced to implement the recommended best management practices. The scout council, in fact, has avoided taking remedial action for years.

Consequently, Rockbridge-area landowners, residents and visitors continue to bear witness to the slow decline of water quality in our treasured Scenic Maury River and its northern tributary, the Little Calfpasture. And we are progressively deprived of the Maury’s beneficial uses—fishing, swimming, boating, etc.—and what they mean to quality of life for ourselves, our children, and those who come after.

Maury River Alliance and Rockbridge Conservation find this situation unacceptable. It disrespects our local values of stewardship for natural resources, connection to nature, and celebration of outdoor life. It’s contrary to the values and culture of organized scouting. And it’s tragically short-sighted, particularly coming from an organization that provides virtually no local employment and has enjoyed the financial advantages of exemption from Rockbridge County property tax since 1960.

It’s high time to turn this situation around. That’s why Maury River Alliance volunteers are exploring all available avenues—scientific, technical, regulatory, political, legislative, legal—to create positive momentum, seek consensus on sustainable solutions, and exact the benefits that everyone should expect from the TMDL process. 

This website describes what MRA is doing and suggests ways you can help. We need as many voices as possible to help propel this initiative forward. Please tell others about us. Ask them to visit mauryriveralliance.org and add their voice too.