NEWFANE — Not only are infrastructures and people hurting after Tropical Storm Irene, our rivers were also injured when entrapped in manmade obstacles, unable to overflow their banks to do what water does in a watershed: find its lowest level.
The rushing water swept hazardous waste into the rivers and streams, and we no longer know how safe it is for people to use the waters for recreation.
The banks of the rivers have lost their tree dressings and consequently their tourist appeal. We want tourists to come to Vermont, but more importantly, we want to enjoy our own rivers and streams.
SeVWA, a nonprofit organization, has helped to report the health of our rivers in southeastern Vermont, within the area that the watershed planners call Basin 11.
We implemented what has become our flagship program, our water quality monitoring program (WQMP), in 2003, and we have continued it each year, except 2009, when funding was cut for the testing of the water samples.
Through the consistent testing, done by volunteers and paid coordinators, the results have given baseline data of the health of Basin 11.
As hot spots became evident, we were able to provide data to the Agency of Natural Resources, and joint efforts have been taken to determine why there are high levels of E. coli in certain swimming holes.
Throughout the summer, the E. coli results are posted and run in the newspapers to let people know if it is safe to swim in their local swimming holes.
Unfortunately, the baseline data now needs to be started from scratch. We have no idea what Tropical Storm Irene's flood waters deposited into the streams.
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SeVWA's board of directors is anxious to continue with the water quality monitoring program. We have applied for grants, but were denied a Vermont Strong license-plate grant because our work was going to be accomplished mainly by volunteers. We normally do most of our work with volunteers. We did get funding from the ANR's LaRosa Laboratory Volunteer Monitoring Analytical Grants Project, which will help cover the actual lab work for the testing.
Our five-member board is made up of people who have full-time jobs. We don't want the organization to die, but we need two different things: money and a director.
To do a decent job with only the WQMP, we need to raise $10,000. This amount doesn't allow us wiggle room to do other projects, especially educational ones. To be able to hire at least a part-time director will take lots more money: another $10,000 minimum. We also need to design a website.
When Gov. Peter Shumlin asked Vermonters to clean up the riverways on Oct. 22 as a sister date to Green Up Day, I contacted members of SeVWA and the Rock River Preservation group, and I put a notice on the clean-up day's website.
We had about 20 people cleaning up about a quarter-mile section of the Rock River just after the Williamsville covered bridge heading to South Newfane. This area was a major depository of manufactured debris that came from the floodwaters.
This was where we got our hands dirty, amazed at the loss of personal items by the flood victims. We tugged debris to the side of the road, but then had no one to collect it.
As a member of the Selectboard, I got hassled somewhat for initiating the endeavor but not cleaning up the debris (though I blamed Governor Shumlin). Finally, I called in a rubbish removal company and pitched in with actual debris removal along with just a few others.
When the bill came in, we had no one offering to pay for it, so the Town of Newfane paid the bill, even though several people called the governor's office. No money was forthcoming to do what Governor Shumlin had asked us Vermonters to do. We will willingly clean up the rivers and streams, but we don't have the resources to get the debris carted away.
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Our organization also sees the need to beautify the roadsides. We need money to purchase and then plant trees and shrubs. We also desperately need to get rid of tree debris.
SeVWA understands that we do not want every branch and twig removed. We need fish habitat; we need a way for the rivers to meander, but the 12-foot tree-debris piles lacing the banks are essentially ugly and won't attract tourists or enable residents to enjoy their views from their front porches.
And in April, SeVWA celebrated its first decade of service with a River Resources Rendezvous in Williamsville Hall - the same hall where we in Newfane opened a Help Center right after Irene, where we met to eat together and share information.
We invite you to get in touch with us to find out how you can be involved in protecting the health of the watersheds of the West River, Saxtons River, Williams River, Whetstone Brook, and all the streams that feed in to them.