Commentary

Soon after my first election to the House of Delegates in 1977 I learned that the fish in the Shenandoah River where I had gone swimming almost every summer day when I grew up were unfit for human consumption. Fortunately Timothy and David and I had not caught any fish on a trip that we made to visit my parents just north of the town of Shenandoah a couple of weeks after my election. A neighbor told us the news: the State Health Department closed the river to fishing because of the high levels of mercury in the fish. My efforts to get the Health Department to post a sign by the river to warn other unsuspecting fishermen from outside the region were thwarted by Tidewater area legislators who were concerned about bringing attention to kepone in the James River and adversely affecting the sale of Virginia seafood.
 
Sadly, three decades later fish in the Shenandoah are still not edible. The mercury content remains high. Recent research conducted by students at the College of William and May indicates that high levels of mercury can now be found in birds in the region. All that mercury remains from a manufacturing plant that operated upstream nearly a half century ago. There is no feasible way to clean the mercury from the sediment at the bottom of the river.
 
In recent years fish in the Shenandoah have died in great numbers during the heat of the summer. Mercury is not the cause of the lesions that are found on the fish in this and other rivers in Virginia. Something else is killing them.
 
Recently the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality added over a thousand more miles to the impaired stream designation in the state bringing the miles of impaired streams to more than 10,000 and the impaired lakes and reservoirs to more than 94,000 acres. Some of these additions do not mean that more streams are getting dirtier; we are doing a better job of evaluating all streams. Professionals have been assisted for years by volunteers who monitor the biological health of our streams through the Save Our Streams Program.
 
Many of those rivers and streams including the ones from the Valley flow into the Potomac River and into the Chesapeake Bay that has been fighting for its life for decades. Once again this summer there are likely to be "dead zones" in the Bay where nutrients from runoff of developments in the region result in plant growth that takes up all the oxygen in spots in the Bay. This past legislative session the General Assembly worked with environmentalists and members of the farming community to provide grants to farmers to adopt best management practices to keep animal waste out of the streams.
 
Losing or impairing critical resources like our water supply can be difficult and sometimes impossible to reverse. No one likes government regulation, but in the case of protecting our water supply appropriate regulation is critically important. Strong public policy through legislation and regulation that ensures that there are safe drops of water to drink in the future has my strongest support.

Delegate Ken Plum's Weekly "Virginia Report"
on Reston Comcast Channel 28

Announcements

Lane closures on Route 7 in Tysons Corner will take place, weather permitting, from approximately 9:30 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. through tomorrow night, July 31, on westbound Route 7 from Route 123 to the entrance to the Frontage Road, opposite Marshall's Drive, and eastbound Route 7 from Route 123 to Marshall's Drive. Lane closures will allow installation of a 12" water line as part of utility relocation in preparation for the Dulles Rail project. Motorists should stay alert for changing routes. Signs and construction barrels will be placed in the area to alert motorists to traffic pattern changes on Route 7 and the Frontage Road. 
 
The Virginia Department of Business Assistance has launched a "One Stop" system to walk entrepreneurs through a "wizard" process, asking them questions about the type of business they will operate. Based on their responses, the system generates pre-filed business registration forms (including LLC-1011 Articles of Organization of a Domestic LLC, cc1050 Fictitious Name Filing and ST-10 Sales and Use Tax Exemption for Retailers), as well as a customized list of Action Items the entrepreneur can use as a checklist to ensure compliance with the various federal, state, and local requirements affecting their business. Visit Business One Stop at www.business.virginia.gov.
 
Put yourself in the center of colonial history in Fairfax County. Fairfax County positions you perfectly for a walk through the centuries. Visit www.fxva.com to learn about George Washington's Distillery and Gristmill, Mount Vernon, the Claude Moore Colonial Farm, and much more. 
 
Fairfax County officials have found an infestation of emerald ash borers in the Herndon area. These insects are a serious threat to ash trees across the county. They have killed more than 20 million ashes in the Midwest. Homeowners are asked to report ash trees that are dead or dying by calling the Fairfax County Forest Pest Program at 703.324.5304, TTY 711.

Calendar of Events

The Fairfax County 4-H Fair is at Frying Pan Farm Park August 2 and 3, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.This year's fair will feature a pie eating contest, live entertainment, rides and amusements, wagon rides, blacksmith demonstrations, Civil War Reenactors, crafters, and much more. Parking is $5.00. Frying Pan Farm Park is located at 2709 West Ox Road. For more information, call 703.324.5369.
 
There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday, August 4, 8:30 a.m. to mark the completion of the green roof on the top of the Herrity Building parking garage at the Fairfax County Government Center. All who are interested in showing their support for green building are welcome to attend. Call Irene Haske at 703.324.5821 for more information.

Attend the Fifth Annual Asian Festival on August 9 and 10 at Lake Newport Tennis Park, 11452 Baron Cameron Avenue. Off-site parking with free shuttle service will be available at 1930 Isaac Newton Square, Reston. Traditional foods from over 25 well-known local Asian restaurants will be available, as well as arts and crafts, live music, stage performances, Asian Idol singing contest, martial arts demonstrations, special activities for children, and much more. Visit www.AsianFestivalDC.com. 

Reston Association will thank its volunteers with a poolside cookout on Wednesday, August 13, 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Glade Pool, 11550 Glade Drive, Reston. Enjoy carnival style food, music, games, great door prizes and more. RSVP by August 1 to Ha Brock at habrock@reston.org or 703.435.7986. Rain date is August 14.

Attend Pioneer Network's 8th National Conference, "A Call to Action," on Thursday, August 21, 2008. This conference will offer concurrent sessions about issues and experiences dealing with long term care. For more information about changing the culture of aging and long term care of elders in America, and to register for the National Conference, visit www.pioneernetwork.net

A Restoration Celebration will be held at Montpelier, home of James and Dolley Madison, on Constitution Day, September 17, 2008, beginning at 11:00 a.m. to observe the completion of the architectural restoration of Madison's lifelong home. Festivities will include appearances by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, Jim Lehrer of The News Hour, a "Living Flag" with 2,500 school children, the U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, a special appearance by James and Dolley Madison, and more. Food vendors will be available; admission is free. Visit www.montpelier.org for more information about this and other events at Montpelier.

Join Volunteer Fairfax at VolunteerFest on Saturday, October 25 for its 14th annual Fairfax area day of service. VolunteerFest is a region-wide day of community service held in conjunction with National Make a Difference Day. VolunteerFest mobilizes hundreds of volunteers to help nonprofits accomplish tasks that they would not hve the time, resources, or ability to do on their own. The deadline for project proposals is August 15. For more information contact Christine Morrison at cmorrison@volunteerfairfax.org or 703.246.3727.

Authorized and Paid for by Kenneth R. Plum

Delegate Kenneth R. Plum | 2073 Cobblestone Lane | Reston | VA | 20191