WKRK 105.5 FM 1320 AM
  • Home
  • News
  • Weather
  • Closings & Traffic
  • Missing Pets
  • Shop Local
  • Contact Us

What looks like dumping is actually fighting pollution

5/23/2019

 
Picture
Adding limestone to streams reversed the effects of acid rain
Robbinsville, NC- May 23, 2019 - You can't always believe what you see. The water in our mountain streams is sometimes polluted even though it appears crystal clear. And sometimes what looks like pollution is actually fighting the effects of pollution.

Acid rain looks just like regular rain. It occurs when rainwater falling through the sky picks up tiny pollutants like atmospheric sulfur from industrial plants. When acid rain makes it way to streams, it increases the acidity of the water which can be harmful to fish.

Jason Farmer, U.S. Forest Service fisheries biologist, was part of a team that reversed the effects of acid rain on streams in the Upper Santeetlah watershed. Just like a gardener in western North Carolina adds lime to our naturally acidic soils, Jason added limestone to neutralize the acidity of stream water. The streams were monitored to check the pH, a scale of acidity.

"After adding limestone to Sand Creek and Wolf Laurel Branch, our monitoring showed that pH levels were restored to pre-industrial conditions. This will help sustain a healthy population of brook trout, the only trout native to western North Carolina," said Farmer, who works on the Cheoah Ranger District of the Nantahala National Forest.

Farmer also monitored the physical attributes and fish and aquatic salamander habitat of the stream channel after liming and found no negative effects.

This was a cooperative project between the U.S. Forest Service and North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. It received significant financial assistance from the Tennessee Valley Authority and Duke Energy.

Farmer's efforts recently earned him the North Carolina Council of Trout Unlimited (NCTU) President's Award for Outstanding Work.

"We were impressed by this outside-the-box but simple common-sense solution. The potential to fight acid deposition by targeting it just before it hits the stream - sort of like setting the hook right before the take - both struck a chord with us and is an example of the kind of work Jason has consistently presented at almost every meeting I've attended," said Rusty Berrier, NCTU's National Leadership Representative.


Follow the National Forests in North Carolina on Facebook (www.facebook.com/nfsnc) or Twitter (twitter.com/NFsNCarolina) for more news and features.
Feel free to share any post from the WKRK website that you feel is beneficial to your community. We encourage input from local law enforcement, government officials, emergency management officials, schools and other public service organizations. To send us information, use the form on our Contact Us page.

Comments are closed.

    Archives

    October 2022
    September 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015


    RSS Feed

  • Home
  • News
  • Weather
  • Closings & Traffic
  • Missing Pets
  • Shop Local
  • Contact Us