Storm Ditches on the Blackwater/Nottoway
By Jeff Turner, Blackwater/Nottoway Riverkeeper
Jeff Turner’s hometown of Franklin, Virginia, sits on the bank of the Blackwater River. The city is relatively small with a population of about 9,000 people, a small percentage of whom are the source of the majority of trash in local streams. Turner says the problem begins with the fact that the city has open stormwater ditches. These large, open ditches are the primary channels for moving stormwater out of the town and into the river. The ditches also convey trash, at times a 1/2 mile slick of garbage and bottles, directly into the river.

The two stormwater ditches run through the city, eventually converging into one canal that leads to the river. The river at that point is only about 50 yards wide. Turner has seen the entire river from shore to shore covered in trash. The worst times are in the summertime. “The first real big frog choker flushes the trash into the river,” says Turner. “When we do not get a big rain for a while, the trash piles. Sometimes after a really big rain the wall of water coming out of this canal is three feet high. You can’t believe the stuff that comes out of there. Cans, bottles and food containers make up the bulk of these nasty slicks, but I have even seen the water carrying trashcans – the big ones like the city uses, big enough that you could put a cow in it!”

Turner has picked up dozens of basketballs, footballs, and tennis balls, every kind of ball you can imagine. But what concerns Turner are the syringes, condoms and other personal items that fish are not supposed to see. “See, I consider this river to be my baby. I’m entitled to because I look after it and pick up after it like a baby. I have asked city officials so many times to fix this problem. I bet there have been 20 articles written in the local paper and several in larger papers about the problem. Yet the city has failed miserably in addressing this issue.”

The city made some progress on the Northern ditch by building two retention ponds. Turner says now they just need to install a boom or skimmer to pick up the trash of the ponds. They tried making a homemade grate made out of rebar, but all that did was clog up and flood the city streets with stormwater and trash. Turner says the city now needs to put a retention pond on the South ditch, and use one of the many different methods now available to remove the trash, “It would make the river so much more attractive, healthier to wildlife and would get me off their back.” He’s tired of spending his time riding them. But he’s not even close to stopping. “I guess what really gripes me is that the city could correct the problem without spending millions of dollars.”

The city is thinking of building a downtown boat ramp on the river for better access for locals and to draw out of town people, maybe even bass tournaments, sightseers and nature lovers. Next to the proposed boat ramp, the boardwalk in downtown Franklin is a place where the city holds outdoor concerts in the summer. Senior citizens walk along the river and parents teach their children how to cast a fishing lure. In a little kiosk beside the river a historical plaque showcases how the town grew up next to the river. Turner gets serious. “The river raised up Franklin and took care of it when it was young. With the river’s health failing, I think it’s time for the grown-up Franklin to now take care of the river, the one we call Blackwater.”