July 18, 2024
Media Contact: Brookie Crawford, brookie.crawford@vdh.virginia.gov
VDH Lifts Portion of Recreational Water, Fish Consumption Advisories for Meherrin River
Advisories Remain in Place for Mountain Creek, Dockery Creek, Roanoke River to Lake Gaston
RICHMOND, Va. – The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is lifting portions of the recreational water and fish consumption advisories issued in response to a chemical storage facility fire on July 6. The portion of the advisory being lifted is for a section of the Meherrin River that starts at Route 138 (Union Mill Road) flowing Southeast through the Town of Lawrenceville and the City of Emporia to the North Carolina state line.
The advisory is being lifted for this section of river because the presence of chemicals is no longer at levels that pose a health risk. The concentrations of chemicals in the waterways have diluted due to recent rainfall as it has traveled downstream.
The recreational and fishing advisories will remain in place for the headwaters of Mountain Creek near South Hill to the Meherrin River at Route 138 (Union Mill Road). Additionally, the advisory also remains in place for the headwaters of Dockery Creek to its confluence with the Roanoke River to the south and extends to the North Carolina State line which includes portions of Lake Gaston. For the safety of people and pets, VDH is advising that recreational water activities, such as swimming, wading, tubing, canoeing, kayaking, and boating should be avoided in the area still under recreational water and fish consumption advisories. VDH recommends not consuming any fish taken from these waterways under the current advisory effective Saturday, July 6 until further notice.
The advisories were issued out of an abundance of caution due to runoff from water used to extinguish an industrial fire in South Hill Saturday, July 6. Chemicals stored at the facility include fuel, fertilizers, herbicides, and many others. For updates on the situation, please visit the Department of Environmental Quality website.
VDH and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality are actively monitoring the situation. Due to the variety of chemicals involved VDH is still learning what adverse health effects someone may experience. Ingesting, touching, or breathing chemicals released during the incident are ways the public may be exposed. It is advised to stay away from the impacted area and the areas under advisory, and to contact your medical practitioner if you feel like you have been affected.
To prevent recreational water illnesses due to exposure to chemical release events, people should:
- Avoid contact with the waterbodies noted above and observe advisory signage posted at waterbody access points.
- Avoid any area of the waterbody where there is water with a foul or chemical odor, dead or dying fish, or discolored water.
- Promptly wash skin with soap and water if you cannot avoid contact with water in the vicinity.
- Rinse or wash items that come into contact with the water, including clothing, fishing gear, life vests, ropes and paddles.
- Seek medical care and notify your practitioner of the waterbody exposure if you experience adverse health effects after contact with the waterbody.
For more information on recreational water safety, visit www.SwimHealthyVA.com.
For additional questions, contact VDH’s Call Center at 877-829-4682 (Option 2), The VDH Call Center is available Monday–Friday (except holidays) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
# # #