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Aug. 25, 2023 Editor, The News-Gazette: On a recent sweltering August day, I headed over to Goshen Pass to spend some time cooling down in Rockbridge County’s premier swimming pool. It is a natural wonder, large enough for one to swim super long laps, and to accommodate as many people as can line up their cars along Va. 39.
It is clear enough to open your eyes underwater and see fishes and beautiful rocks of all colors. There is an outstanding water chute enjoyed by all, and the surrounding scenery is both dramatic and peaceful. Lie in the water and you can see birds gliding high in the sky, or climb on a rock and let the air and sun dry your skin. It is a giant nature made swimming pool.
Over my decades of visiting for a cool plunge, I have talked to locals, visitors, and people of all ages. We all love this place.
I did not get my swim mid-August. The river looked murky and uninviting. It was a bit of a mystery because murkiness is a condition I associate with heavy rains up the watershed; however, water levels were low.
Reading the letters in the Aug. 23 issue of The News-Gazette, I learned why the water was murky, a release from the Lake Merriweather dam.
After reading the N-G article, I became further confused. Hot and dry conditions are exactly when people visit the river! Releasing sediment from the lake at low water would concentrate sediment levels, and degrade water quality.
Why does the drainage of the lake supersede use of the river by recreational users, and who is in charge of monitoring downstream impacts to the river’s wildlife residents? LAURA NEALE Fairfield
