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April 1, 2024 Editor, The News-Gazette: I love the Maury and I love Goshen Pass. I’ve been canoeing the river there for over 35 years and been fortunate enough to live near it for over 20. Both are gems we should not take for granted. Kayakers and canoeists come from across the state and across state lines to run the challenging rapids. Other visitors come simply for the beauty and serenity of the place. Local folks fish, hike, hunt and picnic there.
I have seen the pollution coming from the Little Calfpasture River below the dam at Lake Meriwether for decades. It came to many others’ attentions last August when the Goshen dam released into a dreadfully low Calfpasture River (the confluence of the two rivers form the Maury River).
The dam and lake are owned and operated by the D.C. National Capital Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. The Scouts have been releasing vast amounts of sediment pollution, causing all sorts of problems downstream.
The discoloration of the river at the confluence is shocking to see from the swinging bridge at the top of the Pass. It seems to have changed this past year nowappearing more turbid and even greenish in color. Plants lose life-giving sunshine due to sediment concentration. Algae suppresses oxygen causing aquatic habitat destruction. Fish and wildlife populations decline from starvation and disease.
For me, it makes it harder to see rocks as I paddle, and as fishermen have noted, the rocks are slippery when trying to walk in and along the river. The river is less esthetically pleasing to look at or be in.
These are just some of the concerns many local citizens are trying to bring to the surface in a public forum sponsored by the Maury River Alliance. I hope all those who love the Maury River will come out on Tuesday, April 16, 6 p.m., to the Rockbridge Baths Volunteers Fire Department on Va. 39 in beautiful downtown Rockbridge Baths, to learn about the Goshen Scout Reservation lake and dam and their impact on the health of the river. ALICIA JAHSMANN Rockbridge Baths
