Over the weekend, the dark water color in the James River in Botetourt was reminiscent of how the river looked 30 years ago, but it was not reminiscent of the pollution at that time.

Hundreds of river users were surprised Saturday and Sunday by the dark water and small patches of “foam” they were paddling and tubing through. The normally clear water makes the river bottom easy to see except in deeper water, but rocks at the surface were hidden by the dark water over the weekend, and the bottom, even at one or two feet, was invisible.

According to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the stained water was not a danger to humans nor to the fish and aquatic underpinnings that have made the Upper James River a “go to” for outdoor recreation in recent years.

The dark water is the result of “an operational upset” within the WestRock paper mill on the Jackson River in Covington. It was not a spill or release of any untreated material, according to Sam Hale, Water Compliance Manager for the DEQ’s Blue Ridge Regional Office in Roanoke.

Hale said in an email that late Tuesday, July 10 into the early morning hours of Wednesday, July 11, the paper mill had an operational upset.

During the episode, a process stream of spent pulping liquor (residual material from woodchips) that is normally collected and processed in the mill’s operations area was routed to the WestRock wastewater treatment plant (WTP).

“This material is high in color and organic material,” Hale said.  Based on the treatment plant process response, it became apparent that the daily five-day Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5) limit was likely to be exceeded, leading to the initial incident report to DEQ.

“Due to the normal river appearance (clear), the effect of the color was more visible on the river,” Hale said.

He noted that the dissolved oxygen levels were checked downstream and were well above the water quality standards.

“The notification indicated that no adverse environmental impacts were observed downstream immediately following the incident or subsequently,” Hale said in his email.

Due to concerns with the treatment plant process and the appearance of the river, as well as the potential for exceeding a permit limit, DEQ was contacted by WestRock on July 12 and 13 and had follow-up Monday morning.

As required by the mill’s permit, DEQ was notified within 24 hours when it became apparent that the BOD5 limit might be exceeded.  Follow-up to that notification indicates that treatment plant recovered on Thursday, July 12.

“Although some indications of elevated color and BOD5 remained, it is not expected that limits were exceeded on Thursday or since.  Treatment plant operational data since the event and for today (Monday) reportedly shows the treatment plant now operating at near normal conditions,” Hale said in the email.

Ann Regn, a spokesperson for DEQ, likened floating on the river to canoeing in a swamp where the water is tea-colored and a little bit acidic.

She said there were concerns that the oxygen level in the water would be affected since it is low this time of the year, but testing showed the oxygen levels were well above quality standards.

She said the slug of discolored water was moving slowly, and the water level in the river was low so the discolored water did not dissipate.

She noted, too, there were no concerns about the residual affects on aquatic life, and that DEQ biologists were monitoring the invertebrates, but didn’t see the discoloration as problematic.

Test results from a biological oxygen demand (BOD5) test taken last Wednesday were expected Tuesday (results were not available at press time). BOD5 is an index of the amount of oxygen that will be consumed by the decomposition of organic matter in wastewater over five days.

Twin River Outfitters’ owners said they didn’t appear to be affected by the discolored water over the weekend and hope it will not have an effect going forward. The river outfitters in Buchanan began to notice the discolored water Friday and notified the James River Association, and got confirmation of what caused it.