Virginia health officials lift recreation ban on Pound River

Five years after it was posted by state health officials due to a raw sewage discharge from a nearby plant, an entry ban into the Pound River has been lifted after the agency deemed it safe for recreation and other uses.

A new report from the Dept. of Environmental Quality says testing conducted on bacteria levels downstream shows filtration operations after repairs by the Wise County Public Service Authority are working properly.

The sewage problem prompted legal threats from neighboring Dickenson County to have the Wise PSA take over ownership of the town of Pound’s water system due to potential threats to their drinking water and repeated health violations at the Pound plant.

The advisory is lifted from the stretch of river flowing from Skeetrock Bridge to the Flannagan Reservoir.

(IMAGE: Property of Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources)