Officials hope that Groundwater Corrective Action program can be terminated in 2030
Newcomb said he expects to receive three comments from DEQ officials after they’ve reviewed data from the most recent round of sampling, the first regarding the location of the sentinel well, which was installed in 2011 on the property adjacent to the landfill.
County Supervisors heard two presentations at its Sept. 23 meeting, one of which focused on how the Floyd County Parks and Recreation Department can continue growing to better serve the community.
The first of the presentations was made by Program Manager and Senior Hydrogeologist Bill Newcomb of TRC Companies, which helps the county monitor levels of contaminants in groundwater surrounding the landfill.
Newcomb said compliance inspections are completed every quarter to measure how levels compare to Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) standards, and the DEQ is provided with updates every four years.
The Corrective Action process that has been in place for years, during which the groundwater “cleans itself up” through natural processes, is continuing to work, Newcomb said, and unless DEQ changes its standards, Floyd County should be able to terminate the Corrective Action program and monitoring in 2030.
There are a “handful” of compounds still exceeding standards, he noted, including vinyl chloride.
Mark J. Harris
Floyd County Farm Bureau
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335 E. Oxford St.
Floyd VA 24091
Newcomb said he expects to receive three comments from DEQ officials after they’ve reviewed data from the most recent round of sampling, the first regarding the location of the sentinel well, which was installed in 2011 on the property adjacent to the landfill.
The sentinel well detects solid waste impact on groundwater, and recent samples from it read that “we know there’s something there, but it’s not a concentration high enough that we can tell you how much is there,” Newcomb said.
Courthouse District Supervisor Jerry Booth said that is a sign “the natural filtration’s working,” and Newcomb agreed.
“Now,” Newcomb continued, “DEQ is saying that if you have solid waste impact to the well, you can’t call it a sentinel well.”
He said that TRC would have to “respectfully but technically justify” that the well is where it is supposed to be.
The second comment Newcomb expects to receive has to do with a terracotta pipe that was installed in the 1960s or 1970s and leads below the neighboring pond to ultimately discharge into a stream.
“At the discharge, we still see levels above the groundwater protection standards” for vinyl chloride, Newcomb said, with the stream reading three parts per million at the discharge, while the standard is two parts per million. He added that it dissipates within 10 feet of entering the stream.
“There’s not a whole lot of change from the last four years,” Newcomb said. “It’s getting better, just slowly.”
Newcomb said the third comment he expects from the DEQ is the suggestion of using Emulsified Vegetable Oil (EVO) and injecting it into the aquifers to “get it in contact with the ground water” to enhance the Corrective Action process.
He said that TRC will “evaluate the responses” that DEQ produces and “do what makes the most sense.”
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The second presentation made to the Board on Sept. 23 was by Jacob Agee, director of Floyd County Parks and Recreation (FCPR), who provided a recap of the past fiscal year and detailed his vision for the future of the department.
Agee said the number of youth sports participants was up by about 10% during FY 2025 for a total of 1,089 athletes on the fields and courts noted it was the first year FCPR played a major role in annual events around town, including the Fourth of July event and the Christmas parade.
While the department employs two full-time staff members (himself and Assistant Director Christian Whitt), they’ve had help from participants of the Access to Community College Education (ACCE) program (some of whom are recent Floyd County High School graduates) and other seasonal workers.
He said some of the young adults who have helped out this summer, including Nicholas Alley, Chase Keith, Jacob Smith, Colton Marshall, and Miles Baldwin, are “by-far some of the hardest workers” that the rec department has had in his time as director.
Assistant Director Whitt is in the process of developing a Youth Sports Handbook that FCPR hopes to be able to implement in the spring, Agee said, adding that Whitt has worked hard to build relationships with “coaches, parents and players,” which leads them to return season after season.
“They trust him,” Agee said.
Agee is open to the community’s and the Board’s ideas about how FCPR can continue better serving Floyd, he said, whether that be through expanding sports and senior offerings, developing water-based activities, or launching educational/historical programs in partnership with other community organizations.
He said he is incredibly thankful to have a renewed partnership with Floyd County Public Schools and to be able to help schools across the county with their individual fields.
“It’s a big deal for us…,” he said, adding it feels rewarding to use their expertise to benefit athletes at the high school and elementary schools, as well as at the rec park.
The fields at Check, Willis, Floyd, and Indian Valley elementary schools were “completely renovated,” Agee said, and each field was different. “We’re really proud of how they turned out.”
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Among additions/improvements to the rec park itself, Agee said, there are now three hitting lanes and battling cages, and there’s the potential to pour a multi-purpose concrete slab that could be used as a pickleball court.
He said FCPR will be hosting the 2029 Senior Games in partnership with the New River Valley Senior League Coalition and that he would like to put in a bid to host the NRV Superbowl next year.
“Moving forward,” Agee continued, “I think it’s really important for us to put our full haunches behind us when it comes to our facilities… I love this place, and I love what we have.”
Learn more about FCPR and its current offerings at www.floydcountyparksandrec.org.
More information about the Floyd County Board of Supervisors, its upcoming meetings, and recordings of past meetings, can be found online at www.floydcova.gov.
The next meeting of the Board is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 14.