The Rivanna Conservation Society has a new plan to protect the river and you.
The organization created a poster explaining why car batteries in the Rivanna River are a pollution problem. According to the poster, they pulled dozens of car batteries out of the river in the last year - each of them containing one pound of sulfuric acid and eighteen pounds of lead.
"What we're hoping to do is let people know that while they take trash and it's easy for them to just get rid of it from their own perspective," Executive Director of the Rivanna Conservation Society Robbi Savage said, "from our perspective, it's polluting our water and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay."
A group of Jack Jouett Middle School students were at the Rivanna trail cleaning up this morning for their annual service day, but didn't recover any car batteries. Society members say while it's great to have students and organizations helping the environment, they should not be doing all of the work.
"It's not their job, it's yours. We all have a responsibility to take care of the water that we drink," Savage said. "It's our responsibility to the fish, it's our responsibility to nature and the wildlife, and its our responsibility as good citizens to take care of the water where we live."
Once chemicals from car batteries are in the river, they could be diluted in the water but they will never go away. Savage says the best thing for drivers to do is recycle batteries and all other auto parts.
Reported By NBC29 HD News
