The gateway to the Northern Neck and its adjoining streams are contaminated with fecal bacteria.

But the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality is creating a plan to clean the polluted waterways - the Upper Rappahannock River, Piscataway Creek, Little Carter Creek, Jugs Creek, Mark Haven Beach and Garret's Marina.

"There is a bacteria impairment in the waterways," said Margaret Smigo, plan coordinator for DEQ, at the first of a series of public meetings regarding cleaning the watershed.

DEQ, along with other state government agencies and a private firm, are utilizing samples taken by the Virginia Department of Health from the waterways over more than 10 years to compile data and create a Total Maximum Daily Load Implementation plan.

A Total Maximum Daily Load, or TMDL, is "the total amount of a pollutant a water body can contain and still meet water quality standards," according to literature distributed at the meeting on September 30 in Tappahannock.

According to Smigo, the TMDL plan will help restore the quality of the watershed so that shellfish can be grown and harvested without fear of illness.

"The plan is to accomplish one objective," raise the water quality in the Rappahannock watershed, said Raed EL-Farhan, of the Louis Berger Group, the firm contracted to do the study and help develop the TMDL.

The study measures the amount of bacteria in the water, classifies the type of contaminant and then determines its source, to prevent further pollution.

The samples taken, from January 25, 1999 to July 29, 2009, found an average of 14 fecal coliform colony-forming units per 1,000 milliliters of water.

Simply put, among the sites studied, the samples taken had an average of nearly 53 fecal matter bacterial growths per gallon of water.

EL-Farhan explained the four likely sources of contamination include humans by way of septic systems and straight pipes, livestock, wildlife, pets and permitted facilities.

But the study is still in the "early stages" and relies in large part on input from the public, Smigo explained to the group of 11 people at the Old Beale Memorial Baptist Church in Tappahannock. Five of those worked for the Louis Berger Group or government agencies.

Starting the day of the meeting, DEQ opened a 30-day public comment period for people with knowledge of the targeted watershed areas to provide insight in the data provided.

A similar comment period will be allotted after each public meeting regarding the TMDL plan, Smigo said.

The study utilizes national data to estimate the number of people, households, livestock, pets and septic systems, but these numbers may be over or underestimated. DEQ looks to the public to provide help with adjusting these numbers to better meet actual figures.

"If you have any information, by all means let us know," EL-Farhan said.

TMDL plans have drastically improved water quality elsewhere in Virginia, according to Smigo and EL-Farhan.

"We've seen a lot of success with the TMDL process," EL-Farhan said. Waterways that once had restrictions or bans on shellfish harvesting have had them lifted after implementing a TMDL, he added.

The TMDL is necessary to maintain public health safety in regards to shellfish, Smigo said. Oysters, which feed by filtering water, can become contaminated by the polluted waters, causing illness if eaten.

"When we harvest shellfish and they are sold to the public, they can get sick," she explained. "You might not want to eat them and you definitely don't want to eat them raw."

During the meeting, some of the data used to determine pollutant sources came under fire.

The number of pigs in Essex County is greatly over-estimated, said one man in the audience.

The data is "as accurate as can be," said Carroll VanLandingham of the Virginia Department of Health Division of Shellfish Sanitation Whitestone office.

But some pollutant sources are not controllable, VanLandingham added.

"I don't know what you're going to do about wildlife."

The series' second meeting has not yet been scheduled.

For more information on the TMDL and to leave comments visit www.deq.virginia.gov or contact Margaret Smigo by phone at (804)527-5124 or by E-mail at Margaret.Smigo@deg.virginia.gov.