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Hurricane Prompts Concerns Over Agriculture Runoff From Poultry Waste

Heavy rain is expected to cause high water and debris in the The Yadkin River. KERI BROWN/WFDD

Environmentalists are urging people to stay off the Yadkin River now, and in the days following Hurricane Florence because of tree debris and high water.

They're also concerned about runoff from agricultural fields - especially poultry.

“Right now, our concern is that the spreading would have been done within the last few weeks before this hurricane was showing up as a big threat, and then obviously a possible rush to get any overflows spread before it gets here, so that their not having to be deal with it onsite,” says Brian Fanon, the Yadkin Riverkeeper.

The Yadkin Riverkeeper is monitoring river levels and keeping an eye on possible changes in water quality from the storm.

Small amounts of industrial components could come in, but really our big worry here is manure, waste material  pushing up those nutrient loads and bacteria loads.”

Fannon says he will take samples after the storm to measure the amount of fecal material in the water. He encourages those who use the Yadkin River for recreation to wash their hands and shower after activities.

*Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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