This Is What Environmental Negligence Looks Like in Warren County

What would you call it if someone dumped ammonia, sewage sludge, and bacteria into the Shenandoah River for two years straight, got caught red-handed trying to cover it up, and then kept doing it?

I’d call it a disgusting disregard for our community. But in Warren County, we call it Christendom College.

Since 2022, Christendom has been cited by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for repeatedly polluting the river. They discharged toxic ammonia at levels up to 20 times over the legal limit. DEQ inspectors found five inches of sludge coating the riverbed and caught Christendom staff spraying foam into the stream to hide the pollution. They never reported the discharge—even though the law requires it within 24 hours.

All of this comes directly from official DEQ records—inspection reports, violation notices, and a signed consent order. These documents are part of the public record, but most in the community have never seen or heard about them.

DEQ calculated a civil fine of $22,548.37, but because Christendom admitted to it, the state gave them a discount. Their final penalty? Just $15,783.86.

And the public never knew. The deal was signed quietly in September 2023. There was a 30-day public comment period, but no one was notified. Unless you were watching a state regulatory bulletin, you wouldn’t have had any idea.

Gene Kilby, a Warren County resident, personally contacted John Stanmeyer, the Supervisor for the Shenandoah District in which he resides—and received no response. Meanwhile, Christendom quietly asked their political allies on the Board of Supervisors to help them dump the problem on the town’s infrastructure—without ever answering for the damage they caused. That request alone confirms what DEQ already documented: their system had failed.

Worse still? The river is not properly posted to warn the public of contamination. That’s a major public health risk—and it exposes the county to serious legal liability if someone gets sick, injured, or worse.

This won’t help tourism. It won’t help our economy. And it sure as hell doesn’t help the people who swim, fish, paddle, or live downstream.

And maybe that’s the point—Christendom isn’t invested in this community. They’ve made that clear with every violation, every cover-up, and every request to shift the problem onto someone else’s back.

While the two candidates backed Christendom’s campaign on “protecting the Shenandoah River,” the college itself has spent years poisoning it—and lying to the community.

We deserve better. The Shenandoah isn’t a dumping ground. It’s ours. Anyone who pollutes it, hides it, and refuses to take real responsibility doesn’t deserve our vote.

This is environmental negligence, sanctioned by silence. And now that this information is public, every candidate backed by Christendom has a choice: speak up—or stay silent. Either way, the community is watching.

Kris Nelson
Front Royal, VA

Documentation attached
_124-1 Christendom, ERP Addendum 6 _124-1 Christendom, ERP 2.27.2023 _123-1 Christendom, NOV 11.29.2022 _123-1 Christendom, NOV 11.4.2022 (1) _123-1 Christendom, NOV 5.31.2024 (1) _123-1 Christendom, NOV 3.14.2023 _123-1 Christendom, NOV 1.26.2023 _128-2 Christendom, TransmittalofExecutedConsentOrder

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