The James River watershed is about 10,432 square miles (6.5 million acres). The James River’s headwaters are located in the mountains of Virginia — in Bath and Highland Counties — and the river empties into the Chesapeake Bay at Hampton Roads.
The James River is 340 miles long, and its watershed comprises about 24 percent of Virginia, 42 percent of the Virginia Chesapeake Bay watershed, and about 15 percent of the entire Chesapeake Bay basin. It is the third largest tributary of the Chesapeake Bay
About 1/3 of Virginia’s total population lives in the James River watershed, or about 2.5 million people. The James River receives the highest nutrient inputs of any river in Virginia, mostly from sewage treatment plants (STPs) and industrial discharges, but also in lesser amounts from agricultural and urban runoff. With 21 significant municipal dischargers and 28 major industrial dischargers, the James River is stressed by a combination of pollutants, including nutrients, toxics and bacteria. Over the years, the productivity of its fisheries, such as shad and striped bass, declined dramatically, rebounding only recently due to habitat enhancement, restocking efforts, fishing restrictions and the provision of fish passages through five dams in Richmond. However, more than 53,000 acres of once productive shellfish beds are now closed.
The James River watershed is predominantly forested. About 71 percent of the watershed is forested, 23 percent is agricultural, and 6 percent is urban. Nearly 15 percent of the watershed is protected by designated wildlife areas, parks, and national forests.
The total number of farm acres, including both pastureland and cropland within the watershed has decreased from almost 3 million acres in 1978 to approximately 2.6 million acres in 1997.
Approximately 72 percent of the phosphorus and 62 percent of the nitrogen reaching the waters of the James River originate from nonpoint sources. Between 1985 and 1996, cropland and pastureland held steady as the heaviest contributors of sediment loading the James River watershed. According to the Virginia Department of Forestry, the implementation of forestry Best Management Practices (BMP) has decreased since 1991. Shoreline stabilization along the tidal portion of the James River increased nearly 13 percent between 1985 and 1990. However, shoreline hardening changes the natural interface between land and water, resulting in habitat and hydrologic changes.
DEQ’s 2000 Water Quality Assessment Report designated 379 miles of the James River and its tributaries as impaired because they do not meet state water quality standards. In addition, 29 square miles of its tidal estuaries are impaired. Eighteen EPA Superfund sites are located in the James River watershed, with the highest concentration in Charlottesville, Richmond, Hopewell, Petersburg, and the Hampton Roads area.
Contact information:
DCR James River Watershed Office
3800 Stillman Parkway, Suite 102
Richmond, VA 23233
Phone: (804) 527-4484
Fax: (804) 527-4483
Learn from others in your community.
Additional resources:
www.jamesriverassociation.org/
http://jamesriverwatershed.com/index.htm
http://maps.chesapeakebay.net/wsp/Wsp.asp?Level=1&Basno=1&Topic=5
www.deq.state.va.us/water/jamesriver.html
www.dgif.state.va.us/fishing/lakes/lake_moomaw/
