Rivanna River Stewards
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RIVANNA RIVER STEWARDS 2017 ANNUAL REPORT Rivanna Conservation Alliance www.rivannariver.org The Rivanna Conservation Alliance (RCA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit watershed organization created to provide the community with a set of tools and programs specifically designed to help clean and protect the Rivanna River and its tributaries. The Rivanna River Steward program was launched in the Spring of 2014, with two Stewards, two boats and a significant amount of enthusiasm. The Stewards just completed the fourth program year and a summary of their findings and accomplishments, as well as future plans in the local community are contained within this report. www.rivannariver.org 1150 River Road Charlottesville, VA 22901 (434)97-RIVER 2017 ANNUAL REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS Overview 1 About the River 1 The Goal 2 Observations 3 River Areas Monitored 4 Flora and Fauna 10 Swiftwater Rescue and River Safety Trainings 20 Community Outreach 22 Litter/Pollution/Safety Concerns 26 Trailer Removal 31 Issues to Address 34 OVERVIEW The Rivanna River Steward program was launched in the Spring of 2014, with two Stewards, two boats and a significant amount of enthusiasm. The Stewards just completed the fourth program year. From March 2017 through November 2017, the two River Stewards, Dan Triman and Justin Altice, paddled the Rivanna River and local reservoirs. Paddles typically took place once a week to monitor the Rivanna watershed directly on the water and report on their findings to community members. A summary of their findings and accomplishments, as well as future plans in the local community are outlined below. ABOUT THE RIVER The Rivanna River is often referred to as "Mr. Jefferson's River" because Thomas Jefferson grew up on its shores and later built his Monticello home along its banks. Sharing Mr. Jefferson's appreciation for this historic River, a group of Fluvanna County residents established The Rivanna Conservation Society (RCA) in 1990. The Rivanna was named to honor Queen Anne (1665-1714), and is a tributary of the James River, flowing ultimately into the Chesapeake Bay. The Rivanna River is a 42.1-mile-long River originating in the Blue Ridge Mountains (North Fork in Greene County and South Fork in Albemarle County). The Rivanna watershed is 766 square miles and 100,000+ people live in the watershed. Approximately 65% of the watershed is forested and is considered to be some of the healthiest small Piedmont streams in the mid-Atlantic region. Based on land use, RCA estimates that 48% of Rivanna streams failed the Virginia aquatic standard for aquatic life. However, only 6% of streams are severely degraded and 8% are at or near natural biological condition. The Rivanna River Watershed is polluted primarily by: -Pathogens (E. coli) -Sediment caused by erosion from land use and urbanization 1 THE GOAL In our fourth year of the Stewards program we have been able to document a significant amount of information about the water conditions throughout the Rivanna watershed. This information is intended to inform the community about the real-time conditions of the Rivanna River as well as trends over time. Every time the Stewards go out for a paddle, they write a trip report that summarizes their findings. These reports are then emailed to our local partner organizations and community leaders, as well as posted on RCA’s website (http://www.rivannariver.org/ stewards-reports/) for the general public to access. The natural beauty of the Rivanna River is of great inspiration to the River Stewards. Much of the Stewards Goal community is largely unaware of this incredible resource they have in their The goal of the River Steward program is to give the Rivanna Conservation Alliance (RCA) a backyard. Our goal is to have more physical presence on the River. The Stewards members of the community on the use this presence to document pollution River so that this treasure can be fully sources, observe changes to the River appreciated. The Stewards have a ecosystem over time, interact with community personal goal to spread the word members on and around the River, and to about what a hidden gem the Rivanna share information about the native flora and fauna observed. is and to inspire people to enjoy, as well as protect their local River. For the most recent stewards report visit: www.rivannariver.org/stewards-reports/ 2 ObservationsOBSERVATIONS The Rivanna River, north and south forks, traverse approximately 40 miles through urban and rural landscapes. The width and depth of the Rivanna changes depending on which section the Stewards are paddling. Each section is defined by the access points found throughout the areas the Rivanna traverses. Access points are mainly located at or near bridge crossings over the Rivanna River. Generally, the Rivanna is a healthy ecosystem. This is largely due to the minimal amount of industrial activity in our area and the large number of forested acres that surround the River. The Stewards did not notice significant odors, or significant water discolorations during this year’s paddles. The areas of the River located along the urban corridor of Route 29 do show signs of more runoff and trash pollution sources than the more rural areas. The River does suffer from strong urban runoff following rain events, resulting in noticeable discoloration from sediment and pollution. These events also wreak havoc on the few access points along the Rivanna River. Water levels were generally good during the Spring, and early Summer. The Spring of 2017 was particularly wet which facilitated the River being up for most of the March-early June time frame. Around the middle to end of July, there was a significant drop in the amount of rainfall resulting in lower water levels for the rest of the year. There were a couple of smaller rain events that provided some much-needed bumps in the water levels, but they never increased the water levels by much. There were many weeks that went by between July and November where paddling was very difficult on the Rivanna because of such low water levels. Low water levels can hinder the community’s ability to get out on the water because paddling the Rivanna is very difficult during these times due to exposed rocks and river bed. 3 RIVER SECTIONS MONITORED This year, the Stewards were able to monitor the entire South Fork of the Rivanna, portions of the North Fork of the Rivanna, and portions of the main stem of the Rivanna. The South Fork of the Rivanna starts in Albemarle County where the Mechums River ends (just above Reas Ford Rd), and the North Fork starts in Greene County at the confluence of the Lynch River and Roach River. The North and South Forks of the Rivanna meet one another to form the main stem of the Rivanna, a few miles north of Darden Towe Park. The main stem of the Rivanna then extends down to Columbia, where it meets the James River. In addition to the paddles on the Rivanna River, the Stewards also monitored local reservoirs, including Beaver Creek Reservoir, Ragged Mountain Reservoir, and the South Fork Rivanna River Reservoir. The North Fork of the Rivanna is much more difficult to paddle than the South Fork due to the River being narrower and low water levels most of the year. The table on the subsequent pages shows the sections of the Rivanna paddled by the Stewards, dates paddled, and, the length of each section. The total mileage from all the paddle trips the Stewards completed this year was approximately 96.5 River miles. The map on the next page shows where the Stewards paddled this season. The map shows the South and North Forks of the Rivanna, as well as the main stem of the Rivanna once the two forks meet. From the map you can see that the Rivanna extends from Albemarle County (South Fork) and Greene County (North Fork) at the north, through Charlottesville, and then down to Fluvanna County at the southern terminus when it meets the James River. 4 River SectionsRIVER SECTIONS Monitored MONOITORED by Stewards 5 RIVER SECTIONS MONITORED River Section Starting Point Ending Point Section Mileage Dates Paddled Mechums River Junction Earlysville Rd Section 1 above Reas Ford Rd (South 3.5 06/26/17, 09/22/17 (Reservoir) Fork) Rio Mills Dam 07/15/17, 08/19/17, 09/22/17, Section 2 Earlysville Rd (Reservoir) 1.5 (Reservoir) 11/05/17 Confluence South Section 3 Rio Mills Dam (Reservoir) Fork and North 3.5 04/16/17, 06/21/17 Fork Confluence South Fork and Section 4 Darden Towe Park 3.0 04/16/17, 06/21/17 North Fork 05/14/17, 06/08/17, 06/21/17, Section 5 Darden Towe Park Free Bridge 0.6 06/23/17, 08/13/17, 09/30/17, 11/03/17 05/14/17, 06/08/17, 06/23/17, Section 6 Free Bridge Riverview Park 1.4 07/12/17, 08/13/17, 09/30/17, 11/03/17 04/28/17, 06/23/17, 07/12/17, Section 7 Riverview Park Milton Shadwell 4.3 08/13/17, 11/16/17 Section 8 Milton Shadwell Crofton 10.0 05/29/17 Section 9 Crofton Palmyra 6.5 06/03/17, 08/23/17 Section 10 Palmyra Columbia 16.0 Beaver Creek Res- 2 miles Section 11 Beaver Creek Reservoir 08/04/17 ervoir (round trip) Ragged Mountain 2 miles Section 12 Ragged Mountain Reservoir 05/27/17 Reservoir (round trip) Frays Mill Rd Route 29 (North Section 13 3.0 06/18/17 (North Fork) Fork) Proffit Rd Section 14 Route 29 (North Fork) 8.0 05/07/17 (North Fork) Proffit Rd Confluence of Section 15 South Fork and 2.0 (North Fork) North Fork 6 WATER TESTING SUMMARY Chemical and Physical Properties Each paddle trip the Stewards completed, they took a basic water monitoring kit with them to record chemical and physical properties of the Rivanna River.