DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 312 142 SE 050 912

AUTHOR Sever,c.rf Kathryn P.; And Others TITLE 3 Waters. INSTITUTION Virginia Jater Resource Research Center, Blacksburg. SPONS AGENCY Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D. C. PUB DATE Jun 89 GRANT C-003324-01-0 NOTE 49p.; Some photographs and maps may not reproduce well. Partially funded by the Virginia Environmental Endowment. AVAILABLE FROMVirginia Water Resources Research Center, Publications Services, 617 N. Main Street, Blacksburg, VA 24060 ($10.00). PUB TYPE Reports - Descriptive (141)

EDRS PRICE MF01 Plus Postage. PC Not Available from EDRS. DESCRIPTORS Conservation (Environment); 'Environment; Environmental Education; Environmental Standards; Natural Resources; *Regional Characteristics; *Science Materials; *Water; Water Pollution; *Water Resources; Water Treatment IDENTIFIERS *Ground Water; *Virginia

ABSTRACT This booklet describes the water resources in Virginia. Hain se,tions included are: (1) "Introduction" (providing a general overview of the richness and diversity of Virginia's water resources both economic and recreational); (2) "River Basins" (illustrating the area drained by nine rivers and their tributaries); (3) "Bays" (including the Chesapeake and Back Bays); (4) "Lakes" (describing the state's two major natural lakes and its many reservoirs); (5) "Groundwater" (presenting information on five physiographic provinces); and (6) "Management." The booklet is illustrated with numerous color photographs and several maps. (YP)

Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * from the original documeht. 4voirginia's Waters

"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL IN MICROFICHE ONLY HAS EN GRANTED BY

TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) "

U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational ReaearCh and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER IERICI This document has been reproducedas received from the person ororganitaticn \originating it 0 Minor changes have been madeto improve reproduction quality

Points of view or opinions staled in thisOath rtieht do not necessarily representofficial at nether What is OutYirgihrial

There is the name. Virginia. Itsings itself ....

= The very land is init* name. undulating roll of Virginia, 1,4 the Blue Ridge Mountains inthe

make way to the Chesapeake Bay

--Guy Friddell What Is It About Vi finial

3

,,'.` Virginia's Waters

By Kathryn P. Sevebeck, Jacob H. Kahn, and Nancy L. Chapman

Photographs by Jacob H. Kahn

Virginia Water Resources Research Center Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University BlacksburgVirginia

4 The preparation of this document was financed in part through a grant from the Unit.1 States Environmental Protection Agency under Section 1143(b) of the Safe Drinking Water Act (Grant No. C-003324-01-0) and through a grant from the Virginia Environmental Endowment

The views and opinions expressed in this bock do not necessarily reflect those of the funding organizations, nor domes mention of trade names of commercial products constitute their endorsement or recommendation for use

The quotation from What Is It About Virginia? is reprinted with permission ©1966 Guy Friddell

Cover James River from the . Photograph by Jacob H. Kahn Map Preparation: George V. Wills Design: Edward Born

First Printing, March 1986 Second Printing, May 1986 Third Printing, June 1987 Fourth Printing, June 1989

Additional copies of this publication, while the supply lasts, may be obtained from the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, 617 N Main St, Blacksburg, VA 24060-3397 Single copies are provided free to persons and organizations within Virginia. For those out-of-state, the charge is S8 a copy if payment accompanies order, or $10 a copy if billing is to follow

A publication of the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University William R. Walker, director, Edward Born, assistant director for publications

Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicant: on the basis of race, sex, handicap, age, veteran status, national origin, religion, or political affiliation. Anyone having questions concerning discrimination should contact the Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Office

1 86 5m 5 86 4M 6 87 15C 6 89 6M ,_.

,

CRABPOTS, ORANCOCK

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .iv

INTRODUCTION 1

RIVER BASINS 3 Potomac-Shenandoah 6 Rappahannock 10 York 12 James 14 Roanoke 18 New 20 Tennessee-Big Sandy 22 Chcwan 24 Coastal Rivers 26

BAYS 29 Chesapeake 29 Back 31

LAKES 33

GROUNDWATER 35

MANAGEMENT 38

Virginia's Waters: Contents iii C RUNNELS, HOG ISLAND

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

MANY PERSONS contributed to the making of Virginia's Waters. We are especially thankful to the men and women who reviewed the manuscript: James Campbell, Department of Geography, Virginia Tech; Linda Dellers, College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech; Susan Ennett, National Wildlife Federation; Barry Fox, Marine 4-H programs, Virginia State; Guy Friddell, Virginian-Pilot Susan Gilley, Virginia Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries; John Heerwald, Division of Parks and Recreation; Robert Huntley, Best Products Co., Inc.; Lee Lawrence, Virginia Institute of Marine Science; and Sandy Snook, Institute of Government, University of Virginia. To Sue Taylor, a former member of the Water Center staff, and Bennie Stauffer go our thanks for word-processing the manuscript and offering suggestions for improvement in the process. We thank Lois Cummings for style editing and typesetting the manuscript. Finally, we wish to acknowledge the financial support of the Virginia Environmental Endowment and the Region III (Philadelphia) Office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Without their support, this publication would not have been possible.

iv Virginia's Waters: Acknowledgments Introduction

VIRGINIAis richin water Virginia is drained by nine major early water-powered grist mills, to resources.It has 976 river basins. Two, the New and the the canal systems built for water- square milesof surface water, Tennessee-Big Sandy, drain into the borne transportation, and to the including lakes, tidal rivers and bays, Mississippi River. Water from the "healing waters" mineral springs, and more than 3,000 miles of nonti- other seven flow into the Atlantic Virginia's waters have strongly influ- dal rivers and streams. There are Ocean. enced the development of the state. more than 450 public fishing streams, The first public utility in the Colon- 1,500 m!!es of stocked trout streams, !VERSE beauty abounds. ial America was a ferryboat opera- and an estimated 50,000 small farm DThe running water of mountain tion to carry citizens across Virginia's ponds and lakes. Under the protec- streams and springs both above and tidal rivers from the principal settle- tion of the Virginia Scenic Rivers Act, belowground have formed such won- ments to the outlying plantations. 225 miles of state waters have been ders as Natural Bridge in Rockbridge Ferry crossing points became the Given Scenic River designations. County, Natural Tunnel in Scott starting point for highways and roads. To the east, the Commonwealth County, and near Later bridges spanned the rivers has more than 5,000 miles of shore- Harrisonburg in Augusta County. between these points. Today, nine line on the Atlantic 0c.1 and the Groundwater has created approxi- historic wooden covered bridges still Chesapeake Bay. To the north, the mately 1,790 caverns in Virginia. The stand. Potomac River serves as Virg i.tia's state has a number of major water- boundary with Maryland and the Dis- falls including Falling Spring Falls, THE waters of Virginia are trict of Columbia. Two of the state's Abrams Falls, Crabtree Falls, the Cas- 1 important to all of us. Water is as largest reservoirs, Lake Gaston and cades, Twin Falls, Cedar Creek Falls, critical to our well-being today as it Buggs island, straddle the Com- and Great Falls on the Potomac. always has been. It is a necessity of monwealth's southern border. The Virginia has onlytwo natural lakes, life; it provides routes for transporta- Appalachian Mountains, which dom- Mountain Lake in Southwest Virgi- tion of goods, materials, and other inate the western sections of Virgi- nia and Lake Drummond in the Great resources; it promotes the growth of nia, are the source of water for many Dismal Swamp in southeast Virginia. all our food sources; it powers much of Virginia's major rivers and the The state's many reservoirs, which of our industry; and it is the source location for most of its famous springs. cover more than 160,000 acres, were for most of our recreational pursuits. In a typical year, Virginia receives created by the damming of creeks Water is the most common, most an average 42 inches of precipita- and rivers to provide water supply, abundant, most useful to life of any of tion, 12 inches above the national flood control, power generation, soil the substances known. average. Only a small portion of the conservation, and recreation. Although we often take water for total precipitation falls directly on the The Chesapeake Bay, into which granted and at one time called it an state's surface water. The remaining the waters from five of Virginia's "inexhaustible resource," we know portion evaporates; runs off into nine river basins flow, is the most that water is a limited resource streams, rivers, lakes and the ocean; sparkling jewel in the tiara of Vir- which is easily wasted, carelessly or enters the ground and is taken up ginia's waters. Itis an avenue of polluted, and always influenced by by plant roots or become.s ground- commerce, a source of food, and a our activities. Virginia's waters are a water. With the exception of the New scenic wonder. precious resource. We hope that River and the Potomac River, most of The waters of Virginia have played reading Virginia's Waters will increase the water entering Virginia's streams an important role in its economic and your understanding and appreciation falls within the state's boundaries. recreational development. From the of them.

Virginia's Waters: Introduction 1

O

River Basins

GEOLOGISTS define a river River Basin, the Shenandoah becomes riversas those of the James and basinor watershed, to use the river and the North and South Roanoke basins have demonstrated the hydrologist's termas forks its tributaries. on three occasions since 1969are the area drained by a river and its Within certain limits, then, how capable of unleashing with incredible tributaries. we define a river basin is subjective. swiftness a destructive force of Exactly what constitutes a river or For the sake of consistency, we have unimagined power. tributary, however, depends on one's adopted the definitions of the Virginia There is a sameness to them as point of view. For example, the Shen StateWater Control Board, the agency well. Their rivers flow through areas andoah River is a tributary of the most responsible for managing Vir- of breathtaking beauty and through Potomac when one is considering ginia's waters. areas that have been despoiled the entire Potomac River Basin. But These river systems are as diverse almost beyond repair by man. All when one studies the Shenandoah as the geology and geography of the have contributed immeasurably to land through which they flow. At the material and spiritual prosperity Twilighton the New River, times their rivers flow gently, almost of the men and women who have Montgomery County (facing page). imperceptibly. At other times their settled on the banks of their rivers.

Scenic Rivers Act: Preserving Our Heritage

4. 6 mi. of the Appomattox in Din- widdie and Chesterfield counties between Lake Chesdin and the Sussex-Southampton county line 5 33 mi of the Nottoway in Sussex County between Route 40 inter- section and Sussex-Southampton county line. 6 26 mi of the Rivanna in Fluvanna County from Albemarle County line to the James 7 14 mi. of the Shenandoah in Clarke County from the Warren County line to Lockes Landing 8 10.8 mi. of the Staunton in Camp- bell County from Long Island to THE SCENIC RIVERS ACT provides for the natural flow of the river in the designated Brookneal preservation of rivers or sections of rivers section. Stream sections in the system are 9 6 mi. of the St Mary's in Augusta of exceptional natural beauty Since its 1 14 mi of the James from 2 mi SE of County from the headwaters to the enactment in 1970, 11 sections of 10 Route 43 intersection at Eagle Rock George Washington National Forest rivers, totaling 225 stream miles, have to Route 60 at Spring wood in boundary been included in the Virginia Scenic Rivers Botetourt County. 10 27.5 mi. of Goose Cr in Loudoun System. 2. 8 mi of the James from Orleans St , County from the Fauquier County Inclusion requires the preser- Richmond, to city limits (Bosher's line to the Potomac vation of stream banks and surrounding Dam). 11. 16 mi of Catoctin Cr. in Loudoun areas andprohibits the building of dams or 3. 64 mi of the Rappahannock near County from Waterford to the other structures that would impede the Chester Gap to Deep Run. Potomac 0 Virginia's Waters: River Basins 3 River Basins inVirginia

Potomac-Shenandoah EllNew

Rappahannock Tennessee-Big Sandy

York Chowan

James Coastal Rivers

Roanoke

fi Levis Fork t. .-4;:fruvA4"44untam John . 44,14e( Flannigan Res. Roanoke PO. Russell Fork

Norton Smith Mountain

ye( sie 1st °%NB'..--- s' Jet to viols Philpott Reservo ( sort" soot

411.0.41. South Holston Lake

4 Virginia's Waters: River Basins 11 '$ Winchester

to- o

..

. J

Virginia Beach anville Beggs Island Lake .. s' Chowan River Lake Gaston -,/

12 Virginia's Waters: River Basins 5 Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 ordered Potomac-Shenandoah River Basin a cleanup to make the Potomac "a model of beauty." Area: 5,747 square miles The Potomac was one of the first Population: 1,482,040 rivers in the mid-Atlantic region to be Average daily flow: 7,361 mgd explored by Europeans. Nearly 40 Major industries: Tourism, lumber, agricul- years before Captain John ture, federal government Smith's explorations in the early 1600s, the Spanish Admiral Pedro IC-- Menendez sailed up the Potomac tc ,-----8- Aquia, near where Stafford is today. Both George', vashington and Robert E. Lee were born along the river. Gunston Hall, the home of George Mason, father of the Bill of Rights, is also on the river, near Lorton. THE waters of the "nation's Although the portion of the basin The Potomac River was named by river" begin as two small in the Washington, D.C., area is one Captain John Smith after an Algon- mountain springs. Originating of the fastest growing areas of the quian Village that was located near near the southwestern tip of Mary- nation, the Potomac and its tribu- wh. tis now Washington, D.C. land at the Fairfax Stone, the North taries are among the least developed Because of its easy na igability ano Branch travels northeastward, rivers in the United States. About 94 access from the Chesapeake Bay, forming the Maryland-West Virginia percent of the basin is forest and the river became the first highway to border. The South Branch, born in farmland. Farming, and mining are the western frontier in the Ohio River Highland County, Virginia, flows 133 vital elements in the economy of the Valley. George Washington, among milesthrough West Virginia to merge basin. Fruit, grain, dairy foods, and others, recognized the Potomac's with the North Branch near Oldtown, tobacco are among the principal farm potential as a commercial waterway. Maryland, and form the Potomac. products. In 1785 the river was designated a The storied river touches Virginia common highway for navigation and soil again just below its junction with I INTENSIVE agriculture and the commerce. the Shenandoah, then surges out of rapid growth in the Washington The completion in 1850 of the the mountains, crashes over Great metropolitan area have taken 195-mile Chesapeake and Ohio Falls, skirts Washington, D.C., and their toll on the basin's water quality. Canal along the north bank of the meanders southeastward until it ends Sediment and industrial wastes so river boosted the economy of the its 383-mile journey at Point Lookout polluted the river that President region. Coal, lumber, stone, and on the Chesapeake Bay. foodstuffs were transported down- About one-third of the Potomac stream to eastern communities and Basin lies in Virginia, yet none of the ports. Railroads eventually made the river flows through Virginia. The canal obsolete, and today itis a ownership of the river has been a national historic park. legal issue since King Charles of England made a grant in 1632 to BECAUSE of its rich history, Lord Baltimore of all the land of the nearness to the nation's capital, Potomac region to the source of the and diverse physical characteristics, river. Through a series of agreements the Potomac basin supports prof- and court decisions, the boundary itable tourist and recreation industries. between Virginia and Maryland has Each year, millions of tourists visit been fixed with the state line running the basin's historic monuments, along the Virginia side of the river. battlefields, national parks, forests, Together with the watershed of its and mountains. main tributary, the Shenandoah, the Potomac River Basin covers 14 percent of Virginia's land area and is home to nearly 30 percent of its Amarsh on the Potomac near population. Dahlgren.

6 Virginia's Waters: River Basins 13 4. A

Most people associate the Potomac with Washington, D.C., or with Arlington (left) and the other densely populated suburbs that line the river near the nation's capital. In reality, much of the basin is sparsely populated a fact that two sunbathers at the Great Falls of the Potomac (below) seem to appreciate.

Virginia's Waters: River Basins 7 14 THE main tributary of the Potomac has been celebrated as the most beautiful river in Virginia, one of the most pleasant rivers to canoe in the eastern United States and the greatest bass stream in America. For three centuries this beloved river and the lush valley through which itflows have been called Shen- andoah, a native American word for "Daughter of the Stars." Syr, ioolizing the historic and cultural significance of the Great Valley beyond the Blue Ridge Mountains, the name Shenan- doah is borne by towns, counties, ships, and a plaintive song. The 150-mile-long river rises in two main forks in western Virginia. As it flows northeastward, the river drains aboL. 3,000 square miles in seven counties before it joins the Potomac at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. The North Fork and the South Fork lie in two different sections of the Shenandoah Valley and are sepa- rated by Massanutten Mountain for 45 miles before joining near Front Royal. With the Blue Ridge Moun- tains to the east and the Allegheny Mountains to the west, the Shenan- doah flows through an area of incredible beauty. Both fork: of the river have some exciting white-water rapids, but, for much of their lengths,

TheShenandoah near Harper's Ferry.

8 Waters: River Basins 1.5 ThroughoutVirginia's history, the Shenandoah Valley has been a rich agricultural area. Apples and peaches, for which it is famous, were first grown commercially in the nine- teenth century. In 1983, the valley's Rockingham County led the state in agriculturil goods, producing $213 million worth, including $130 million in poultry. the Shenandoah and its tributaries young cadets from the Virginia meander peacetully around rolling Military Institute valiantly tried to hills. One segment of the North Fork hold off the "Yankee invaders" at makes 29 bends and covers 50 miles New Market. Ten cadets and their in the 20-mile stretch between Edin- professor were killed. burg and Strasburg. Following Reconstruction, =arming Because of its strategic location in the area declined but orchards and between two mountain ridges and its pasturelands increased. As the mills north-south orientation, the Shen- returned to operation and the indus- andoah Valley was a significant tries recovered, the old towns ex- avenue for Indian tribes, early ex- panded into the cities of Winchester, plorers, settlers, and opposing gen- Harrisonburg, Waynesboro, and erals of the Civil War. The paths of Staunton. Eventually tt.:s urban- two principal native American trails ization and industrialization took its are traced by Skyline Drive, which toll on the river's water quality. follows the crest of the Blue Ridge During the period from 1929 to 1950, Mountains through Shenandoah section of the valley and retained a synthetic-fibers plant near Waynes- National Park, and Interstate 81, their customs and plantation farming boro released mercury into the which runs the length of the valley. practices. waters. Today 102 miles of the South In the 1670s John Lederer, a Many famous Americans have Fork Shenandoah and the South German doctor, became the first called the Shenandoah Valley home. River, its tributary, remain contami- white explorer to see the Shenandoah Woodrow Wilson, Sam Houston, nated. The ongoing harm to natural River. His trips were followed by the Daniel Boone, Cyrus McCormick, resources from the contamination visits of fur traders and other "Grandma" Moses, and John Mar- prompted Virginia in 1983 to adopt a explorers. shall were from this area of Virginia. freshwater standard for mercury, Among other notables, James the first state to take such action. MOST of the settlers were Madison, Robert E. Lee and "Stone- German and Scotch -Irish im- wall" Jackson lived and worked in TOURIS.vi and ncreation have migrants, who moved southward the valley. flourished in the area during from Pennsylvaniain the early The valley was a significant mil- recent years. Major attradons in- eighteenth century. Germans settled itary corridor and constant battlefield clude the , the middle valley and established, in during the Civil War. Battles at Skyline Drive, and George Washing- the old world way, rich farms with Harper's Ferry in 1861, the Valley ton National Forest. The river pro- isolated farmhouses and huge barns. Campaign of 1862 by Jackson, the vides good fishing, swimming, and Scotch -Irish immigrants moved into frequent and bloody battles of 1863, some challenging whitewater for the more mountainous and less fer- and the devastating raid by Sheridan rafting enthusiasts and canoers. Also tile sections of the valley. They in 1864 took their toll. of interest are a number of caves, became frontiersmen, hunters, and One episode in 1864 was espe- unusual rock formations along the explorers. British Virginians from cially tragic. As Union forces closed river banks, and the spectacular Tidewater also settled in the northern in on the Confederate positions, 274 Natural Chimneys near Bridgewater.

Virginia's Weters: River Basins 9 i(3 Rappahannock River Basin

Area: 2,848 square miles Population: 146,360 Average daily flow: 1.826 mgd Major industries: Agriculture, tourism, fishing , 7- .-i--i

SITUATED in northeastern Washington and Patrick Henry. Virginia, the 212-mile James Monroe practiced law in Fred- Rappahannock River begins ericksburg and John Paul Jones had in the central Virginia counties of Fau- a home there. quier and Rappahannock and flows Some 20 miles downstream from southeasterlytothe Chesapeake Bay. Fredericksburg, James Madison, the Its river'basin drains about 7 percent nation's fourth president, was born of Virginia's total land area. The river on the banks of the Rappahannock is navigable to Fredericksburg and at across from Port Royal. several points is seven miles wide. During the Civil War, the Rappa- Major tributaries are the Rapidan, hannock served as a barrier between Robinson, Hazel, Thornton, and Cor- the Union and Confederate forces rotoman rivers, Mountain Run, and and was used to ship troops and Cat Point Creek. supplies. Some of the heaviest fight- The river was named for a tribe in ing of the war took place around the area's powerful Powhatan Indian Fredericksburg, especially during Confederacy. Derived from the 1862 and 1863. In the Battle of river's tidal ebb and flow, the word Fredericksburg, General Robert E. Lee Rappahannock means "People of the defended the city with 60,000 men Alternating Stream." against the Union army of 130,000. The river is linked closely to the There were over 20,000 casualties. history of Virginia. From the Com- Other notable battles were at Spot- monwealth's earliest time, it was an sylvania Court House, Wilderness, important route for transporting and Chancellorsville, where General wheat, corn, and other supplies from T J. (Stonewall) Jackson was killed. its fertile lands upstream to coastal communities. During the 1600s, the TODAY, the basin remains region was the main area of eco- I primarily a rural area, with nomic and political development in forests covering 52 percent of the Virginia, as the settlers t uilt large land and cropland and pasture cover- tobacco plantations and established ing 35 percent. !n spite of its near- an aristocratic society. Small towns, ness to Richmond and Washington, warehouses and wharfs, inns and only 2 percent of the region is classi- churches were constructed along the fied as urban. Tourism, farming, and river to support the lucrative com- fisheries form the region's economic merce of tobacco trade with England. base, but certain localities, particu- The prosperity of the plantation larly Fredericksburg and Fauquier society made Fredericksburg an eco- County, have been under going rapid Twilighton the Rappahannock in nomic hub. Among thetown'sfamous commercial development and popu- Lancaster County (facing page). residents were the families of George lation growth in recent years.

10 Virginia's Waters: River Basins .1 1l li

1

4 Redbud inbloom on the banks of Mill Pond in the York river Basin.

12 Virginia's Waters: River Basins 1y Harbor is significant in American York River Basin military history. In the Revolutionary War, Admiral de Grasse blocked Area: 2,661 square miles Cornwal lis's attempt to escape by sea Population: 116,262 and forced him to surrender to the Average daily flow: 1,643 mgd superior Franco-American land forces Major industries: Agriculture, lumber, that had broken through his outer paper making,federal government, elec- defenses at Yorktown. During World tricel power, furniture, textiles, War I,the American fleet was shipbuilding, tourism. anchored there. Today, two important shipping military installations, Camp Peary and the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station, are located on the banks of the river. During the colonial period, the river was an avenue for the transport BOUNDED by the Rappahan- Corporation's plant in West Point. of timber, shingles, produce and nock Basin on the north and Virginia Power operates a nuclear tobacco, a mainstay of Virginia's theJames Basin on the south, power facility on the North Anna. economy at the time. Because of this the York Basin covers about 7 percent The York's deepest point, about 83 profitable trade, a number of fine of Virginia's land area. The basin is feet, is at Yorktown, one of the state's mansions and large tobacco ware- rural with about three-fourths of the best inland harbors. The Yorktown houses were built along the river and 'and forested and nearly all the its tributaries. Among these homes is remainder in cropland and pasture. 3 mansion on the Pamunkey River The York River is formed by the The Yorktown Monumentwas that was occupied by Martha Wash- merging of the Mattapoiii and erected in 1881 to commemorate ington during her brief marriage to Pamunkey rivers at West Point 34 the colonials' victory over the her first husband, Daniel Custis. miles from the mouth of the river. British 100 years earlier. Yorktown Eight miles south of the Pamunkey Major tributaries of the Pamunkey is incorporated in the Colonial River at Lestor Manor is a 700-acre are the North Anna, South Anna, and National Historical Park, which reservation owned by the Pamunkey Little rivers. The Mattaponi is formed includes nearby Williamsburg and tribe. The reservationisallthat by four tributaries, the Mat, Ta, Po, Jamestown, and Cape Henry in remains of the powerful Powhatan and Ni rivers. The York was first Norfolk Indian Confederacy, which ruled called "Pamunkee" by the Indians over the tribes of eastern Virginia but was named York by the English in and Maryland at the time of the first 1634 in honor of Charles I, Duke of English settlement in 1607. The peace York. treaty of 1640 with the Pamunkey The average width of the York is Indians established the tradition of about one-and-a-half miles. Because bringing giftsof game to the the York is a tidal river influenced by Governor's Mansion in Richmond. high seas and tidal surges, its entire The Mattaponies, descendants of length, from the Chesapeake Bay to a tribe once ruled by the Powhatans, West Point, is subject to tidal flooding. own a reservation two miles east of The greatest flood on record in the the Mattaponi River. basin occurred in August 1969 when the remnants of Hurricane Camille THE York River is noted for its dumped eight inches of rain and the fishing. In colonial times, stur- North Anna River near Doswell rose geon, shad, spot, trout, and rockfish 27 feet in seven hours. Although the (stripers) were abundant. Oystering basin experienced droughts in 1966 was also a major activity. Today, and in 1980-81, the most severe fishing in the Pamunkey and its sister drought occurred in 1930-32. river, the Mattaponi,stillyields Although no hydroelectric power catches of hickory shad, stripers, generation occurs in the basin, perch, and pickerel. The Mattaponi is steam-electric plants are located at also a famous area for excellent Yorktown and at the Chesapeake waterfowl hunting.

Virginia's Waters: R; er Basins 13 20 James River Basin

Area: 10,102 square miles Population: 1,718,945 Average daily flow: 4,884 mgd Major industries: Transportation, chemi- cals, furniture, textiles, shipping, ship- building, tourism Z

THE JAMES RIVER is one United States was built on the James June 1972, and the remnants of of the longest rivers in the in 1785 by the James River and Tropical Storm Juan in 1985. United States lying within the Kanawha Canal Company. Camille dumped an estimated 28 boundaries of a single state. Although inches of rain in one night on parts of 80 square miles in West Virginia are TODAY, major industries in the mountainous Nelson County. The considered part of the watershed, I basin include transportation; ensuing flood killed 151, damaged most of the headwaters of the 340 - lumbering; and the manufacture of 200 miles of highway and 133 mile -long river are in the mountains chemicals, furniture, textiles, and bridges, and caused 8116 million in of western Virginia. apparel. The port of Hampton Roads property damage in Virginia. Several As the river flows southeasterly at the mouth of the James is one of rural communities on the eastern to Hampton Roads, where it emp- the nation's busiest. The river is slopes of the Blue Ridge were totally ties into the Chesapeake Bay, it navigable from the Chesapeake Bay destroyed, buried under tons of mud, changes from a turbulent moun- to the falls at Richmond and has two boulders, and uprooted trees. tain stream west of the Blue Ridge inland ports: Richmond and Hopewell. to a sluggish tidal river below Rich- Nearly one-third of Virginia's THOUGH Camille was then mond. The largest watershed in population lives within the James I thought tc be the storm of the Virginia, the James River Basin Basin and uses its water resources. century, a mere three years later includes all or part of 39 counties Because there are numerous high- Agnes caused even greater flooding and 18 cities and drains one-fourth density residential and com- along the lower James. In the after- of the state's land area. mercial areas along he river, the math of Agnes, the James in Rich- Probably no river is more deeply demand for water from the James is mond reached its highest level since rooted in the history and traditions of great. 1771, damages totaled over $37 the state than the James. The The James has been subject to million in the Richmond area alone, Indians of the area called the river water quality problems, including the and 6,000 homes were severely "Powhatan" after the head of the infamous Kepone contamination damaged or destroyed. powerful federation of tribes. English from Hopewell to its mouth. Released Juan's damage was most severe settlers named the river after King from a chemical manufacturing oper- in the upper James Basin, where James I. Located along the lower ation at Hopewell between 1966 and Lynchburg and Buchanan were James River were the first permanent 1975 Kepone severely contami- especially hard hit, and in the Roa- settlements of English-speaking nated aquatic life and river sediments, noke River Basin. When the flood- people i n America and the birthplaces resulting in a series of restrictions on swollen James crested at Richmond, of two presidents, William Henry commercial and recreational fishing. it was nearly 31 feet above the flood Harrison and John Tyler. More than One hundred thirteen miles of the stage, some five feet below the crest a dozen colonial plantations still line river are still subject to commercial during Hurricane Agnes, the James. fishing restrictions because of Kepone The most severe drought to occur Since the founding of the first contamination. in the basin was the drought of permanent English colony at James- The most damaging floods in the 1980-81, when streamflows at one town in 1607, the river has sup- basin were caused by extraordinary point averaged 47 percent below ported agriculture and commerce. rainfalls from Hurricane Camille in normal and the James dropped to its The first commercial canal in the August 1969, Hurricane Agnes in lowest level ever.

14 Virginia's Waters: River Basins 21 A view of the James looking upstream from the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Virginia's Waters: River Basins 15 22 16 Virginia's Waters: River Basins 23 Froma cascading stream near Peaks of Otter (below) and a stream with snow-lined banks in Albemarle County (left) comes water that feeds the James, shown on the facing page from a vantage point in Charles City County looking toward Hopewell. The James is not always so serene, however. Onlookers in Richmond watched as the James carried good waters through Shockoe Bottom during the November 1985 flood.

A

t"I

..--

Ze44._24,.. ir, 3=X;;'''' --'1;-=%'' :.. ... u,,... -tt..-. '^` -...... 1., s: e_7-..t.,..--,-.:---.. , --. .. ,.

.... -"1.',. '.-.. -"T"-:=1;--:...-...:.m.,..=-.-Aiiiji.

4.-.:4'. --Z^- ,-,...

--, ,7:"Z"....e&-:. i. ,..., ...3.;5:%41!,:e":.Ct'.':'.141Z-:;?:: ''.....-,:t.-...pirca., -A.f.-. -.40-1".- if,-,<,-4:,,,.--.--t - ..,..,,, , .7- :Stt.d.'.--".:1:4:774::....' ---k-

24 Virginia's Waters: River Basins 17 4 ,

r opment. Roanoke was selected as the Roanoke River Basin terminal headquarters of the Shen- andoah Valley Railroad and the newly Area: 6,284 square miles reorganized Norfolk & Western Rail- Population: 597,633 way. Rail transport became the first Average daily flow: 5,218 mgd major industry in the basin. Major industries: Agriculture, lumber, Extensive use of the Roanoke's electrical power, tobacco, furniture, water resources makes the Roanoke transportation Basin the most developed river basin in the state today. The basin occupies 15 percent of Virginia's land area and ,.. 'yr supports several major industrial cen- ters; Roanoke-Salem, Bedford, Dan- ville, Martinsville-Henry County, and South Boston. Principal industries are textiles, furniture, building materials, IN the seventeenth century, Hoping toencuurege settlement west- and apparel manufacturing. Market- this 410-mile river was ward, the Virginia Assembly at that able mineral resources of the basin known as the Maratuck. Today, time promised 10 tax-free years to include ; nice, granite, coal, limestone, parts of it are known by two other those who would settle in the Roanoke- sand, and gravel. names. From its headwaters to Lees- Staunton River area. The population The Roanoke basin is subject to ville, and again from Buggs Island to grew, as settlers found productive severe flooding that causes high prop- Albemarle Sound, North Carolina, it farming, grazing and hunting lands in erty damages because of extensive is called the Roanoke. In the inter- the river basin. Among the area's floodplain development. In November vening stretch between Leesville and notable residents was Patrick Henry, 1985, after several days n rain had Buggs Island, the river is called the first governor of Virginia. His last thoroughly soaked the soil, Trnpical Staunton, after Captain Henry Staun- home, Red Hill, stands on the banks Storm Juan dumped more than 6 ton, a Revolutionary War soldier who of the Staunton Rver. inches of rain the Roanoke Valley commanded a company sent to protect in 5 hours. The result was the most settlers from Indians along that par- A S throughout the entire Virginia damaging flood in the Valley's and tic- of the river. colony, tobacco cultivation and Virginia's history. Statewide, Recorded history of the Roanoke- marketing played a major role in the damage was estimated at more than Staunton basin goes back to A year settlement and development of the S750 million. More than half that before settlement of the celebrated area, and tobacco became the region's amoL.., was recorded in Roanoke Lost Colony on Roanoke Island, North chief money cron. After the War t: City, Roanoke County, and Salem. Carolina. In the spring of 1586, En- 1812, the Roanoke River Valley glish explorers sent an expedition became the center of the tobacco belt, THE Floanoke River Basin is rich in from Albemarle Sound up the Roanoke and growers turned to the river as fish and wildlife. One wildlife as far as Weldon, North Carolina. the most practical means for trans- enthusiast claims that the basin has Settlement was not made far inland porting this commodity to markets the richest and most unusual fauna on the rives, however, until probably and ports. of any East Coast river. Among the a century later when John Lederer, a In 1819, the Roanoke Navigation bird, mamma' and fish species that German, settled in 1670 near Altavista. Company, an rote- state organization have been proposed for federal pro- Although explorers and other set- chartered by North Carolina and tection as endangered or threatened tlers ventured into the basin E.".3r Virginia, began construction of a species are the Roanoke logperch Ledere., a great migrat . .to the series of canals to improve navigation and the orangef in madtom both region did not begin until the 1730s. on the Roanoke, Dan, and Banister found in the North and South forks of rivers. By 1834, the company had the Roanoke. constructed 360 miles of canals and Most anglers agree that the Roa- made the lower Roanoke navigable noke offers some exceptional fishing, Mist rising from the Roanoke near for stt. imboats in North Carolina especially the annual spring run of the Blue Ridge Parkway a scene from Weldon to the river's mouth spawning striped bass that make that belies the fact that the basin is at Albemarle Sound a distance their way upstream to Brookneal the most developed in the state of 100 miles. during April and May. The river &so with five major industrial centers of In 1882, another form of transpor- offers good sm ..mouth bass, rock wnich Roanoke-Salem is the largest. tation also bec,an to influence devel- bass, and trout fishing.

Virginia's Waters: River Basins 19 New River Basin

Area: 3,070 square miles Population: 217,724 Average daily flow: 3,237 mgd Major industries:Lumber, agriculture, elec- trical power, coal, limestone, furniture, textiles, chemicals \t.

t---"---

SOUTHWESTERN Virginia's Virginia's portion of the New River electric generating plants at Glen New River has the distinction Basin occupies 8 percent of the state's Lyn near the West Virginia border. of being one of the oldest riv- total land area, and i3 primarily rural Other industries are the mining of ers in the world, formed even before 55 percent forest and nearly 45 per- coal, primary metals, and limestone, the Appalachian Mountains. cent cropland and pasture. Although and the manufacturing of furniture, Unlike most rivers in the eastern industrial development encompasses textiles, and chemicals. Water with- seaboard states, which flow toward less than 1 percent of the basin's drawals from the river are greatest the Atlantic Ocean, the New River area, the river does support several for power generation and industrial flows generally northward over its large industries and power-generation use, followed by public water sup- 320-mile length and it ultimately facilities. Appalachian Power Company plies and agriculture. empties into the Mississippi River. operates one of its largest steam- Although tropical storms generally The name of the river has been a do not affect the basin, the remnants source of conjec'dre. The Indians of hurricanes moving over the region called it the Kanawha, and one theory caused large floods in 1861, 1878, states that German settlers gave the Acovered bridge spanning 1916, and 1940. The storm of 1940 river its present name by shortening Sinking Creek where it crosses dropped 10 inches of rain in a 24-hour Kanawha to Nawa, then New. Another Virginia Route 601 near Newport. It period and caused the greatest flood theory holds that the river was so is one of nine covered bridges left recorded on the New River. The New called because it flowed in a "new" in the state. River Basin experienced its most direction. Seventeenth-century En- severe drought in 1930 when rainfall glish settlers knew it as Wood's averaged 18 inches below normal for River, named for Abraham Wood, the year and drought conditions were whose expedition encountered the classified as extreme for nine con- river in 1671. secutive months. The dew's course is similar to that of the ancient Teays River, the prin- ISTORICALLY, the New River cipal river of North America until the HBasin remained relatively iso- coming of the ice age, when glaciers lated until a railroad was built in the covered large portions of the Teays mid-nineteenth century. Though fur Valley to the north. traders and land agents passed through the area, the population UNDREDS of tiny North Carolina grew slowly and early settlements Hstreams in the Bit,Ridge and were sparse. Among the first were Iron Mountains form the New River. German and English settlements It then flows 87 miles through Vir- around what is now Blacksburg. ginia before entering West Virginia, Relations between the settlers and where it joins the Gauley River to native Shawnee Indians were turbu- form the Kanawha, which eventually lent. The story of Mary Draper Ingles, enters the Ohio, one of the principal dramatized in Radford's outdoor his- tributaries of the Mississippi. torical play, The Long Way Home,

20 Virginia's Waters: River Basins fr

Climbers enjoya view of the river near Radford. Steep cliffs carved over millions of years mark much of the New's passage through Southwest Virginia.

colorfully illustrates thearea's pioneer conditions. Captured by Shawnees in an attack on the settlement in 1755, Ingles eventually escaped and made her way back to present-day Blacks- burg from what is now Cincinnati. Because many westward-bound pioneers came down the Shenandoah Valley and through the New River Valley, the route became known as the Wilderness Trail. Much of the 7 basin's population is still concen- trated along what was once the Wilderness Trail, which U.S. 11 approximately follows today. The area's isolation did much to shield it from the ravages of the War Between the States. The expansion of the railroads in the decades after the war opened up the basin to settlers, travelers, and industrialists. This accessibility allowed commercial marketing of the basin's rich mineral and forest resources and the formerly isolated wilderness began to be developed.

NEW RIVER Basin is still THEamong the least populated Vir- ginia river basins, however, and the watershed includes thousands of acres of rugged, undeveloped terrain. The New River descends 1,000 feet as it flows through Virginia, making it one of the most challenging rivers in the East for whitewater canoeists and rafters. Touted as the state's best walled stream, the river also abounds with bass, muskie, crappie, bluegill, and channel cat.

Virginia's Waters: River Basins 21 During the 1780s, the first major Tennessee-Big Sandy River Basin industry in the area was iron smelting to produce nails, -n important Area: 4,140 square miles product on the frontier. Nails, lum- Population: 319,526 ber, and agricultural products were Average daily flow (Tennessee): 2.966 floated down the Holston to Knoxville. mgd In 1858, when the East Tennessee Average daily flow (Big Sandy): 877 mgd and Virginia Railroad was completed Major industries: Coal, lumber, & j--,-' between Bristol and Knoxville, the tourism railways lessened the importance of the Holston River as a major trade route. During the Civil War, the salt industries in Virginia and eastern Tennessee revived the river's im- portance. Although there were no major campaigns in this area during THE Tennessee and Big Sandy today coal mining constitutes the the Civil War, both Confederate and rivers are fed by numerous major economic resource of the area. Union troops used the Holston and mountain streams in South- In the Big Sandy Basin, Buchanan Clinch rivers for transporting troops west Virginia, but both rivers form County is the state's leading coal- and provisions. outside the state and eventually flow producing county. into the Ohio River. The Tennessee Often called the "Highlands of A FTER the Civil War, the Wilder- forms near Knoxville at the confluence Southwest Virginia," the area's ness Road that led through the of the Holston arm French Broad. history is closely linked to frontiers- Clinch Valley to Cumberland Gap Principal Virginia tributaries are the men who settled the forested land of remained a major American thorough- Clinch, Powell, and Holston rivers. steep ridges and rocky gorges. The fare to western land. However, it was The Big Sandy forms near Louisa, Cherokee Indians first inhabited this not until the late nineteenth century, Kentucky, at the confluence of its two area, and Indian raids and treaties when railroads were built into remote principal tributaries, the Tug and limited early white settlement. areas of Appalachia to carry out the Levisa forks. Virginia rivers that feed In fact, because the area lacked coal, that the Tennessee-Big Sandy the Big Sandy include the Pound fertile farmland, and high mountains region of Virginia began to develop. River, Russell Fork, and Levisa Fork. prevented easy access to trading Big Stone Gap on the Powell River The mounta in tributaries that form centers in the eastern part of the typifies mining towns that came into the Tennessee and Big Sandy flow state, the region remained sparsely existence as the result of exploitation through narrow valleys bordered by settled until after the Revolution. of the area's mineral resources. steep, rugged ridges. These two river Early hunters, traders, and ex- Established by John D. Inboden, a basins are so similar that this area in plorers traveled through this area former Confederate general, Big the westernmost tip of the state is following the river valleys. Daniel Stone Gap prospered until the called the Tennessee-Big Sandy Boone is said to have crossed the depression of the early 1890s. region. It encompasses 10 percent of Blue Ridge Mountains for 'he first The people of this area are vividly Virginia's total land area. time in 1760 and to have hunted in described in the 1908 novel, The The Tennessee Basin drains 40,910 the Holston River Valley. In the late Trail of the Lonesome Pine by John square miles in three states. Together 1770s, the country was opened to Fox, Jr., of Big Stone Gap. The book these basins drain all or portions of white settlements and the more tells the story of a young engineer's 12 Southwest Virginia counties. fertile valley lands along the rivers love for a mountain girl and the feud Almost half the land that the Ten- were occupied by farms and small of the Tolliver and Falin clans. nessee drains in Virginia is forest- villages. The Holston and Clinch The waters of this region were of covered, and Virginia's portion of the rivers served as natural, easily great value to the people settling the Big SandyBasin is 87 percent forested. accessible highways and small settle- area, and they also learned to respect Lumbering is important to the region's ments developed along their banks. the rivers, because floods are fre- economy, although not so much as in About 1770, Evan Shelby and his quent and often severe in the steep earlier times when rafting timber down son Isaac established a store on the terrain of this region. the rivers was one of the few ways to South Fork Holston. The settlement The most recent major flooding earn cash. that grew up around this enterprise was caused by a 4-day storm in April Coal deposits were noted as early became the border city of Bristol, 1977 which dropped from 5 to 15 as 1782 by Thomas Jefferson, and Tennessee-Virginia. inches of rain and caused record

22 Virginia's Waters: River Basins floods. Major rivers crested at heights of 15 to 20 feet above flood level. The torrential rain caused extensive mudslides and the raging . water destroyed or damaged 5,000 homes, 515 small businesses, 89 bridges, and miles of highways. Twelve southwestern counties and the City of Norton were designated a federal disaster area. Damage was estimated at over $237 million. Although the waters in the area of the Tennessee-Big Sandy generally are clean, 81 miles of the North Fork Holston are contaminated by mercury released from an industrial operation near Saltville. Acid mine drainage and sedimentation from erosion of mined areas are problems in some of the small streams in the area. Virginia's Tennessee-Big Sandy area contains no large urban centers. This lad( of development allows vacationers to enjoy thick forests, mountain ter- rain, and productive water, where anglersfish for largemouth and small- mouth bass, sunfish, walleye, and crappie. The state's highest point, Mt. Rogers 5,729 feet above sea level is part of the Mt. Rogers in the Jef- ferson National Forest.

THE South Holston Reservoir, 1 North Fork of Pound Lake, John W. Flannagan Reservoir, and Scott- Wise Lako provide recreational opportunities as do the small lakes found in , Clinch Mountain Wildlife Manage- ment area, and Hidden Valley. Natural area preserves are located throughout the region. Mountain waterfalls are plentiful and scenic, such as Abrams Falls near Bristol. Of special note is the Breaks section of Russell Fork, known as the Grand Canyon of the East and part of the on the Ken- tucky border.

Water skieron South Holston Lake, Wasnington County (above). Coal processing plant on Levisa Fork, Buchanan County (below).

Virginia's Waters: River Basins 23 39 Chowan River Basin

Area: 3.558 square miles Population: 150,377 Average daily flow: 2,160 mgd Major industries: Agriculture, lumber. tobacco, meat packing, paper making

_5-{-' ----'

THE CHOWAN RIVER has been important to the econcmy of the called Virginia's "interstate" area. A large paper mill is located in river because a major portion Franklin on the Blackwater. of the basin is located in Virginia, but The Blackwater River Basin has the river forms on the Virginia-North many points of interest and some of Carolina Wundary and flows into Virginia's oldest settlements. Smith's Albemarle Sound in North Carolina. Fort in Surry County was built in Virginia's portion of the Chowan 1609, and other settlements in the River Basin is located in the south- basin date back to 1613. What is said eastern part of the state, and it drains to be the oldest brick building in 10 percent of the state's land area. English America, St. Luke's Church The basin's terrain includes the in Smithfield, was built in 1632. rolling hills of the Piedmont and the The Nottoway River rises in Lunen- flatlands of the Coastal Plaih. burg County and drains the central The Chowan's three main Virginia portion of the Chowan River Basin as tributaries are the Blackwater, Not- it flows southeasterly for 155 miles toway, and Meherrin rivers. The before joining the Blackwater River. Nottoway and Blackwater join at the The Nottoway derives its name from Virginia-North Carolina state line to an Indian word for "rattlesnake." form the Chowan. The Meherrin Much of the land bordering the river River joins the Chowan 12 miles is forested, but there are large areas downstream. Largely rural, the of farmland in the basin. Chowan Basin is 67 percent forested Agriculture and forestry are the and 25 percent cropland and pasture. mainstays of the economy along the The Blackwater River originates Nottoway. The river basin contains just south of Petersburg in Prince extensive swamp and old hardwood George County and flows southeast- forests. Wooded swamp areas provide erly for 105 miles before it meets the excellent spawning habitat for fish. Nottoway River. The Blackwater is Bluegill, pickerel, crappie, large- named for its color, which is the mouth and smallmouth bass, rock result of tannic acid it receives as it bass and white perch can be found in passes through swamps and forests. the Nottoway. This pristine wildlife The Blackwater also flows through habitat is of great value and about 33 productive agricultural lands where miles of the Nottoway in Sussex tobacco, peanuts, and soybeans are County are included in the Virginia the main field crops. The area is well Scenic River System. known for hog production and meat- The Meherrin River also rises in packing. Smithfield hams are a Lunenburg County and flows south- famous Virginia product. Lumber easterly, crossing the Vii- fa -North and other wood products also are Carolina border five times before

24 Virginia's Waters: River Basins

31. emptying into the Chowan River. An Its slow movement allows wastes Indian word meaning "an island" is and sediments to accumulate in the the source of the Meherrin's name. basin's stream channels. Excessive Like the Blackwater and Nottoway, growth of algae, attributed to high the Meherrin basin contains rich levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, forests and agricultural lands. The has been a persistent water quality basin is largely rural with no large problem in the Chowan. The first industries. Only two population cen- major algae bloom appeared in the ters, Emporia and Lawrenceville, are Chowan in 1972, and blooms have located on the river. Founded in 1888, appeared periodically since then. The St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville is Chowan floods infrequently, but wind the third oldest historically black tides affect the entire river. vocational and industrial school in the The waters in the Chowan River United States. Basin offer great opportunities for The Chowan River is named for the recreation. In addition to the wilder- Chowanoke Indian tribe and means ness areas of cypress swamps and The slow-moving Blackwater flows "southern people." The Chowan is a scenic forests, the Nottoway and through the Otterdam Swamp on slow-moving river with a meandering Blackwater rivers are noted fishing its way to the North Carolina 145-mile path through flat terrain streams and some sections are used border, where it joins with the that encourages swampy conditions. for white-water canoeing. Nottoway to form the Chowan.

Virginia's Waters: River Basins 25 32 Coastal River Basins

Area: 2,106 square miles Population: 598,343 Average daily flow: no data Major industries: Commercial fishing, shipping, truck farming, brick and , fertilizer manufacturing, \_f...i poultry, tourism, 7 federal government ---..-__._- ,

THE Coastal River Basins include and North rivers on the Middle Penin- Settlement of the barrier islands a number of rivers and streams sula, the Poquoson River on the and the Eastern Shore by European that are short in length and Williamsburg Peninsula, and the colonists did not occur until 1614. have small drainage areas compared Lynnhaven River on the Norfolk The entire peninsula was then called to Virginia's eight major river basin Peninsula. Accomack from the Algonquin Indian systems. Most of these Coastal Plain On the Eastern Shore, the ?oco- name, Acchwmake, "the land beyond rivers are bordered by marshlands and moke River and Pungoteague, Occo- the water." Accomack was one of flow into the Chesapeake Bay. Tides hannock, N; ssawadox, and other the eight original counties of Virginia. and wind-driven currents push water creeks flow into the bay. The It was along Pungoteague Creek that from the bay up into these coastal Machipongo River on the eastern Anthony Johnson, a freed slave, rivers, mixing salt water and fresh part of the Delmarva Peninsula is the became the first black landowner in water and distributing nutrients only river that flows directly from America in the 1620s. The public throughout the estuarine system. Vir- Virginia into, the Atlantic Ocean, records of the area are the oldest in ginia's Tidewater region gets its name The Coastal River Basins, which America, dating back to 1632. from the twice-daily tidal rise and make up 4 percent of Virginia's total The New World's first public utility, fall of these watercourses. land area, include all of Accomack, a ferryboat to carry citizens across Much of the drainage area is only Northampton, and Mathews counties the tidal rivers from principal settle- a few feet above sea level and most andthe City of Poquoson; and portions ments to outlying plantations, was of the land is either marsh, farm, or of Northumberland, Lancaster, Mid- established in the Tidewater area in forest. The area is defined by five dlesex, Gloucester, and York counties 1638. The first play produced in peninsulas. The western shore of the and the cities of Norfolk, Virginia Colonial America was presented in Chesapeake Bay consists of four Beach, Hampton, and Newport News. Pungoteague in 1665. peninsulas: the Northern Neck, which The region also includes 18 barrier Many of the counties and cities is between the Potomac and Rap- islands on the Atlantic side of the within the Coastal River Basins have pannock rivers; the Middle Penin- Delmarva Peninsula. historic homes, churches, and battle- sula, between the Rappahannock and fields from the Revolutionary War, York rivers; the Williamsburg Penin- ONE of the results of the search the War of 1812, and the Civil War. sula, between the York and James for a northwestern passage to Important industries in the Coastal rivers; and the Norfolk Peninsula, Cathay by iixteenth-century explorers River Basins include commercial between the James River and the was the discovery of Virginia's fishing, shipping, truck farming, Atlantic Ocean. The fifth peninsula, Eastern Shore. The first European to (especially potatoes, early vegetables, known as the Eastern Shore,is set foot there was Giovanni de soybeans, corn, and hay), manufac- actually the southern portion of the Verrazano in 1524. As he looked out turing of fertilizers from fish, brick Delmarva Peninsula, which com- onto Chesapeake Bay, he was confi- manufacturing, and lumber products. prises nearly all of Delaware and dent that he was seeing the western Livestock, poultry, and seafood pro- parts of Maryland and Virginia. sea, an error perpetuated by map ducts are important contributors to Large rivers flowing into the Ches- makers until the Spanish explorers the economy of the basin. Military apeake Bayfrom the mainland penin- DeSoto and Coronado proved the installations are a major presence in sulas are the Great Wicomico River existence of land from Florida to this area. on the Northern Neck, the Piankatank California. Tourism at numerous historic sites

26 Virginia's Waters: River Basins

33 American egret in the Chinco- teague National Wildlife Refuge (upper left). Marsh grass near Brownsville, Northampton County (upper right). Piankatank River at sunset (left). Elizabeth River (above).

Virginia's Waters: River Basins 27 34 Surfat sunrise, Hog Island

and recreation areas are also major contrioutors to the economy of this region. Chincoteague, Virginia's largest island, is famous for the annual July roundup of the wild ponies that have lived on the island since the seventeenth century. No discussion of the Coastal River Basins would be complete without mention of their highly productive marshes, which are among the world's richest ecosystems. Almost 90 percent of all the finfish and shellfish harvested by the Eastern Shore's seafood industry depend on coastal wetlands during at least part of their lives. These marshes provide feeding, nesting, and resting areas for over 275 species of birds, in- cluding great numbers of waterfowl and shorebirds. The marshes also provide pollution control by treating and assimilating excess nutrients and serve to control flooding by absorbing large amounts of water. Protecting the marshes and shallow bays along the Atlantic side of the Eastern Shore is the nation's largest chain of undeveloped barrier islands. These islands, which parallel the coastline, are low and sandy with extensive tidal flats. They buffer the forces of winds, waves, and storm surges, thereby preserving the rich marshlands that separate the islands from the Eastern Shore. The Virginia barrier islands are largely managed by the Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as wildlife refuges, providing a corridor of more than 45,000 acres of diverse coastal habitats.

28 Virginia's Waters: River Basins 35 Bqys

"Pentaquod leaned forward with scape of the Chesapeake Bay region praised it as a paradise of abundant his paddle across his knees, content has been influenced by the repeated fish and fowl. Nearly four centurics to allow his yellow canoe to drift southward advance and northward later, the bay is still highly productive. quietly info the bay, and with each retreat of massive glaciers. When the Its major commercial seafood re- length that the log moved forward last major glacial period ended about sources include softshelled crab, blue he saw some new revelation: the 2,000 years ago, the melting ice crab, oyster, clam, menhaden, and immensity of this water, the way raised the level of the sea along the rockfish. The world's largest supplier the fish jumped as if they were Atlantic Coast. As the climate warmed of blue crab, the bay produces about eager to be caught and tasted, the over a period of thousands of years, 55 million pounds annually. Only the constant movement of birds back broad expanses of the ancient production of the Atlantic and Paciiic and forth, the majestic trees lining Susquehanna River Valley and many oceans exceeds the bay's commercial the shore, and over all, the arching of the river's tributaries were flooded. fishery catch of more than $100 sky more blue than any he had This flooded, interconnected system million annually. seen before." of streambeds and river channels Major industrial activities in the James A. Michener now forms the floor of the Chesa- hay area are manufacturing, mining, Chesapeake peake Bay and adjacent tidal rivers. shipbuilding, power generation, The bay was named by the Algon- petroleum refining, chemical pro- WITH about 4,400 square quin Indians, who called it "Ches- duction, and meat, seafood and miles of water surface, the epioc," which means "Great Shell- vegetable processing. The Chesa- Chesapeake Bay is the fish Bay." peake itself is a major commercial largest of more than 800 estuaries in Captain John Smith, who first waterway that annually handles the United States and the largest explored the Bay in 1608 in prep- nearly 50,000 trips by commercial body of water along the Atlantic aration for English colonization, vessels carrying 90 million tons of Coast. It is some 200 miles long and cargo. Two of the five major U.S. East ranges in width from 4 to 30 miles. Coast ports are situated on the bay. Infrared photo of Chesapeake Bay. Of the 50 major rivers that feed the The port of Hampton Roads, which bay, five the Susquehanna, James, includes marine terminals at Ports- York, Rappahannock, and Potomac mouth, Norfolk, Chesapeake, and supply nearly 90 percent of the fresh Newport News, is located at the bay's water thatflows into the bay. Draining mouth. In 1982, Hampton Roads more than 64,000 square miles in was the largest export port in the Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, nation; coal was the largest export Delaware, the District of Columbia, commodity, and crude petroleum the Pennsylvania, and New York, the bay largest import product. Other major holds an estimated 18 trillion gallons products included grain, tobacco, of water. Despite this enorrnous lumber, and chemicals. amount of water, the bay is relatively Located at the northern end of the shallow. Its average depth is less bay, the port of Baltimore handles than 30 feet. almost one-fourth of the East Coast's Thousands of years of geologic exports. The bay also provides access change have created the bay's to Virginia's river ports of Hopewell, physical characteristics. The land- Richmond, and Alexandria.

Virginia's Waters: Bays 29 The ChesapeakeBay seems to be everybody's favorite body of water, forcing government to walk a tightrope as it seeks to balance competing demands. For s9me, the bay is the avenue to Hampton Roads and Baltimore, two tithe nation's busiest ports. Others follow a distinctive lifestyle while harvesting its finfish and shellfish. For an untold number of Americans, the bay is a watery playground offering sailing, swimming, sport fishing, bird watching, bird hunting, and other recreational pursuits.

Edward Born AMONG the Chesapeake's most .Mvaluable contributions isits function as a supportive natural habitat for wildlife. Located within the bay region are 20 properties designated as national refuges or related properties. The bay's richly vegetated marshlands, combined with the productive waters of the tidal rivers, provide excellent wildlife habitat. More than 2,700 species of plants and animals, including 200 species of fish, are found in the waters and along the shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Migratory birds use the bay and surrounding wetlands as a stop along the Atlantic Flyway. An estimated 500,000 Canada geese and more than 40,000 whistling swans winter in the bay area. Among the multitude of birds that nest around the bay are black duck, wood duck, blue-winged teal, and the endangered bald eagle. The largest population of ospreys in the United States is located in the Ches- apeake. Other birds found in the area include owls, gulls, hawks, herons, egrets, songbirds, and such game birds as wild turkey, quail, woodcock, dove, and pheasant. The abundance of food and veg- etation in lands adjacent to the bay provides ideal habitat for numbers of deer, fox, rabbit, squirrel, opossum, beaver, otter, mink and muskrat. The bay also serves as a nursery and habitat for a number of finfish, many of which spawn in tributaries and areas of low salinity in the upper portion of the bay base, shad,

30 Virginia's Waters: Bays 37 croaker, herring, menhaden, king- and transportation centers spurred fish, and white perch. The bay is the population growth. By 1980, nearly primary East Coast spawning area 8.5 million people lived in the bay for striped bass, a commercially region. important fish whose population has Increased commercial, industrial, seriously declined in recent years. recreational, and urban activities One reason for the area's high throughout the Chesapeake water- biological productivity is the 425,000 shed have put intense pressures on acres of marshland that fringe the the bay's ecosystem, polluting the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. water and destroying wetlands. The BACK BAY, a shallow, 25,000 - More than half of these wetlands are effects of human activities and the acre coastal water body in in Virginia. Forming a natural boun- conflicting demands on the bay's the southern part of the City dary between land and water, these resources led Congress in 1976 to of Virginia Beach, is separated from transitional areas contain salt water initiate the Chesapeake Bay Program the Atlantic Ocean by a narrow barrier from the bay's tides and fresh water to assess the bay's health and to beach. Averaging only4 feet in depth, from groundwater seepage, streams, make recommendations for improving the bay is is dotted with small islands and rain. The marshes support an water quality, and preserving living and surrounded by extensive brackish abundance of plant life, including resources. and freshwater marshes. wild rice, cattails, cordgrass, and Although the bay and its tidal Back Bay is the northern arm of a needier ush. At least 10 species of tributaries have remained productive huge estuarine system that includes bay grasses thrive here. in spite of the stresses inflicted by Currituck, Albemarle, and Pamlico With the many miles of tidal man, the future health and produc- sounds in North Carolina. Back Bay shoreline along the Chesapeake Bay, tivity of these waters and wetlands and Curntuck Sound receive drainage Atlantic Coast, and adjacent estuaries will be determined by how wisely the from Virginia Beach and Chesapeake and rivers, this part of Virginia is resources of the entire Chesapeake via the Northwest River, the North popular forits many recreational watershed are managed. Landing River, and many small creeks. attractions. Water-based activities The southern end of the bay is account for &mut half of the rec- tidally influenced and has brackish reational time spent by Virginians, water. The northernmost part of Back and the bay region offers ample Bay is a freshwater system, but the opportunities for fishing, swimming, City of Virginia Beach pumps salt sunbathing, boating, camping, and water from the Atlantic across the hunting. beach into this part of the bay to Since John Smith first explored increase the bay's salinity and control the Chesapeake Bay area it has milfoil, an undesirable aquatic grass. become a primary growth center Attracted by the enormous flocks along the eastern seaboard The first of waterfowl that winter in Back Bay, settlers were attracted by the suit- sportsmen built a number of hunting ability of the region's soil and climate clubs around the bay in the late for tobacco cultivation. Later, the nineteenth century. Commercial water- founding of the nation's capital and fowl hunting and destruction of wet- development of major manufacturing lands in the ensuing decades led to a

3S Virginia's Waters: Bays 31 Back Bay is botha birder's and fisherman's paradise.

sharp decline in waterfowl popu- area. The Commission of Game and that migrate along the Atlantic Fly- lations. Inland Fisheries also maintains three way between Canada and Florida. It Since 1938, the U.S. Fish and wildlife management areas for water- serves as the winter home of large Wildlife Service has protected 4.6 fowl hunting and fishing in Back Bay. numbers of ducks, geese, and swans. miles of beachfront just south of The entire Back Bay-False Cape The bay is considered one of the best Sandbridge and the marshlands and Natural Area comprises an 8,900- areas on the East Coast for large- bay waters to the west as the Back acre coastal wilderness of beaches, mouth bass fishing, and its shallow Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The dunes, shrub thickets, w Hands, and waters also support crappie, pike, remaining 5.6 miles of beach between open water. pickerel, perch, and catfish. Biologists the refuge and the North Carolina Back Bay, known as a "birder's have counted more than 40 reptile, border make up False Cape State paradise," is an important feeding 30 amphibian, and 200 plant species Park, a limited-access recreational area for tens of thousands of birds in this ecologically rich area.

32 Virginia's Waters: Bays 3D Lakes

VIRGINIA has more than The recorded history of Mountain to maintain the level of the Greet 254,000 acres of publicly Lake dates back to 1751, when Chris- Dismal Swamp Canal, which is part owned lakes and reservoirs, topher Gist discovered the lake while of the Atlantic Intracoastal Water- and an estimated 68,000 acres of he was exploring and mapping the way. The canal is the oldest surviving privately owned farm ponds and area for the Ohio Land Company. artificial waterwa, in the United lakes. Only two of the Common- Various eighteenth- and nineteenth- States. The lake is located in the wealth's lakes are not man-made: century accounts reported that the center of the Great Dismal Swamp, Lake Drummond in the Great lake had dried up and cattle were 50,000 acres of which have been Dismal Swamp and Mountain Lake driven there for the salt licks. In fact, designated a national wildlife refuge. i.-i Giles County. until the late 1880s the lake was L-ke Drummond is more than two known as Salt Pond. Scientists miles wide and nearly three miles Natural Lakes believe that a period of prolonged long, covering 3,180 acres. It was Mountain Lake is one mile long, drought between 1751 al.d 1805 discovered by William Drummond, about a fifth-of-a-mile wide, and could have caused an extremely low North Carolina's first governor, 150 feet deep. Located in the water level that allowed trees to 1665. The processes by which the Appalachian Mountains at an ele- grow on what is now the lake bottom. shallow lake formed are uncertain, vation of 3,875 feet, Mountain As the lake refilled, these trees were but it is believed to have originated Lake is nearly 1,000 feet above most immersed and died.In the early about 4,000 years ago. of the surrounding ridges and more 1900s, the trees were cut to prevent The Great Dismal Swamp sur- than 2,000feet above the New River, damage to boats, but the stumps are rounding Lake Drummond began located 6 miles from the lake. still visible today. fcrming along streams in the area Because of the 60-acre lake's high The first owner of the Mo "ntain about 12,000 years ago at the end of elevation and dramatic fluctuations Lake area was John Chapman, who the last glacial period. As the climate in its water level throughout recorded settled at the mouth of Walker's warmed and the great continental history, the lake's origin and the Creek in 1768. The lake and its ice sheets melted, the sea level rose source of its water have been sub- environs became a private resort in and the swamp was enlarged, jects of controversy. Large boulde-s 1856 and a clapboard hotel was reaching full development approx- of sandstone resting on a formation constructed. Cottages were built imately 3,000 years ago. of shale at the north end of the lake around the lake in 1931, and the Some scientists believe the swamp are believed to have dammed up a hotel was replaced in 1936 by one once covered 1,400,000 acres. When stream that once flowed through the constructed cf stone from a nearby the swamp was first accurately narrow valley to form the lake. quarry. The resort is now a popular mapped in 1890, it had an area of Today, no streams flow into the vacation site for those who enjoy 960,000 acres. Over the years, lake, but it is fed by precipitation and tennis, horseback riding, boating, thousands of acres have been cleared several springs on the lake's bottom. fishing, and hiking in the relatively of trees and drained for cultivation. Water seeps through the lake's boul- i5olated area. An 11,000-acre spruce Lake Drummond was 15 feet deep der dam into Pond Drain, which and hemlock forest adjacent to the before commercial orations began flows into Little Stony Creek then lake was designated a wilderness to drain the swamp with canals and descends two spectacular waterfalls area by Congress in 1984. remove timber. The lake is raw only the 20-foot Little Cascades and Lake Drummond, Virginia's other six feet deep at the center the 70-foot Cascades and enters natural lake, is 'ised for recreation A number of famous Virginians the New River. and also serves as a source of water played an importers rolein the

Virginia's Waters: Lakes 33 4 .J

I Virginia's Lakes and Reservoirs

1. John W. Flannagan Reservoir 2. South Holston Lake 3. Claytor Lake 4. Philpott Reservoir 5. Smith Mountain Lake 6. Lake Moomaw 7. Lake Anna 7 8. Buggs Island Lake (Kerr Reservoir) 9. Lake Gaston 6 10. Lake Drummond 11. Mountain Lake

11 1 5 3 4 2 8 10 9

history and development of this made lakes and ponds that were erosion. The U.S. Army Corps of region. William Byrd surveyed the created by damming creeks and Engineers also operates four Virginia area in 1728 and gave the Great rivers. The Roanoke River supports reservoirs that were constructed Dismal Swamp its name. 'n 1765, the largest number of major impound- specifically for flood control: Flan George Washington organized a ments, with four man-made reser- nagan, Moomaw, Buggs Island, and company to build the first canal in voirs that cover a total of 93,700 Phitpott. South Holston Lake was the swamp to aid in lumbering acres in Virginia and North Carolina. built and is operated ty the Ten- operations. Buggs Island Lake (known asJohn H. nessee Valley Authority for flood Several decades later,Patrick Kerr Reservoir in North Carolina) is control and power generation. Henry promoted the plan to build a the Commonwealth's largest reser- The principal reasons for the con- 22-mile canal through the swamp to voir, although the lake does not lie struction of other major Virginia reser- connect the Chesapeake Bay with entirely in Virginia. The largest lake voirs are (1) generation of hydro- Albemarle Sound in North Carolina. wholly in the state is Smith Mountain electric power Claytor, Smith The Great Dismal Swamp Canal was Lake. Mountain, and Lr-sesville (Appalachian chartered by the Virginia Assembly The watershed protection program Power Company) and Gaston (Vir- in 1787 and was opened to large of the U.S. Department of Agricul- ginia Power); (2) drinking water sup- vessels by 1814. The canal remained ture's Soil Conservation Service has ply Chesdin (Appomatox River privately owned until 1929, when constructed reservoirs that impound Water Authority) and Occoquan (Fair- the federal government purchased it 3,600 acres in the Commonwealth to fax County Water Authority); and (3) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers control flooding and reduce soil source of cooling water for nuclear took over its operation. The canal is power plant North Anna (Virginia now the major water route into the Power). Virginia's reservoirs also Great Dismal Swamp National Wild- HarrisonLake, Charles City serve beneficial purposes other than life Refuge. County. their primary ones: they often help The swamp is one of the few maintain stream water quality, regu- remaining large areas of wetland late low flows, serve as recreation wilderness in the eastern United areas, and provide wildlife habitat. Of States. At least 35 different kinds of course, reservoir construction can trees, incluaing cypress, juniper, red have significant environmental im- maple, and wild cherry grow in the pacts such as inundation of scenic, swamp. About 75 species of birds a agricultural, or residential areas and inhabit the area. disturbance of ecosystems. Hence, the costs and benefits of any Reservoirs proposed reservoirs must be carefully Virginia has hundreds of man- evaluated.

34 Virginia's Waters: Lakes 41 Groundwater

MORE than 50 spas with Nine caverns in Virginia, all west Wham exactly is groundwater and mineral or thermal of the Blue Ridge, are open to the where does it come from? Simply springs once flourished public. Scores of other caverns stated, groundwater is surface water in Virginia, mainly in the valleys draw cave explorers to the western that has seeped into the ground and and ridges west of the Blue Ridge part of the state to investigate has saturated earth and rock for- Mountains. During their heyday in complex passageways, under- mations. A geologic formation that the nineteenth century, these ground streams, rare bats, fossils, contains and transmits enough springs were the summertime and exquisite rock formations. groundwater to supply wells and health and social centers of the The groundwater that creates springs is an aquifer. Commonwealth. Visitors came these natural wonders has been from as far away as Eurcpe to an essential resource for Virginians GROUNDWATER is one of the bathe in, drink, and rub them- throughout history and is critical stages in the earth's hydrologic selves with the "healing waters" fcr the Commonwealth's future. (water) cycle. In this cycle, water that flowed from these springs. Historians believe the first set- evaporates from the oceans and the Touted as a treatment for almost tlers at Jamestown relied on land surface, then forms clouds and every known ailment from indiges- groundwater from shallow wells falls back to earth as precipitation. tion to yellow fever, the mineral as their main water source. The Some rainwater and snowmelt runs springs contain varying amounts colonists are said to have preferred off into streams, but much soaks into of sulfur, sodium, calcium, mag- the "sweet water" from the ground the soil and seeps many feet under- nesium, and iron. The thermal to the foul-tasting water from the ground to become groundwater. This springs, at spas like Hot Springs brackish James River. process through which water perco- and Warm Springs, are naturally lates down from the earth's surface heated deep within the earth to TODAY, about 400 million gallons into aquifers is called recharge. temperatures between 60 and 110 1 of groundwater are withdrawn As shown by the hydrologic cycle, degrees Fahrenheit. daily in the state for domestic and groundwater and surface water are Only a handful of Virgin as commercial use, industry, and irri closely connected. Surface water remains today, but towns E nu Jm- gation. Major industrial uses include often becomes groundwater and munities in the springs r agion of the processing of food, stone, and groundwater often becomes surface Virginia still bear such n 3mes as clay, and the manufacture of con- water. Groundwater naturally appears Augusta Springs, Allegheny crete, textiles, wood products, paper at the earth's surface as springs. It Springs, Sweet Chalybeate Springs, and chemicals. also seeps into lakes, streams, and Orkney Springs, Healing Springs, Excluding the Ir-ge amounts of wetlands. In fact, 30 percent of the Rockbridge Baths, and Yellow Sul- surface water used to cool thermo- total streamflow in the United States phur Springs. electric power plants, 31 percent of comes from groundwater. During a Groundwater, the naturalre- the fresh water used in Virginia is drought, groundwater may be the source that made Virginia's historic groundwater. About 80 percent of all only source of water for streams. spas prosperous, is also respon- irginians use groundwater for at Likewise, surface water from lakes sible for the state's many caves least part of their everyday water and streams may seep underground and caverns. Carbonic acid, natu- needs, including approximately 1.5 and become groundwater. Surpris- rally present in groundwater, has million state residents who obtain ingly, far more fresh water occurs hollowed out great limestone caves their domestic water supplies solely underground than in all the world's over thousands of years. from private wells or springs. lakes, streams, and rivers.

Virginia's Waters: Groundwater 35 % a 42 VIRGINIA has five physiographic from Winchester to Bristol. Limestone extremely vulnerable to contami- provinces, regions of character- and dolomite aquifers in the val'eys nation because contaminated surface istic geologic structure and climate: typically yield large amounts of water. water often flows directly into the Cumberland Plateau, Valley and Wens and springs yielding hundreds ground through limestone sinkholes. Ridge, Blue Ridge, Piedmont, and of gallons per minute are not Ironically, sinkholes traditionally Coastal Plain. The terrain, soils, uncommon. The water from these have been used as garbage dumps. vegetation, and wildlife vary from aquifers is often hard and requires one province to another. Less obvious softening for household use. Blue Ridge to the casual observer, but just as The connections between surface Virginia's highest mountain peaks distinct, are groundwater character- water and groundwater are most are in the narrow Blue Ridge province. istics of each region. The natural evident in the Valley and Ridge's The region is a center for tourism and quality and quantity of groundwater limestone-floored valleys. Ground- such outdoor recreational activities in each physiographic province water naturally comes to the earth's as hiking, hang gliding, fishing, skiing, depend on such properties as geology surface at hundreds of springs in the and hunting. Much of the land in the and rainfall. Human activities, such province, and these springs are Blue Ridge is owned or managed by as land use, waste disposal, ground- frequently used for domestic water the federal government. water withdrawal, and irrigation, also supp!ies. Weak natural acids in the The eastern flank of the Blue Ridge have a profound impact on ground- groundwater dissolve limestone to is composed of crystalline rocks such water resources. form caves, channels, and sinkholes. as granite and gneiss, while the Groundwater in this region is Cumberland Plateau western flank is made up of sedimen- Portions of seven southwestern Virginia counties lie in the Cumber- land (Appalachian) Plateau province. This hilly, sparsely populated region is made up of sedimentary rocks sandstone, shale, and coal that usually yield only small quantities of groundwater to wells. Groundwater quality in this area is often poor because of high iron or manganese content or acidity. I In addition to these natural ground- water quality problems, acid drainage from coal mines may contaminate groundwater and make it unsuitable for household use. Highly acidic water can corrode plumbing and leach toxic metals into drinking water, creating a serious health hazard. Despite low well yields and water quality problems, localities in the Cumberland Plateau depend heavily on groundwater for coal processing and domestic use.

Valley and Ridge Long,.arallel mountain ridges separated by valleys are characteristic of the Valley and Ridge province, which stretches more than 300 miles

Aonce-flourishing resort at Yellow Sulphur Springs.

36 Virginia's Waters: Groundwater Virginia's Physiographic Provinces

1111Cumberland Plateau

isValley and Ridge

DBlue Ridge

IPiedmont 0

tary rocks like the neighboring Valley Atlantic Ocean and on the west by from surface sources since contam- and Ridge province. Wells and many the "fall line," an imaginary line inants can seep rapidly through the small springs in the Blue Ridge yield running from Alexandria through porous, sandy soils to the ground- low volumes of groundwater, gen- Emporia that mar's the limit of tidal water. erally of good quality but, in some influence on Virginia's rivers and Much larger, deeper aquifers at cases, requiring treatment to remove streams and, or the larger ;ivers, the least several hundred feet below the iron. The principal groundwater use limit of navigability by ocean-going surface supply industrial and public is for private domestic supplies. trading soips. Many of Virgin,a'c supply wells with approximately 160 earliest commercial centers, most million gallons a day. These aquifers, Piedmont notably Alexandria, Richmond, and the state's largest, often produce The Piedmont province is bordered Fredericksbu, 3, wei a located on tho well yields of more than 1,000 gallons on the west by the Blue Rid3e Moun- fall line. per minute. By comparison, domestic tains, hence the name "Piedmont," Today, nearly half of the state's wells in sh2llow aquifers generally which merns lying at the foot of groundwater use is in the populous yield 5 to 50 gallons a minute. (A well mour'.ains. Within this province, Coastal Plain province, where large yield of at least 6 gallons a minute is whir's made up ma iolyof crystalline wells help supply the needs of usually needed for home use, though rock the qualtity and quality of industry and major public waterworks. 10gallons a minute is more desirable.) groundwater are widely val.:able. More groundwater is used for crop Even the Jgh the Coastal Plain has Adequate si !polies of potable ground- irrigation in the Eastern Shore's huge quantities of groundwater in water for homes and farms can Accomack and Northampton counties deep aquifers one estimate is 3 usually befoundwithin a few hundred than in all of Virginia's other counties trillion gallons municipalities in feet of the s irface. In most Piedmont combined. Poultry and produce indus- populous Southeast Virginia are counties, g:oundwater accounts for tries are major groundwater con- facing problems in meeting their 50 to 90 percent of total water use. sumers on the Eastern Shore. water demands. Excessive with- Well yields in the Piedmont com- The Coastal Plain, made up of drawal of groundwater from these monly ra .ge from 3 to 20 gallons a layers of sand, gravel, silt, and clay, is aquifers has created a major de- rrfnute; yields greater,thar, 50 gallons the only physiographic province in crease in groundwater availability a minute are exceptional. Larger Virginia that is composed mainly of around Franklin. Overpumping has yields maybe obtained around exten- unconsolidated deposits. Most small also caused salt water, which occurs sive, fracture and fault systems. domestic wells in the Coastal Plain naturally beneath the ocean floor, to tap shallow aquifers less than 70 feet intrude westward into the freshwater Coastal Plain below the surface. These aquifers aquifers. Groundwater pumped from The Coastal Plain is bordered on provide water of good quality, but deeper the 150 feet beneath Virginia the Last by Chesapeake Bay and the they are highly vul nerable to pollution Beach is V. J salty for household use.

Virginia's Waters: Groundwater 37 * 4 4 7

38 Virginia's Waters: Managemeat Management

THE management of the state's legal doctrine, the right to use water 50,000 gallons a day. The designated water resources is a compli- depends upon ownership of land management areas are (1) the south- ... cated and often confusing bordered or crossed by a stream. eastern corner of the state, including process. It is not the purpose of this Water use is further limited to lands the counties of Isle of Wight, Prince publication to detail the many laws, within the drainage basin where the George, Southampton, Surrey, Sus- court cases, and policies t: fat affect water is withdrawn. The amount of sex, and the cities of Chesapeake, the process. Instead, this section is water that a user can withdraw must Franklin, Hopewell, Norfolk, Suffolk, intended to provide general infor- be reasonable in relation to others Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach; and mation about the major laws and with similar rights. (2) the Eastern Shore, comprising programs affecting Virginia's waters. To date, the court decisions related Accomack and Northampton counties. Thirteen state and nine federal to Virginia's groundwater are few, agencies have authority to manage and the courts have not definitely THE State Water Control Board some aspect of the state's water and stated which of the common law (SWCB) is responsible for the related land resources. In addition, groundwater doctrines absolute Commonwealth's water quality con- interstate agreements and compacts ownership or reasonable use trol program and the administration have an impact on waters bordering should be applied in the Common- and enforcement of the State Water the state. wea h. Absolute ownership grants a Control Law. The sWCB is also A number of fedei al environmental lanaowner the unqualified right to charged with planning the develop- laws provide protection for both use the groundwater beneath his ment, conservation, and use of Vir- ground and surface waters. These land in whatever manner he sees fit. ginia's waters. Currently, the SWCB include the Safe Drinking Water Act, The reasonable use doctrine, on is working with statewide and regional Clean Water Act; Resource Conser- the other hand, restricts the use of advisory committees to develop a vation and Recovery Act; Tox;c Sub- groundwater to the overlying land. water plan for the Commonwealth. stances Control Act; Federal Insect- The groundwater doctrine of reason- The State Health Department has icide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, able use, unlike the riparian doctrine, responsibility for safe drinking water arid Comprehensive Environmental does not require a sharing of water to and other public health concerns Response, Compensation and Liability accommodate others with similar related to water. Act (superfund). Many federal pro- rights. The Scenic Rivers Act, passed by grams relating to land use practices the General Assembly in 1970, pro- also affect management of tne quality VGINIA'S Groundwater Act of vides for the protection of rivers or and quantity of Virginia's water 1973 providesforthedesignation river sections of exceptional beauty. resources. Some involve national of groundwater management areas The process of including a river or parks and forest..., federal reservoir s, where (1) groundwater levels are river section into the system begins wildlife refuges, wilderness areas, declining; (2) the available supply is, with studies by the Division o. Parks scenic rivers, wetlands, and soil or is about to be, overdrawn; (3) the and Recreation. Local citizen partici- conservation activities. groundwater is, or is in danger of, pation is encouraged in gathering Virginia relies on the common-law becoming contaminated, or (4) the data and support for the designation. riparian doctrine for the allocation of wells of two or more users substan- After a study has been completed, surface vl,ater supplies. Under this tially interfere with each aier. Within the division publishes its findings, groundwater management areas, holds hearings, and makes a recom- permits are required for commercial mendation to the governor and ClaytorLake State Park. or industrial withdrawals that exceed General Assembly.

Virginia's Waters: Management 39 4 f; The law requires that an advisory as the state begins implementing a ination that exceeded established committee of local residents assist 1U-year program to address the Day's drinking water standards in almost and advise the Division of Parks and problems. three-fourths of the water systems Recreation in the management of sampled. each scenic river. After the desig- MANY local pollution incidents Groundwater moves so slowly that nation, no dam or other structure can threaten Virginia's waters. human exposure to contaminated be built that will impede the natural Between July 1981 and June 1983, drinking water may not happen until flow of the river. Preservation of the SWCB and the U.S. Coast Guard months or years after the initial stream banks and surrounding areas investigated 969 oilspillsin the contamination. Cleaning up contam- are required and development activ- Commonwealth. Fifty fish kills caused inated groundwater is usually ex- ities are restricted to assure the scenic by pollution occurred during this pensive, often impractical, and some- river's "use and enjoyment" for its period. An August 1981 waste dis- times impossible. For instance,if "recreational, geologic, fish and wild- r lrge from two fish processing heating oil from an underground oil life, historic, cultural, or other values." ants in Reedville killed 1.1 million storage tank leaks into a family's well Through 1986, 11 sections of 10 menhaden. As of January 1, 1984, water, that well may never again be rivers, totaling 225 stream miles, more than 80,000 acres of the state's usable as a home water supply. have been incorporated in th; 'cenic shellfish waters were closed due to Although the General Assembly Rivers System. actual or potential contamination. has given primary responsibility for Since ground and surface waters the quality and quantity of Virginia's MAJOR issues and problems are intercom ;cted, groundwater is waters to state agencies, every citizen involving Virginia's water re- vulnerable to contamination that also has a personal responsibility to sources in the mid-1980c include originates at the land surface. Some use Virginia's water resources wisely. interbasin transfers of water such as impurities may be filtered out of To make well-informed decisions, a proposed Lake Gaston-to-Virginia water as it percolates from the land Virginians need to understand the Beach pipeline, possible construction surface to aquifers, but this is not state's water resources, the issues of a coal slurry pipeline across the always the case. Potentia! contam- and conflicts affecting water quality state, siting of hazardous waste inants of Virginia's groundwater and use, and our interrelationship disposal faciiities, comprehensive include sewage, petroleum products, with the environment. management of water resources hazardous waste, leachate from land- through a withdrawal permit ,ystem, fills, pesticides, fertilize s, livestock VIRGINIANS have control over statewide standards for well construc- and fowl wastes, road salt, and coal V the quality of the state's ground tion, expansion of public water sup mining waste. Three of the most and surface waters. Land uses and plies to keep pace with rapid urban common causes of groundwater con- many everyday activities affect water growth, control of agricultural runoff, tamination are malfunctioning septic quality. By properly maintaining wells and improvement of municipal systems. leaking underground gas- and septic systems and by being Fewage treatment operations. oline or heating oil tanks, and poorly cautious about the use of hazardous The overall quality of Virginia's constructed wells that allow contam- substances pesticides, fertilizers, waters is rated as excellent by the inated surface water to pass directly herbicides, paints, fuels and the SWCB, except in a few areas of the into well water. disposal of all types of waste, every Commonwealth. Three large river citizen can help protect our water segments have notable toxic pollution ROUNDWATER contamination resources. problems: a 113-mile stretch o. the Ghas become increasingly wide- Eves, Virginian can also play a part James River has seasonal commercial spread in Virginia. The extent of ;n ensuring adequate water supplies. fishing restrictions because of con- groundwater contamination in the Conserving water simply using tamination by the pesticide Kepone; state is unknown, but several recent only as much as needed is eco- 81 miles of the North Fork Holston indicators suggest itis a growing nomical and may help prevent River are restricted to catch-e Id- problem. In 1985, the SWCB received shortages in the future. release fishing because of mercury 97 complaints about groundwater Residents of the Commonwealth pollution; and 102 miles of the South contaminated by otruleum products, have a responsibility to future gener- River and South Fork Shenandoah seven times as many as it had ations to manage wisely and conserve River are under a health advisory received in 1979. The State Health the s' te's natural resources, so that concerning fish consumption because Department analyzed household the growth and progress of Virginia or mercury contamination. drinking water at 200 randomly contributes to improved quality of life The extent and levels of water selected wells in 14 south-central for allitscitizens. The future of quality problems in the Chesapeake Virginia counties in 1983. The study Virgiria's waters remains in the Bay still are being investigated even revealed bacterial or chemical contam- hands of all Virginians.

40 Virginia's Waters: Management 4 7 1 .; '4 t - '

' ., .,I 1,' , 1 1., '14:7d.i,.',0 -- ; i # , ,' 7 11 , ,. ,.. ir rit''.1%,, , 1, ' 1:".""S ''... ' V ''' ' `3''';(1.`li 3 I