Record rainfalls last year slowed recent progress on improving the health of the James River watershed, which covers about a quarter of Virginia’s land mass.
In a comprehensive assessment of its water quality, part of a biennial State of the James report, the James River Association gave the waterway an overall health grade of 60%, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. That figure, which the association deems equivalent to a grade of B-, is unchanged from 2017.
The report considers fish and wildlife populations, pollution levels, natural habitats and restoration efforts to arrive at its assessment.
“This is a positive sign for the resilience of the James, but it is a departure from the steady improvements that we have seen since we first issued the State of the James in 2007,” said William Street, CEO of the nonprofit river association.
Progress was slowed specifically by record rainfalls that led to an increase in dirty stormwater runoff and a decline in shad and oyster populations.
Politics
Opinion: The problem with Youngkin’s Charter-Lab schools push in 2024
The Problem Governor Glenn Youngkin introduced 233 amendments to the bipartisan budget so it was hard to know how to assess his budget–for example,...
What to know about Trump’s legal issues
Over the past year, former president Donald Trump has become the center of not one, not two, not three, but four criminal investigations, at both...
Local News
Virginia verses: Celebrating 5 poetic icons for National Poetry Month
There’s no shortage of great writers when it comes to our commonwealth. From the haunting verses of Edgar Allan Poe, who found solace in Richmond's...
Join the fun: Recapping Family Literacy Night’s storybook adventures
When’s the last time you read a book aloud with a loved one? If it’s difficult to answer that question, then maybe it’s time to dust off that TBR...
