York Watershed
General Information about the York Watershed
Public Health Advisories and Aquatic Life Concerns
General Information about the York Watershed (From September 2006 305(b) Report, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality)
The York River Basin lie in the central and eastern section of Virginia. The headwaters of the York River begin in Orange and Louisa counties and flow in a southeasterly direction for approximately 220 miles to its mouth at the Chesapeake Bay. The basin's topography is characterized by slightly rolling hills in the headwaters to gently sloping hills and flat farmland near its mouth. Approximately 65 percent of the land is forest. Farmland and pasture account for approximately 20 percent while 10 percent of the basin is considered urban. The basin is comprised of the York River and its two major tributaries, the Pamunkey and the Mattaponi. The Pamunkey River's major tributaries are the North and South Anna Rivers and Little River. The major tributaries to the Mattaponi are the Matta, Po, and Ni Rivers.
Public Health Advisories and Aquatic Life Concerns (From September 2006 305(b) Report, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality)
| Dragon Swamp/Piankatank | Mercury |
From Rt. 620 downstream to state Route 606 boat landing |
The advisory affects largemouth bass and recommends eating no more than two eight ounce meals per month and women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, nursing mothers and young children should not eat any largemouth bass from these waters. |
| Pamunkey River | Mercury | from Route 615 bridge to the confluence with Jacks Creek |
The advisory applies to blue catfish and recommends eating no more than two meals a month. Pregnant women and children are advised not to eat any of these fish. |
| Mattaponi River | Mercury |
from Route 628 bridge downstream to Melrose Landing |
The advisory applies to largemouth bass and recommends eating no more than two meals a month. Pregnant women and children are advised not to eat any of these fish. |
| Lake Gordonsville | Mercury |
The advisory recommends eating no more than two meals a month of largemouth bass. Pregnant women and children are advised not to eat any of these fish. |
|
| Herring Creek | Mercury |
from Route 628 bridge to the confluence with the Mattaponi River |
The advisory applies to bluegill sunfish and yellow bullhead catfish and recommends eating no more than two meals a month. Pregnant women and children are advised not to eat any of these fish. |
| York River | PCBs |
from West Point down to the mouth as well as the tidal portion of the following tributaries: King Creek, Queen Creek and Wormley Creek. |
The advisory recommends eating no more than two meals a month of croaker, spot and gizzard shad caught in these waterbodies and pregnant women and children are advised not to eat any of these fish. |
If your
group is active in this watershed and you would like your information
posted (contact person,
activities, sites you monitor, stories, etc), please contact Stacey
Brown at stacey at vasos.org
or (540) 377-6179.
Historic Green Springs
contact:
Amanda Welch
gardenista@mac.com
Lake Anna Civic Association
www.lakeannavirginia.org
Use the link above to take you to the VA SOS Monitoring Results Page.
For older data sets
or different data format (such as an excel spreadsheet) please contact Stacey Brown at
stacey at vasos.org
or (804) 615-5036
If you collected data through 2001 and you can't find it here,
please contact Stacey Brown at
stacey at vasos.org
or (804) 615-5036.