Chowan River - Dismal Swamp Watershed
General Information about the Chowan River - Dismal Swamp Watershed
Public Health Advisories and Aquatic Life Concerns
General Information about the Chowan River - Dismal Swamp Watershed (From September 2006 305(b) Report, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality)
The Chowan River - Dismal Swamp Basin is located in the southeastern portion of Virginia. It flows through the Piedmont and Coastal Plain Physiographic Provinces. The Piedmont portion of the Basin is characterized by rolling hills, steeper slopes, and somewhat more pronounced stream valleys. The Coastal Plain portion is nearly flat, with a descending series of terraces. The Basin includes the Dismal Swamp. The Basin is mostly rural with approximately 64% of its land covered in forest. Cropland and pasture make up another 28% and only 6% is urban. Major tributaries of the Chowan River are the Meherrin, the Nottoway, and the Blackwater Rivers. The Dismal Swamp is mostly flat with many swamp and marshland areas.
Public Health Advisories and Aquatic Life Concerns (From September 2006 305(b) Report, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality)
| Great Dismal Swamp Canal | Mercury | From Deep Creek Lock south to the Virginia/North Carolina state line, including Lake Drummond and the feeder ditch to Lake Drummond. | The advisory affects bowfin and chain pickerel 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 fish from these waters. |
| Blackwater River | Mercury |
From State Rt.31 downstream to the Virginia North Carolina border. |
The advisory affects largemouth bass bowfin, white catfish, redhorse sucker, longnose gar and redear sunfish 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 of these fish from these waters
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| Meherrin River | PCB |
below Emporia downstream to Route 730 bridge |
The advisory applies to gizzard shad and recommends not eating more than two meals a month. Pregnant women and children are advised not to eat any of these fish.
|
Groups
Active In Your Basin
If your group is active
in this watershed and you would like your information posted (contact person,
activities, sites you monitor, stories, etc), please e-mail Stacey Brown
at stacey at vasos.org or call (804) 615-5036.
Chowan SWCD—contact:
Stacey
Bradshaw
706 South Main Street, Emporia Va. 23847
434-634-2115
Monitoring the Nottoway River, Stony Creek, & Harris Swamp
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 (540) 377-6179
If you collected data through 2001 and you can't find it here,
please contact Stacey Brown at stacey at vasos.org
or (540) 377-6179.