Lower James Watershed

General Information about the James Watershed

Public Health Advisories and Aquatic Life Concerns

General Information about the James Watershed (From September 2006 305(b) Report, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality)

The James River Basin occupies the central portion of Virginia. It is Virginia's largest river basin and is made up of the Upper, Piedmont, and Lower James River sub-basins. The James River begins in the Alleghany Mountains and flows in a southeasterly direction for 228 miles to the Fall Line at Richmond and another 111 miles to Hampton Roads where it enters the Chesapeake Bay. Over 65% of the Basin is forested, with 19% in cropland and pasture. The remaining 12% is considered urban. Major tributaries to the James River are Craig Creek, Maury River, Tye River, Rockfish River, Slate River, Rivanna River, Willis Creek, Appomattox River, Chickahominy River, Pagan River, Nansemond River, and the Elizabeth River.

Public Health Advisories and Aquatic Life Concerns (From September 2006 305(b) Report, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality)

James River	Kepone	Main-Stem of James River from fall line (Richmond) to Hampton Roads - Norfolk Bridge Tunnel	Kepone levels are below the FDA action level. However, a contaminant advisory is still in affect. This advisory does not limit or restrict the consumption of fish from this part of the river. Contact your local health department for more information.
James River	PCBs	from the Interstate 95 bridge in Richmond downstream to the Hampton Roads bridge and the tidal portions of the following tributaries: Appomattox River up to the Lake Chesdin Dam, Bailey Creek up to Rt. 630, Bailey Bay, Chickahominy River up to Walkers Dam, Skiffes Creek up to the Skiffes Creek Dam, Pagan River and Jones Creek, Chuckatuck Creek, Nansemond River, Bennett Creek, Star Creek, Hampton River, Willoughby Bay and the Elizabeth River system (Western Branch, Eastern Branch, Southern Branch and the Lafayette River), and tidal tributaries St. Julian Creek, Deep Creek and Broad Creek.	The advisory recommends not eating any gizzard shad, carp or blue catfish >32 inches and limiting consumption to no more than two meals a month of blue catfish < 32 inches, channel catfish, white catfish, largemouth bass, white perch, bluegill sunfish, American eel, flathead catfish, quillback carpsucker, smallmouth bass, creek chub, yellow bullhead catfish, anadromous striped bass, bluefish, croaker and spot. Women, who are pregnant or may become pregnant, nursing mothers and young children, should not eat any blue catfish or carp taken from these waters.
Elizabeth River	Shellfish Condemnation	entire stretch	Taking of shellfish is prohibited in this river. Contact your local health department for more information.
Lafayette River	Shellfish Condemnation	entire stretch	Taking of shellfish is prohibited in this river. Contact your local health department for more information.
Lake Trashmore	Mercury	entire lake	The advisory recommends eating no more than two meals a month oflargemouth bass (due to elevated levels of mercury) and carp (due to elevated levels of PCBs). Pregnant women and children are advised not to eat any of these fish.
Lake Whitehurst	Mercury	entire lake	The advisory recommends that carp should not be eaten due to elevated levels of mercury and PCBs and that no more than two meals a month of yellow perch should be eaten due to elevated levels of PCBs. 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.

Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay - contact: Stacey Moulds
530 East Main Street, Suite 501, Richmond, VA 23219
moulds.acb at verizon.net
804-775-0951
Chemical Monitoring throughout the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

James River Association - contact: Lynn Ridley
P.O. Box 110, Richmond, VA 23210
riverkeeper@jamesriverassociation.org
804-730-2898

PRIDE. Protecting Resources in Delicate Environments - contact: Beth Davis
bdavis@james-city.va.us
757-253-6859

Friends of the Powhatan Creek Watershed
watershed@widomaker.com

Data From Your Basin

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.