WIP III
Virginia's Chesapeake Bay Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan
The Virginia Portion of the Chesapeake Bay by Major Basin
The Potomac River Basin
The Potomac River is often referred to as our nation’s river because it flows through Washington D.C. With a total drainage area of 14,670 square miles, it is a shared resource among four states: Virginia (5,723 square miles), Maryland (3,818 square miles), West Virginia (3,490 square miles), Pennsylvania (1,570 square miles), and the District of Columbia (69 square miles).
The Virginia portion of the Potomac basin includes about 13,230 miles of rivers/streams, 4,240 acres of lakes and 60 square miles of tidal estuary.
For more detailed information on the current conditions of this basin please see the 2018 integrated report (2018 IR)
Virginia’s portion of the Potomac-Shenandoah River basin occupies the northern portion of the state, and covers about 13 percent of the Commonwealth’s total land area.
The 3,063 square mile Shenandoah River watershed feeds into the Potomac. The main stem begins in Front Royal, at the confluence of the North Fork and the South Fork.
The North Fork of the Shenandoah River originates in Rockingham County and the headwaters of the South Fork of the Shenandoah are in Augusta County.
The 60-mile-long Shenandoah River empties into the Potomac River at Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, and its watershed comprises almost five percent of Virginia’s entire Chesapeake Bay basin.
Captain John Smith explored the Potomac in 1608 and found fish “lying so thick with their heads above water, that for want of nets, we attempted to catch them with a frying pan.” Times and populations have changed greatly since then.
In 2010, the estimated total population of the watershed was 6.11 million people, with Virginia’s portion at slightly more than 2.8 million.
Rappahannock River Basin
The Rappahannock River basin is located in the northeastern portion of Virginia and covers 2,712 square miles or approximately six percent of the Commonwealth’s total land area. The headwaters lie in Fauquier and Rappahannock counties and flow in a southeasterly direction to its confluence with the Chesapeake Bay between Lancaster and Middlesex counties.
The Rappahannock River basin is 184 miles in length and varies in width from 20 to 50 miles. The Rappahannock’s major tributaries are the Hazel River, Thornton River, Mountain Run, Rapidan River, Robinson River, Cat Point Creek, and the Corrotoman River. The 2010 population of the basin was approximately 484,000 and is mostly rural in character with no large population centers.
However, the basin has seen increasing urban pressure from the influence of metropolitan Washington in the Fredericksburg and Fauquier areas of the basin.
Stretching from the Blue Ridge Mountains through the Piedmont to the Chesapeake Bay, the challenges in developing the Watershed Implementation Plan III for such a diverse watershed and nearby coastal basins were many.
The streams, creeks and tidal marshes of the watershed encompass rolling farmland, growing urban and suburban development along the I-95 corridor, and localities that draw much of their livelihood directly from the tidal waters.
Their worth includes their bounty, beauty, and recreational value, as well as their ties to the history, tradition, and quality of lands within the Rappahannock basin. These connections have fostered a common esteem and appreciation for the Rappahannock River that reaches from its headwaters to the mouth.
Based on the 2018 Integrated Report on Water Quality Assessment and Impaired Waters (2018 IR), the basin includes about 6,500 miles of rivers/streams, 950 acres of lakes and 155 square miles of tidal estuary.
York River Basin
At 2,669 square miles, or about six percent of the Commonwealth’s total land area, the York is among the smallest of Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay watersheds. However, the population there grew from about 263,600 in 2000 to approximately 435,400 in 2010, making it among the bay’s fastest growing watersheds in terms of population.
In addition to the York River watershed, this section also covers the adjoining Lower York Coastal Basins: Piankatank River and Mobjack Bay.
The headwaters of the York River begin in Orange County and flow in a southeasterly direction for approximately 220 miles to its mouth at the Chesapeake Bay. The basin’s width varies from 40 miles at its headwaters to five miles at the mouth.
The basin is comprised of the York River and its two major tributaries, the Pamunkey and the Mattaponi Rivers.
The York River itself is only about 30 miles in length. The Pamunkey River’s major tributaries are the North and South Anna Rivers and the Little River, while the major Mattaponi tributaries are the Matta, Po, and Ni Rivers.
Based on the 2018 Integrated Report on Water Quality Assessment and Impaired Waters (2018 IR), the basin includes about 6,700 miles of rivers/streams, 11,330 acres of lakes and 82 square miles of tidal estuary.
James River Basin
The James is the largest of Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay watersheds, stretching from the West Virginia border east to the mouth in Hampton Roads.
This nation was born on the banks of the James, but it is also a distinctly Virginian river. The James runs about 350 miles through the heart of Virginia, beginning in the Alleghany Mountains and flowing southeasterly to Hampton Roads, where it enters the Chesapeake Bay. The James is formed by the confluence of the Jackson and Cowpasture Rivers and flows 242 miles to the fall line at Richmond and another 106 miles to the Bay.
Notable tributaries to the tidal James include the Appomattox, Chickahominy, Pagan, Nansemond and Elizabeth Rivers. The James is the nation’s longest river to be contained in a single state. The mountain streams, Piedmont creeks and tidal marshes share the watershed with mountain villages, rolling pastures and broad expanses of croplands.
The James River basin occupies the central portion of Virginia and covers 10,265 square miles or approximately 24 percent of the commonwealth’s total land area. Based on the 2018 Integrated Report on Water Quality Assessment and Impaired Waters (2018 IR), the basin includes about 26,100 miles of rivers/streams, 18,500 acres of lakes and 265 square miles of tidal estuary.
The 2010 population for the James River basin was approximately 2,892,000, with concentrations in two large metropolitan areas: the Greater Richmond – Petersburg area with over 650,000 and Tidewater, with over one million people. Two smaller population centers are the Lynchburg and Charlottesville areas, each with over 100,000 people.
Eastern Shore
The Eastern Shore is long and narrow with numerous small watersheds that comprise a complex system of tidal creeks, guts and inlets.
Freshwater portions of these creeks can be very shallow and narrow, and the watersheds of the coastal creeks are small, particularly when compared with watersheds of the lower Bay rivers. The creeks and streams that flow into the Bay are influenced by tides and as a result have a more direct connection to Bay waters.
About half of these watersheds drain westerly into the Chesapeake Bay; the other half (generally east of Route 13) drain toward the Atlantic side embayments or directly into the ocean. Eastern Shore tributaries draining into the Chesapeake Bay include the Pocomoke, Onancock, Pungateague, Occohannock and Nassawadox creeks, and numerous smaller waterways, such as the Old Plantation, Kings, Hungars, Cherrystone, Pitts and Holdens creeks. Tidal portions of these creeks are generally deeper and wider at their mouths and very shallow inland.
Virginia’s Eastern Shore is a 70-mile long region located at the southern end of the Delmarva Peninsula and covers a total of about 2,100 square miles in two Counties: Accomack and Northampton. Roughly half this area drains to the Chesapeake Bay, or about 2% of the Commonwealth’s total land area, and is mostly rural in character with very flat overall terrain, ranging from sea level to just 50 feet above sea level.
The 2010 population of the entire Eastern Shore was approximately 45,600. Based on the 2018 IR, the Eastern Shore basin draining to the Bay includes about 575 miles of rivers/streams and 44 square miles of tidal estuary.
Directions
In order to utilize the following data exploration components you will need to follow a few steps.
Step 1: Click the explore icon on any portion you would like to view.
In order to see the full menu of the Virginia WIP III Data dashboard you may need to follow step one by hitting explore, and then scroll up a little bit in order to see the basin break down of the data. Each basin is selectable and will populate with that basin's data. There is also an All Basins option for those interested in cumulative data.
The DEQ Active map portion opens with all layers being turned on by default. By selecting the Layer list option you can turn on and off any layer you would like.
In order to fully obtain the map you would like all options for cartographic purposes were left available for the end user. Just click the three dots next to the legend item you need to alter.
If you are just curious and want to examine some of the various data points you can click on any of the objects and the information about what you clicked on will pop up in a separate window.
WIP III Document
A few links you may find interesting or helpful.
Department of Conservation and Recreation:
Virginia Natural Heritage Data Explorer
Virginia Flood Risk Information System
Chesapeake Bay Program:
Chesapeake Bay Program Home Page
Chesapeake Assessment Scenario Tool
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality:
VADEQ Homepage
VADEQ Chesapeake Bay Program
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