Cutting Through the Blue Ridge

By Dave Sligh

Check out the picture above that shows a geological feature in the Blue Ridge Mountains. From this spot you can look down and to the southeast and see Balcony Falls on the James River:

The point from which the picture was taken is shown on the aerial photo below by the camera symbol. Upstream, around Glasgow, the James turns east and has cut a gorge through the spine of the Blue Ridge Mountains that's about 9 miles long and nearly 2,300 feet deep at its deepest point. In this segment of the River, the gradient of the stream (the change in elevation per length of travel) steepens to about 11 feet per mile, as opposed to the average slope from the James' beginning at Iron Gate to Richmond of about 4.3 feet.

This Arbor Day Fish Really Do Grow on Trees!

Back in 1872, J. Sterling Morton recognized the importance of trees to the quality of life for people living in the prairie state of Nebraska. That’s where the tradition of celebrating Arbor Day began.

While Virginia seems to be blessed with an abundance of trees, when land is developed, trees are generally the first casualty. Throughout the state, forested lands continue to be lost at an alarming rate and the impact reaches further than most people realize…especially when you consider that fish grow on trees.

All living creatures benefit from trees in one way or another. Healthy urban trees help provide cleaner air, filter water, provide shade that can lower utility bills, and increase property values. The presence of urban greenspaces and a strong green infrastructure helps us connect with nature, as well as provide a habitat for wildlife. From an economic angle, Virginia’s trees and sustainable forestry maintains a strong commercial industry in wood and wood products.

Beauty and value aside, the basic role of trees is to anchor the soil to the earth. So essentially, a clean and healthy James Rivers begin with trees.

Any trees you plant will help prevent rainwater from running off your property, thereby keeping silt and excess nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) out of the waterways. While you want these nutrients on your yard, excess nutrients washing in our streams and rivers can lead to the excess growth of algae, which reduces light penetration. This prevents the growth of underwater grasses used as habitat and food for wildlife. Algae growth also reduces the oxygen content of the water. Without grasses or sufficient oxygen, fish cannot survive. Therefore…fish really do grow on trees! This Arbor Day, plant a tree for yourself, the health of the James River and its fish.

Celebrate Arbor Day on Saturday, April 3 from 10 am to 2 pm at the Carillon in Richmond’s Byrd Park. For more information and a list of free activities, visit http://treestewards.rrpfoundation.org/.

They're Not All Muddy

By Dave Sligh

I have gotten behind on my blogging, so I'm going to reach back and tell about some explorations I made a couple of weeks ago. On March 14th, I looked at the James throughout the area from Lynchburg to Glasgow and a bunch of the tributaries. This was another one of those recent periods when we had really high stream flows and, of course, that often means muddy water in the streams.


Here's a photo of the James River near Big Island on that day:

At the same time, some of the tributaries in this area had high flows but, having watersheds protected by forests, they looked much different. Here's Otter Creek, which flows alongside the Blue Ridge Parkway and enters the River just downstream from the Parkway bridge across the James:

The water here was clear and beautiful. And you can see the stark contrast here, at the spot where Otter Creek enters the River:

There's a strong message here. Don't let anyone tell you that all streams get muddy during heavy rains and high flows.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Don’t Get Pinched – Go "Green”!

Show your support of St. Patrick’s Day this year not by wearing green, but by having “green” actions. This year commit to one behavior change to help the environment.

“…We must continue to take strong actions to keep the James River’s health moving in the right direction; unless we do so, we risk losing the progress that we have made to date. The choice is ours. Let’s choose clean water and a healthy James River for the future…” State of the James Report, 2009.

Here are a few of our staff’s favorite eco-friendly websites:

Great water conservation tips, facts, and resources:
http://www.wateruseitwisely.com/

The Natural Resources Defense Council’s Simple Steps for Better Health and Sustainable Living:
http://www.simplesteps.org/#tk-switchboard-blog

Green America- Economic action to support just and sustainable purchasing:
http://www.greenamericatoday.org/greenbusiness/

National Geographic’s guide to green living:
http://www.thegreenguide.com/

Green Living, earth friendly goods for the home:
http://www.green-living.com/

March 17, 2010
On Tuesday night I attended a meeting of the Hopewell Community Industrial Panel held at the Hopewell Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility (HRWTF). Before the meeting, we were taken on a tour of the facilities’ new experimental treatment system to remove nitrogen from the treated water before it is released into the James River. The Hopewell plant, like others around the Commonwealth, is faced with reducing its nitrogen load, to meet new tougher requirements for improving water conditions in the river and the Chesapeake Bay. I was really impressed with what I saw.
HRWTF ‘s experimental system uses a series of rotating wheels turning in a pool of water. The wheels are turned by a bubble system powered by a low horsepower motor. Algae naturally forms on the ridged wheels and takes nitrogen out of the water as it grows. It then sloughs off the wheels and collects at the bottom of the pools. It is collected, centrifuged and dried. The dry algal product can then be turned into biofuel, feed supplements, etc., turning a problem for the river into a potentially profitable enterprise. Many times the City of Hopewell gets a bad rap because of its industrial base and the sins of the past, such as Kepone, but the effort of our industries and the HRWTF to look for new and better ways to treat our wastewater and improve water quality in the James is admirable. We look forward to seeing how this experiment plays out.

On Tuesday I took the boat from JordanPoint down to Newport News and then on to Portsmouth. I wanted to check the waterfront and take a look at Craney Island. I had not been down by water since before Christmas. It never ceases to amaze me how much activity takes place in that area--shipbuilding, ship repair, coal loading, container ships, dredge material storage, military operations, commercial fishing and so on. The Hampton Roads area could really use a Keeper of its own.

The weather Tuesday was extraordinary! Cool in the morning but warmed up nicely during the day and best of all, no wind! This was one of the few trips I have made recently where the water was glassy calm. It's nice not to get beat up when making those long runs. It is about a three hour run to the Monitor-Merrimac Bridge Tunnel from Jordan Point. Rough water can make for tough going in a small boat like mine.

On the way down I stopped at Kingsmill to meet a friend and was happy to spot a pair of ospreys. These were the first I have seen this year. I also saw two large flocks of swans heading north. This made me realize that spring is just around the corner. Don't know about you, but I'm ready!