Who Gets What From Where in the James River Watershed

by Anna Salzburg, JRA Intern

When I first embarked on this journey to discover who got what water from where in the James River watershed, I had no idea that it would take a year of digging through watershed supply plans to discover what I still consider a “rough” estimate.  I have definitely been exposed to the complexities of water supply and the difficulties in comparing data collected from the watershed supply plans.  One of the most challenging aspects is that the data within a plan will contradict itself.  A second challenge is the unearthing of the “final final final” draft of the plan, and then lastly I will just note that there is no single template for these plans.  Every region has their own way of stating where and how they obtain their water.  However, after much detective work, I am pleased to reveal the numbers below in a summary chart. 

The most interesting thing to me was the number of people in our watershed who rely on groundwater wells as one approaches the mountain and more rural regions of the watershed.  The water supply in the coastal regions do sometimes use a mixture of groundwater and surface water, as the surface water turns brackish in these regions.  Many towns purchase their water from another city or region, which puts more pressure on that natural resource than you may initially suspect.  The real point here is that everyone uses fresh water that flows into the James River; whether it be retrieved from groundwater aquifers or surface water systems.  We need to be good stewards and protect all our freshwater natural resources!  

What supply plan includes your residence?

Water Supply Plan	Population	Population Using Surface Water	Population Using Wells	Primary Sources of Surface Water
Albemarle/ Charlottesville /Scottsville	204,408	162,367	42,041	Rivanna River
				James River
Appomattox River Water Authority:  Chesterfield County, City of Petersburg	426,157	367,701	58,456	Appomattox River
				James River
Region 2000:Amherst County, Appomattox County, Bedford County, City of Bedford, City of Lynchburg	244,061	137,858	106,203	Harris Creek
				James River
				Smith Mountain Lake
				Big Otter River
				Lake Monacan
Upper James:  Alleghany County, Bath County, Town of Iron Gate, Town of Glasgow	72,322	27,490	44,832	Smith Creek
				Jackson River
				Maury River
				Goshen Spring
Buckingham County/ Town of Dillwyn	15,645	755	14,890	James River
Greater Roanoke Valley:  Bedford County, Franklin County, City of Salem	358,976	147,979	210,997	Smith Mountain Lake
				Purchased from City of Lynchburg
City of Richmond	585,863	557,000	28,863	James River
Fluvanna County and Town	31,597	7,157	24,440	James River
				Rivanna River
Prince Edward County and Town	20,530	8,050	12,480	Appomattox River
Hampton Roads	1,558,495	1,390,260	168,235	Chickahominy River
				Lake Gaston
				Blackwater River
				Nottoway River
				Northwest River
				Lots of Lakes ;)
Powhatan County	27,964	318	26,267	Treated water from Chesterfield

Reference Used:  Watershed Supply Plans in the James River watershed as directed by DEQ