A Beautiful Year - More To Do

By Dave Sligh

As we near the end of 2009, I am thinking back on the many experiences I have had throughout the upper James watershed. I have met hundreds of people who care about and know about the River and its tributaries and who will be great allies in the years to come. We achieved some important advances on regulations to better control pollution from construction sites, poultry waste transfers, post-construction stormwater, and industrial runoff.

Below Falling Spring Falls, Alleghany County

Best of all, during the past year, I have seen so many beautiful sights throughout our area and I am including some of my favorite photos here as a holiday season gift.

Under Swinging Bridge, Craig Creek

Cool Pool on West Fork Tye River

James River, Botetourt County

High Water on the James

By Dave Sligh

Last Thursday, the James was flowing high and full. The photo above shows the area that usually serves as the parking lot for the Scottsville boat ramp. I saw large logs and pieces of wood continually streaming by, out in the middle of the stream. I also visited sites downstream as far as New Canton, and the River was also lapping up into and over boat ramps and parking lots at other sites.







Some data on this high flow event:

Peak flow at Scottsville:
43,000 cubic feet per second (cfs)

which equals 28 billion gallons per day.

Median flow for this time of year:
2,000 cfs

which equals about 1.3 billion gallons per day


The stream flows in the James River climbed from 7,670 cfs at 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 8th to 43,900 cfs at 6:30 p.m. on the 10th.
An increase of over 570% in 44 hours.

By contrast, the Rivanna River at Palmyra rose from 1,060 cfs to a peak flow of 17,500 cfs in a much shorter time.
An increase of 16,500% in only 26 hours.

This steeper rate of increasing flows in the Rivanna is likely due, at least in part, to a higher percentage of developed and impervious surfaces in this watershed than in the James River watershed above Scottsville.

Falling Springs

By Dave Sligh



Last week, Bill Street and I visited an area of Alleghany County that more people should know about. The waterfall shown above, Falling Spring Falls, is of both ecological and historical significance.

According to signs at the site provided by the Virginia Division of State Parks, the stream that flows over the falls begins in Warm River Cave, north of this point. Warm thermal spring water mixes with a seperate stream of cold groundwater in the cave. The water is supersaturated with carbonate and creates formations of limestone, like those at the base of the falls. Below the Falls, in areas where rocks are continuously moistened by spray and water splashing, a unique community of organisms, including moss and bryophyte species survives in an environment considered to be rare in Virginia.

Historical features of the site include a visit to by Thomas Jefferson to survey the falls and a mention in Jefferson's 1781, Notes on the State of Virginia. Electrical power was first generated when the force of water from the Falls was harnessed by piping it about a mile down the valley to a power plant. This plant has recently been re-opened and is again generating electicity.

Falling Springs Run eventually feeds the Jackson River after winding its way down through a narrow valley. The picture below shows the stream just above where the streams join.

Posted by Chuck Frederickson

Quite a storm for "just a nor'easter". I talked to one of my friends in Pequoson and he told me that the water at his house on Friday was within five inches of the the Hurricane Isabell level. If we would have had Isabell's sustained winds, it would really have been a mess. I went on a short tour yesterday and was pleased to see that there did not appear to be much damage from the storm. The river was still running high and there was a lot of debris but all in all, not too bad. It's not the logs floating on top that worry me, it's the one that is about six inches below the surface that you can't see that will take out a lower unit. Just be careful out there.

Lots of Water

Yesterday was a great day to see the amazing power of streams at their strongest. I visited a number of spots in the Rockfish River valley and saw the impacts of the heavy rains during the last several days. A good sign is that, even with so much runoff reaching the North Fork of the Rockfish and the creeks feeding it, the streams were still not loading with mud like you could see in many streams yesterday. This is a good demonstration of the value of relatively protected watersheds and forests.

I could see that in some other streams the weakened and erodes banks were being eaten away at a great rate. Streams have by far their greatest power to tear away at the bed and banks when flows are at bank-full levels. The importance of controlling both the quality and quantity of water running off the land is clearly demonstrated during these kinds of conditions.

Sedalia Center - Riverkeeper's Revenge Chili

Yesterday I had a great time at the Chili Cookoff at the Sedalia Center near Big Island. Along with team members and supporters from the James River Float Company in Madison Heights, the Upper James Riverkeeper represented JRA as one of dozens of entrants in the contest. Chris from JR Float Company was the chef and creator of our unique creation - "Riverkeeper's Revenge." Although we didn't walk away with a prize we did get lots of praise from attendees and a lot of attention for JRA and the Riverkeeper's work. About 40 people signed up to receive information from JRA and expressed their interest in helping us protect and improve the River and its tributaries in the Lynchburg and Bedford County areas.

Thanks especially to Mason Basten for helping us get involved in this event and for being our constant guide in the Lynchburg community.

Lynchburg goes to the "extreme" to protect local waterway

by Bill Street

     Each year, the James River Association takes on a major restoration project focused on one of the James River's more distressed tributaries. While often overlooked, the small creeks and streams that feed into the James are integral to the overall health of the 340-mile river, perhaps Virginia's greatest natural resource. Unless we address the pollution and runoff that is being funneled into the James by way of these smaller waterways, "America's Founding River" will never truly be healthy.

     This year's Extreme Stream Makeover - the name for JRA's annual, week-long restoration initiative - centered on Blackwater Creek in Lynchburg. Blackwater Creek has been the focus of much work by Lynchburg College and others, and with the Blackwater Creek trail network, the banks of the creek are now a popular venue for biking, jogging and other recreation. However, the stream itself has become severely degraded over the years. The intensive development within its drainage basin has altered the natural flow of water funelling pollution into the creek and causing streambank erosion downstream. As a result Blackwater Creek is in severe need of some TLC.

     Thanks to a colossal community effort - an extraordinary partnership between the City of Lynchburg and Campbell and Bedford Counties as well as support from local businesses, schools and scores of local volunteers (including Gov. Kaine and members of his cabinet) - portions of Blackwater Creek have undergone metamorphosis, at least the start of one. Last week's Extreme Stream Makeover succeeded in completing a series of projects to begin turning this damaged stream into a more vibrant waterway - cleaner, more beautiful and, most importantly, better prepared to gird itself against the potential ravages of pollutants.

     The many volunteers from throughout the region got their hands dirty and feet wet in order to make a difference. They made and installed rain barrels and landscaped rain gardens, two important tools for diverting and capturing the rainwater that would otherwise flow directly into the creek. And along the same lines, they planted hundreds of plants along the banks of the stream, which serve as are natural pollution filters. In all, about $280,000 in materials and services were provided, most of which was through in-kind donations showing the tremendous support from the Lynchburg community.

     The Greater Lynchburg region put forth a truly impressive commitment toward improving the health of Blackwater Creek, and by extension, the James River. We look forward to continuing to work with local communities to safeguard the James and all of its local tributaries.

Bill Street is the executive director of the James River Association.