The Shadow
RICHMOND (AP) – An environmental report concludes the James River’s health has declined in the past two years, as anti-pollution efforts are failing to keep pace with increasing population and development along the 340-mile waterway.
The “State of the James” report, issued Wednesday by the James River Association, graded the river’s health a “C,” down from the “C+” grade it earned two years ago.
The study found resurgent numbers of bald eagles and American shad, as well as underwater grasses.
On the flip side, the river lagged in key pollution measures.
The report by the nonprofit advocacy organization measured four critical areas of the 10,000-square-mile river basin against a set of goals. The James earned a score of 54 percent, meaning the river is just over the halfway point to becoming fully healthy.
“Like a boat rowing against the tide, our efforts and investments over the past decade have only kept pace with the growing population and development,” the report states.
“Additional progress in reaching a fully healthy river will require a full commitment to Virginia’s cleanup plan for the James River.”
The grading was questioned by Virginia’s secretary of natural resources, Doug Domenech, who said the association must be grading on a “negative curve.”
The report by the association, a nonprofit advocacy organization, measured four critical areas of the 10,000-square-mile river basin against a set of goals.
The James earned a score of 54 percent, meaning the river is just over the halfway point to becoming fully healthy.
The score represents a 3.5 percent decline from two years ago.
By category, the report card found:
– Pollution continues to be the single largest factor in slowing progress toward a healthier James River. Nitrogen and phosphorus continue to cause widespread damage to the river ecosystem. Major storms have also flushed sediment into the river.
– Key fish and wildlife saw improvement, including the growth in the number of nesting pairs of bald eagles, and shad. For oysters and brook trout, however, they continue to lag below historic levels. Rockfish, or stripers, and smallmouth bass also declined.
– Stream health and tidal water quality declined since 2009, although underwater grasses continued to rebound. For the first time in decades, underwater grasses were found in the main stem of the tidal James above Newport News.
– Restoration and protection measures recorded incremental progress, while wastewater treatment has improved because of stiff permit limits and hundreds of millions of dollars in upgrades.
Bill Street, executive director of the association, sounded a positive note despite on the lower grade, adding a word of caution. He said the James today is healthier than it’s been in decades.
“Unfortunately,” Street said in a statement, “unless we redouble our commitment to controlling pollution flowing into the James, we run the real risk of erasing the progress we have worked so hard to achieve.”
