Keep the James River Comeback Alive
by Anna Killius
The James River, America’s
founding river, was selected as the 2019 Thiess International Riverprize winner by the
International River Foundation at the International Riversymposium, in Brisbane, Australia.
This is the most coveted award in river management, recognizing remarkable
outcomes for rivers, river basins and their communities.
Virginians have long known that the James
River is a treasure for our Commonwealth. It has provided nourishment to native
American communities for thousands of years, a home to the first permanent
English settlement in North America and training ground for many of our
nation’s founders. Today, one out of every three Virginians rely on the James
for safe drinking water, economic opportunity and quality of life.
But for years, we took our river for granted,
such that by 1975 it ranked among the nation’s most polluted, contaminated by
the neurotoxin Kepone, industrial wastewater and sewage. In response, community
members used their voices to change the James for the better. Over the last 40
years, we have witnessed a remarkable comeback, thanks to environmental
protections like the Clean Water Act and the
Chesapeake Bay Agreement, strong commitment from the Commonwealth and local
governments, and the hard work of farmers, businesses and communities.
We should be proud to share this story of
stewardship through hard work, cooperation and common ground, but we can’t lose
sight of the fact that the story is not yet over; we must keep the comeback
coming. This fall, the James River Association reported that the overall health
of the river remained a B-minus, a sign of resilience in the face of record
rainfall last year, but a slowdown of our overall progress. Fortunately, we
know what we need to do to stay on track for a grade-A James.
Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay
cleanup plan sets out a path for restoring Chesapeake Bay tributaries,
including the James River. It calls on everyone to pitch in and do their part
to reduce pollution from wastewater, agricultural runoff and stormwater by 2025.
Now we need Virginia’s Governor and General Assembly to pass a budget that
fully funds the plan and invests in our localities, our farmers and our
wastewater utilities as we all work together to restore clean water. We can
keep the comeback coming by investing in a fully healthy James now and for the
future.
Anna Killius is a policy
analyst with the James River Association. For more information, visit TheJamesRiver.org.