Halfway to Healthy The condition of the James River has improved in recent years, but polluted runoff from farms and asphalt threaten the historic waterway's continued recovery.   Over the past 30 years, we in Virginia have seen a good deal of progress made in improving the health of the James River. Much of that progress is the result of recognition several decades ago that the health of the James River was in dire condition, and that targeted programs were needed to be put in place by the Commonwealth to begin moving the pendulum back in the right direction.   Unfortunately, we have not met all of our goals or commitments made over the past decades for stewardship of this great natural resource. What’s more, there are several emerging factors that pose an ominous threat to the river’s health – a threat that has the potential to wipe out much of the progress we have seen.   Just recently, the James River Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health of America’s Founding River, released the 2007 State of the James Report. The report concluded that the James River was at a “tipping point,” that without strong and continued action, the Mighty James will once again fall into decline.   The first such assessment in six years, the report gave the James a score of “52.” It means the river is merely halfway to full health.   The single biggest contributing factor to the health of the James is polluted runoff, the pollution that is carried from the land during rain storms and turns our streams, creeks and the James River a muddy brown. Polluted runoff is fouling the quality of the water, choking vital habitat and threatening the river’s fish and wildlife.   The devastating impact of polluted runoff is even more ominous when you consider the anticipated growth that is expected within the 10,000-square-mile watershed of the James. The amount of land that will be developed over the next 40 years will surpass the amount of land developed over the previous 400. That may be hard to fathom, but it is even more difficult to imagine that, despite its resiliency over the centuries, the James River will be able to maintain its vitality unless we take concrete steps toward reducing the impacts of development and the effects of polluted runoff.   The news is not all bad, however. As the 2007 State of the James reported: the bald eagle and rockfish populations within the watershed have made stunning recoveries in all of the areas where the river is used for drinking water, it meets the associated water quality standards wastewater treatment plants and industrial facilities have made significant reductions in pollution discharges, and many farmers have implemented conservation tillage techniques to reduce erosion    Unfortunately, there is more bad news than good.  Among the report’s findings: oysters and American shad are well below target goals – only 5 percent and 10 percent, respectively, and brook trout populations are intact in only 9 percent of their historic range the acreage of underwater grasses, so important for the health of juvenile fish, crabs and waterfowl, is less than half the 2,750 acres the tidal James had at one time two key pollutants – nitrogen and sediment – are far from reduction goals: halfway for nitrogen and only a quarter of the way for sediment only 18 percent of the 345,000 targeted streamside pastures are fenced from livestock less than half of the goal has been met for restoring vegetated buffers along streams and the river just 5 percent of the targeted 534,000 urban acres have a nutrient management plan to guide proper fertilizer application Over the past three years, Virginia has made significant strides in reducing pollution through sewage treatment plants and industrial facilities by strengthening requirements and committing more than $500 million in state funding. We now need a similar commitment to address polluted runoff. In order to keep the health of the James River moving in the right direction, there are three key policy commitments that will spur the needed restoration and protection actions for the James River.   First, state and local agencies need to fully implement and enforce storm water management and erosion control laws. We must ensure that future development does not worsen the problems already facing the river.    Next, local elected officials need to adopt low-impact development policies that will allow us to accommodate future growth and still maintain a healthy James River.    Finally, we need greater and more consistent funding at the state and federal level to help farmers and landowners to be the best possible stewards of their land and reduce polluted runoff.   The 2007 State of the James report is a strong reminder of the need for vigilance when it comes to our stewardship of the James River. This report card not only assesses the river’s health, but our efforts to nurture and care for it. On that score, we still have much work to do.   -- July 16, 2007