RAPIDAN RIVER WATERSHED ASSESSMENT

SUMMARY

Rapidan river is  the largest tributary

of the 195 mile  Rappahannock River

Drains the eastern portion of the

Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah

National Park to the Chesapeake

bay.

EPA classification as “impaired”

RAPIDAN RIVER WATERSHED ASSESSMENT

SUMMARY

Agricultural practices, human

development (residential, commercial,

infrastructural) and climate change has

affected the quality and quantity of the

river water over the years

RAPIDAN RIVER WATERSHED ASSESSMENT

WATER ISSUES

UTILITY ABSTRACTION AND DISCHARGE

TOWN OF GORDONSVILLE

ORANGE TOWN

LOCUST GROVE

VA withdrawals, 2012

RAPIDAN RIVER WATERSHED ASSESSMENT

WATER ISSUES

Water Quality in privately owned wells, springs and cisterns

Presence of:

Total coliform bacteria

Sodium

manganese

Low PH (Acidic)

SOURCE OF DATA: VIRGINIA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION, 2010. WWW.EXT.VT.EDU

RAPIDAN RIVER WATERSHED ASSESSMENT

WATER ISSUES

OTHER NON POINT SOURCES OF POLLUTION

Table from VDEQ,2007

RAPIDAN RIVER WATERSHED ASSESSMENT

DISCHARGE POINT SOURCES ALLOWED UNDER VPDES (PERMITS REQUIRED)

RAPIDAN SERVICE AUTHORITY

TOWN OF GORDONSVILLE

OTHERSFigure from VDEQ, 2007

RAPIDAN RIVER WATERSHED ASSESSMENT

CURRENT DISCHARGE AND WATER QUALITY NETWORK

ORGANIZATIONS NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE-

STREAM GAUGES

VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT-STREAM AND RAIN GAUGES, INFLOWS

VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY (EPA SHARING)-WATER QUALITY SAMPLING

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEYS-STREAM

PRIVATE AND NON PROFIT DATA COLLECTION

MAP FROM  HTTP://WWW.NAO.USACE.ARMY.MIL/PORTALS/31/DOCS/

RAPIDAN RIVER WATERSHED ASSESSMENT

RAPIDAN FLOOD RISKCAUSE OF BANK EROSION AND LANDSCAPE DEGRADATION-TURBIDITY AND SEDIMENTATION

• HURRICANE AGNES JUNE 1972. PRECIPITATION WAS 6 INCHES A DAY. JAMES RIVER VIRGINIA CRESTED 36.5 FEET, HIGHEST IN 200 YEAR (VDEM, 2014). DAMAGE: 1400 HOMES; ROADS, BRIDGES DESTROYED; 13 PEOPLE KILLED; COST OF DAMAGE AMOUNTED TO $325 MILLION.

• DEVASTATING FLOODING OF 1977 AFFECTED KENTUCKY, VIRGINIA AND WEST VIRGINIA. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE (NWS) INITIATED NATIONAL FLASH FLOOD DEVELOPMENT IN 1978, INFLOWS DEVELOPED FROM THIS AS JOINT EFFORT WITH STATES.

• PROTOTYPE STARTED 1980, 12 COUNTIES ON THE APPALACHIAN, SUSCEPTIBILITY TO FLOODING (VDEM, 2014).

• 1985, CONGRESS APPROVED NWS INFLOWS FUNDING;

EXPAND TO COVER BEYOND INITIAL 7 STATES. LINKED AND INTEGRATED DATA AND INFORMATION THROUGH 250 COMPUTERS; 1500 SENSORS; 12 STATES AND 120 COUNTIES.

Rapidan River bank erosion at Route 3

RAPIDAN RIVER WATERSHED ASSESSMENT

Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation

2010 NonPoint Source (NPS) Assessment Prioritization Data Query Results-Rapidan River Watershed, HU RA37

NPS Impaired Waters Rankings Based on Percentage of Existing Waters by Type

Rank Definitions: A - Very High Percentage Impaired B - High Percentage Impaired C - Moderate Percentage Impaired (Rapidan River Watershed) D - Low Percentage Impaired E - No Impairments blank - No Rivers or Lakes/Reservoirs

Export to Comma Delimited File

Virginia Hydrologic

Unit

Miles of Impaired

Rivers

Acres of Impaired

Lakes

% of River Miles

Impaired

% of Lake Acres

Impaired

IMP River Rank

IMP Lake Rank

RA37 7.91 0.00 24.19 0.00 C E

Rapidan River http://dswcapps.dcr.virginia.gov/htdocs/progs/npsimpbio10_results.aspx

Historic floods Recent floods

(1) 30.40 ft on 06/28/1995(2) 30.30 ft on 10/16/1942(3) 29.53 ft on 06/22/1972(4) 28.03 ft on 04/26/1937(5) 27.49 ft on 09/07/1996

(1) 17.16 ft on 05/17/2014(2) 14.75 ft on 05/01/2014(3) 16.51 ft on 06/10/2013(4) 14.35 ft on 05/08/2013(5) 13.49 ft on 01/31/2013

NOAA: http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=lwx&gage=clpv2

RAPIDAN RIVER WATERSHED ASSESSMENT

Snapshot sampling of watershedProtocol 9: Aquatic chemistry

RAPIDAN RIVER WATERSHED ASSESSMENT

Rapidan River Watershed assessment

RAPIDAN RIVER WATERSHED ASSESSMENT

Test Factor Data Result Rank Condition

Dissolved Oxygen 4ppm at 6o C <50% saturation (31%) 1 Poor

BOD 8ppm 4ppm 3 Good

Coliform Bacteria Positive Positive 1 Poor

pH 8 8 3 Good

Temperature 60 C N/A N/A N/A

Nitrate 5ppm 5ppm 2 Fair

Phosphate 1ppm 1ppm 4 Excellent

Turbidity 40JTU 40JTU 3 Good

RAPIDAN RIVER WATERSHED ASSESSMENT

Discussions

The state of the watershed is determined by the human and natural disturbances in space and time. Rapidan River Watershed (RRW) has had history floods particularly during storms and hurricanes. The most immediate danger to human life, infrastructure, aquatic life and the ecosystems is therefore FLOODING.

More real-time stream and rainfall gauges would help mitigate the imminent danger to human life. The Army Corp of Engineers has plans (2015) to install 7 real-time gauges to add to the 8 already in existence in the Upper and Middle Rapahhanock River.

Water quality gauges will be added in RRW in following stream: Marsh Run, Blue Run, Rapidan River (2), Unnamed tributary, and Cedar Run.

Non point pollution could be associated with the intensive agricultural activities in RRW, human settlement, natural disturbances and climate change. In some parts of the Rapidan River, the riparian buffer is thin or lacking. Livestock foraging is extensive within the flood zones.

Point source pollution could originate from permitted private or utility water suppliers or consumers particularly in irrigation agriculture (horticultural production).

Privately owned water supplies (wells, cisterns, spring) have unique water quality issues mainly related to the geology and sanitation. Awareness creation is being conducted Virginia Cooperative Extension of VT.

Shady areas, enough sun, clear water, fast riffle, adequate dissolved oxygen, and clean stream bed would be supportive of aquatic life. Good BOD from snapshot sampling supports this assertion as the data from VDEQ sampling.

Nutrient concern is still an issue in the RRW as indicated by the EPA TMDL Implementation Plan and the sampling in the lower RRW done by the author.

Watershed Organizations such as Friends of the Rappahannock have programs to address issues of litter removal and recycling, storm drain labeling initiative, roof water harvesting, community clean-ups installation of green infrastructure and more.

RAPIDAN RIVER WATERSHED ASSESSMENT

CONCLUSIONS

The snapshot water quality measurements indicated that the Rapidan River had adequate dissolved oxygen to support aquatic life. Water odors and surface oils were generally lacking. Sediments deposits was characterized as silt or suspended sediments. This would reduce in base flow period. Substrate size was generally supportive of invertebrates with substantial proportions of riffle substrate consisting of boulder, cobble, and gravel.

Mix of sunny areas and shade stretches is also supportive of many invertebrate species. Nitrate concentration could be from agricultural activities prevalent in RRW. This sampling was done

during low agricultural activity season (Late Fall). Higher levels of nutrient might could be expected during active seasons.

From documented data and information and the snapshot sampling done, the author contends that the

state of the RRW is FAIR. EPA considers it “Impaired” under the TMDL WIP.

RAPIDAN RIVER WATERSHED ASSESSMENT

Reference

EPA, 2014. Watershed assessment, tracking and environmental results. Web-based EPA data o water quality. http://ofmpub.epa.gov/tmdl_waters10/attains_waterbody.control?p_au_id=VAN-E13R_RAP02A06&p_state=VA&p_cycle=2006

USACE, 2013. Middle and Upper Rappahannock River Basin, Virginia. Rainfall, Stream and Water Quality Gauging Analysis. http://www.nao.usace.army.mil/Portals/31/docs/business/FPMS/PASDocuments/App_A_4a.pdf

Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2010. Evaluation of household water quality in Madison and Orange Counties, Virginia. www.ext.vt.edu

Virginia Water Quality Assessment 305(b) Report, 2010 Nonpoint source Assessment, Prioritization and Activities.http://www.deq.virginia.gov/Portals/0/DEQ/Water/StormwaterManagement/NPSChapt4.1.pdf

VDEQ, 2013. Status of Virginia’s water resources. A report on Virginia’s water resources management activities. www.vdeq.gov

VDEQ, 2007. Upper Rappahannock River Basin bacteria TMDL development. Technical Advisory Committees. http://www.rrregion.org/pdf/TMDLs/2008/Rappahannock_TAC_Mtg1_ECI.pdf