Opinion: The James is healthier today, but our work isn’t finished

In an Opinion-Editorial, Virginia Conservation Network’s Program Director of Clean Water & Land Conservation, Pat Calvert, celebrates the steady improvement of the James Rivers’ health and the need to recommit to the Chesapeake Bay Agreement to continue improving local water quality. See highlights of the Op-Ed below, and see the full commentary published on June 30th in The Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Read the Richmond-Times Dispatch

It was around 40 years ago when the James River was identified as one of the most polluted rivers in America due to illegal dumping of the toxic chemical Kepone. The James was so heavily polluted that commercial fishing was banned in the river for 13 years. Due to known and ongoing discharges of pollution in the region, swimming in portions of the James was widely and wisely discouraged.

How does the Chesapeake Bay Agreement affect my local water quality?

The decades-long Chesapeake Bay restoration effort, and the state, federal and private investment that comes with it, bring local benefits to central Virginians. The James River’s health has measurably improved thanks to technological upgrades to our wastewater treatment plants and the capability to remove pollutants from sewage and industrial waste, enhanced management of tainted stormwater runoff from our roads and rooftops, and reduced farm pollution.

We are on track to achieve or exceed 18 of the 31 goals outlined in the Chesapeake Bay Agreement. The achievements are on course to arrive in spite of the impacts of an expanding population, climate change and sustained construction. While we undoubtedly should celebrate these successes, we must also face a critical juncture in the bay restoration effort as we near the agreement’s 2025 deadline to have clean water protections in place.

Now is the time to recommit to the bay restoration effort

The Chesapeake Bay Program partnership is developing its plan to recalibrate our effort to protect and restore the rivers and streams that nourish the bay beyond 2025. We cannot simply extend deadlines for existing goals and refuse to renew goals for benchmarks already met. Virginia should boldly recommit to the collaborative, multistate effort and vision of a renewed Chesapeake Bay Agreement.

Make no mistake, a great deal of money is on the line. Virginia has received tens of millions of dollars in federal funding to implement conservation projects. Continued funding for water quality improvement projects is at risk if our leaders don’t recommit to the bay restoration effort.

James River at sunrise – Richmond, Va. Photo by Siddharth Kumar.

James River at sunrise – Richmond, Va. Photo by Siddharth Kumar.