There have been quite a few developments since our last update on the James River Headwaters (JRH) Program.
We are now sampling for E. coli levels weekly at 21 public access sites across the Jackson River and Cowpasture River watersheds. The results are reported to James River Association on Friday afternoons and are made available on their James River Watch map by 5pm that day. This data allows for more informed decision making for those planning to boat, swim or otherwise use the rivers for recreation during the summer weekends.
Monthly monitoring continues at 44 sites and we have now collected over 500 samples. 2025 data has completed quality control and is available on our regional map. Data from 2026 will be added soon.
Also, thirteen surveys were completed in April and May for Benthic Macro-invertebrates (river bugs) – ten in the Cowpasture and three in Jackson River watersheds. On August 5th, Andrew Young was certified as an official benthic monitoring trainer. Benthic survey volunteer training will be held in late August. Reach out to Andrew if you are interested in participating and learning how to assess river health.
Our team is engaging with local officials to spread the word about the program and promote the benefits of healthy rivers in headwaters communities. Jon Fitzgerald has been leading discussions on watershed health and its importance with local children at the YMCA throughout the summer.
The EPA approved our Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) on July 8th! This is a huge milestone for our program. It is the culmination of months of serious effort (mostly by Andrew Young), and it confirms that our data collection, quality control, and management protocols meet strict federal standards. This approval ensures that the data we collect is scientifically sound, credible, and reliable for research and public-interest data sharing. This program fills a critical data gap, providing an unprecedented level of consistent water quality monitoring in the James River headwaters region.
Alongside our partners, CRPA and JRPA, ABRA presented an educational session on water quality monitoring and watershed health at Camp Mont Shenandoah in July. We also attended CRPA’s annual picnic, to get to know new members and deepen the relationship with our partner.
Milestones:
- Tanziha Tasnim and Jon Fitzgerald have been fully trained on water monitoring and benthic surveys and are leading monitoring operations in the Jackson River watershed.
- Weekly E. coli sampling and reporting is ongoing. Data is publicly available online.
- EPA approved our QAPP.
What’s Next:
- We’ll be expanding our focus on community engagement and discussing related recreation and education opportunities with local and regional officials and attending events. Look for us at Alleghany Outdoors’ Float and Feast on August 8th, at Covington’s Farm Fest on September 19th, and at a Board of Supervisors meeting near you!
- Benthic Survey trainings begin this month to prepare for fall monitoring season.
See you on the river!
