James River Association activates 'James River Watch' map of river conditions
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The James River Association has officially launched its James River Watch for a new season to help river users assess river conditions as they make their plans to enjoy the water between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Nearly 100 citizen-science volunteers will support JRA by taking water quality samples at 38 monitoring stations throughout the watershed this season. The samples will be used to populate the map with key data points, such as bacteria levels, turbidity, water and air temperature, and conductivity. Additional data on the map, including river flow, are provided by the U.S. Geological Survey.
This year’s James River Watch map has moved to an updated ArcGIS platform that makes it easier for users to find river conditions throughout the watershed. Bacteria data are posted to the map every Friday evening at www.jamesriverwatch.org. River users are encouraged to visit the map and sign up for weekly notification emails so they can use the data to make plans to enjoy the river safely.
“We are thrilled to kick off our 12th season of James River Watch on a new and improved platform,” said JRA CEO Bill Street. “Last year, our data showed that across the watershed, the James was safe for recreating 85% of the time. This was an improvement from the previous two years and reiterates that the James is a wonderful resource for watershed communities to enjoy, but river users need to Know Before You Go.”
The 85% result from 2024 shows improvement from 2023 (82%) and 2022 (80%). People can explore the results of the 2024 James River Watch season in a recap here.
Although the data shows overall promising trends, river conditions can change rapidly, especially after intense rainfall or Combined Sewer Overflow events, which can occur in the Richmond and Lynchburg regions. JRA officials encourage the public to check the map each Friday evening when results are posted to help stay informed of current events.
Community members can help reduce pollution in the river by becoming a River Hero Home and pledging to adopt easy, river-friendly behaviors at home. JRA’s Action Network provides a platform for river advocates to help secure clean water funding, and river rats can become official RiverRats, JRA’s first line of defense for patrolling potential pollution sources.
The James River Watch program is partially funded by the Department of Environmental Quality Citizen Water Quality Monitoring Grant Program and the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund.
For details, visit www.jamesriverwatch.org.
