Many creeks, rivers, and streams in the Shenandoah River Watershed are "impaired", which means that they are unhealthy.
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VA DEQ) assesses water quality using water quality standards to designate uses for creeks, rivers, streams, and tidal waters in Virginia. There are six designated uses for these waterways, and they are aquatic life, fish consumption, public water supplies, recreation (swimming), shellfishing, and wildlife.
Chesapeake Bay Watershed
The Shenandoah River eventually flows into the Potomac River and later the Chesapeake Bay. Therefore, all sub-watersheds in Shenandoah River impact the Chesapeake Bay.
- The Chesapeake Bay is on the impaired waters list due to too much nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment. The US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) established the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), which is a comprehensive "pollution diet" with rigorous accountability measures to restore clean water in the Chesapeake Bay and the region's streams, creeks, and rivers.
- Information from VA DEQ on the Chesapeake Bay TMDL
- Information from the US EPA on the Chesapeake Bay TMDL
Local Watershed Information
City of Harrisonburg
The City of Harrisonburg is 17.6 square miles (approx. 11,500 acres), and highly urbanized with substantial impervious surfaces (What's an Impervious Surface?). Harrisonburg drains into six different subwatersheds. (What is a Watershed?) Ultimately, all of these watersheds drain into the Shenandoah River and the Chesapeake Bay (see above). The table below outlines the impairments of each subwatershed.
[1.51MB] Harrisonburg Stormwater Drainage Map
Subwatershed Name |
Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) |
Approximately Length (miles) within Harrisonburg |
Approximate Drainage Area (Acres) within Harrisonburg |
Impairments |
Blacks Run (flows into Cooks Creek) |
PS22 |
8.67 |
9067 |
E. coli, Fecal Coliform, General Benthics |
Sunset Heights Branch of Cooks Creek |
PS23 |
2.09 |
2.09 |
E. coli |
Dry Fork (flows into Smith Creek) |
PS59 |
0.206 |
493 |
E. coli, Sediment |
North River-Mill Creek |
PS26 |
No Stream |
87.44 |
No outfalls |
Cub Run (flows into South Fork of the Shenandoah River) |
PS33 |
No Stream |
14.75 |
No outfalls |
Linville Creek (flows into North Fork of the Shenandoah River) |
PS56 |
0.08 |
117.8 |
E. coli, Sediment |
James Madison University
For more information, visit the Stormwater Management at JMU website.
Subwatershed Name |
Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) |
Approximate Length (miles) within JMU |
Approximate Drainage Areas (acres) within JMU |
Impairments |
Blacks Run |
PS22 |
N/A |
117 |
E. coli, Fecal Coliform, General Benthics |
Sieberts Creek/Newman Lake |
PS22 |
N/A |
539 |
None |
Rockingham County
For more information visit the Rockingham County Stormwater website.
Rockingham County Stream/Watershed Information Table [125KB]
Town of Bridgewater
For more information, visit the Town of Bridgewater's Stormwater Management website.
Subwatershed Name |
Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) |
Approximate Length (miles) within Bridgewater
|
Approximate Drainage Areas (acres) within Bridgewater |
Impairments |
TMDL (#) |
Dry River |
PS20 |
.26 |
142 |
E.Coli, Fecal Coliform |
1492 |
Cooks Creek |
PS23 |
.27 |
244 |
E.Coli, Fecal Coliform |
9473 |
Cooks Creek |
PS23 |
.27 |
244 |
Benthic Macroinvertebrate Bioassessments |
9509 & 9510 |
North River |
PS25 |
3.00 |
1231 |
E.Coli, Fecal Coliform |
23366 |
City of Waynesboro
For more information, visit the City of Waynesboro Stormwater Administration website.
Subwatershed Name |
Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) |
Approximate Length (miles) in Waynesboro |
Approximate Drainage Area (acres) in Waynesboro |
Impairments |
South River |
PS30 |
7.7 |
7,248 |
E.Coli, Sediment |
Augusta County
Subwatershed Name |
Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) |
Approximate Length (miles) of stream within Augusta County |
Approximate Drainage Area within Augusta County |
Impairments |
Middle River - Edison Creek |
PS01 |
0.00 |
57.71 |
E.Coli, Fecal Coliform |
Middle River - Bell Creek |
PS04 |
0.00 |
290.01 |
E.Coli, Fecal Coliform, General Benthics |
Lewis Creek |
PS06 |
1.32 |
260.54 |
E.Coli, General Benthics, PCB's |
Middle River - Falling Spring Run |
PS07 |
1.93 |
1675.57 |
E.Coli, Fecal Coliform, General Benthics |
Christian's Creek - Folly Mills Creek |
PS08 |
0.00 |
119.89 |
E.Coli, Fecal Coliform |
Christian's Creek - Barterbrook Branch |
PS09 |
3.30 |
2420.07 |
E.Coli, Fecal Coliform, General Benthics |
Meadow Run |
PS10 |
2.50 |
1938.91 |
pH |
South River - Canada Run |
PS28 |
0.64 |
173.66 |
E.Coli, Fecal Coliform |
South River - Porterfield Run |
PS30 |
3.57 |
1088.31 |
E.Coli, Fecal Coliform, General Benthics |
City of Staunton
For more information, visit the City of Staunton Stormwater Management website.
Subwatershed Name |
Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) |
Approximate Length (miles) within Staunton |
Approximate Drainage Area (acres) within Staunton |
Impairments |
Middle River - Bell Creek |
PS-04 |
0.00 |
443 |
None |
Lewis Creek |
PS-06 |
5.67 |
15633 |
E. coli, Benthic-Macroinvertebrate Bioassessments / 4A, PCB in Fish Tissue / 5A |
Middle River - Falling Spring Run |
PS-07 |
0.00 |
546 |
None |
Christian's Creek - Barterbrook Branch |
PS-09 |
0.00 |
1489 |
None |