Rivanna River at Risk

Today, however, the future of the Rivanna hangs in the balance. The watershed covers nearly a half-million acres, much of it privately owned. As the region’s population continues to boom, inappropriate residential development poses an imminent threat. Furthermore, seven different localities lie within the watershed, complicating and fragmenting resource management. Unless some mechanism is created to combat these threats, the health of the Rivanna will become increasingly fragile.

Rivanna River Basin Commission

Realizing the urgent need for greater watershed protection, the Conservancy and local communities banded together to push for the establishment of a Rivanna River Basin Commission. Chartered under state law and comprised of the communities themselves, the Commission would assist localities in making decisions that are both well informed and consistent with a unified plan to preserve the river’s health.

Virginia’s General Assembly passed legislation in early 2004 authorizing the Rivanna River Basin Commission. However, the Commission will exist only on paper until substantial private funding can be secured.

One of the Commission’s most critical responsibilities will be to develop and disseminate comprehensive science-based information to local governments and residents. The four local jurisdictions with the most at stake in the watershed face increasingly complex decisions about watershed management and projects affecting the river. Activating the River Basin Commission today would arm these community leaders with the sound information necessary to make sound decisions for the Rivanna’s future.

Indeed, securing adequate private contributions to endow the Commission’s work represents our best hope for protecting the Rivanna’s irreplaceable resources for future generations. Moreover, this innovative approach will provide a model for communities across Virginia and the nation to save their rivers.

For more information, contact the Conservancy’s Piedmont Program.