The James River received a B on its latest State of the James health and restoration report, and while vast improvements have been made, advocates say there is more work to be done.
The river received a score of 68%, a slight improvement from the 66% recorded in the 2023 report. Similar to a report card, the State of the James is an assessment of the ongoing efforts to restore the environmental quality of the river. The report comes out every two years and takes into account a variety of factors, including the success of underwater species, habitat features and water quality.
For 2025’s report, the James River Association noted that the river has had significant improvement in areas of the Upper James from clean water programs, which reduce waste from storm water and agriculture sources.
However, tidal areas of the river are struggling. The report notes issues with underwater grass and oyster populations, and progress in restoration has slowed over the past 10 years. Bill Street, president and CEO of the James River Association, said population growth, land development and climate change are making additional progress on the river’s restoration more difficult.
“It is like paddling against an ever stronger current, where every bit of progress takes more effort to stay on course,” Street said. “To make improvements for the James River and all of its surrounding communities, we need everyone to pitch in and help out.”
Despite the setbacks, the association boasts vast improvements compared to 50 years ago. In 1975, the James River was shut down to any kind of fishing because of toxic contamination.
Jamie Brunkow, director of advocacy and river ecology for the James River Association, said investments in cleaning the river have compounded. In 2024, 3.3 million pounds of commercial fish and shellfish were landed from the James River, and millions of visitors recreated at riverside parks in the James River watershed, according to the report. In the last five years, Virginia has also appropriated more than $2 billion in programs to address pollution from wastewater, agriculture and storm water.
““The more we invest, the better the river gets,” Brunkow said.
Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com
https://www.dailypress.com/2025/10/24/james-river-receives-a-b-on-its-latest-report-card/
