New Watershed Management Program to Help the Heart of the Shenandoah
January 2008 -- The Page County, Virginia Board of Supervisors passed in December a resolution to adopt a new watershed management program (WMP) that will help improve water quality in the South Branch of the Shenandoah River.
Long recognized as one of the Shenandoah Valley's leaders in water resource management, the Page County Water Quality Advisory Committee designed the new WMP as a comprehensive water resource approach to improve and protect the county's water resources. The WMP draws from guidance provided by the Bay Program's Chesapeake 2000 Agreement, Virginia's Shenandoah and Potomac Tributary Strategy, the Shenandoah Valley Water Resources Strategic Plan, and the Page County Comprehensive Plan.
Page County's new WMP has three key inter-connected elements:
- Education and outreach for county residents of all ages to increase the understanding of our water resources and inspire a greater sense of stewardship.
- Watershed management plans to inform and guide land use decisions from the perspective of water resources. The first plan will be created for Mill Creek, a priority watershed due to its designation as an impaired body of water under the Clean Water Act. Plans will then be created for all other watersheds in Page County.
- Land use practices—both voluntary and required—to protect water resources and the rights of all local property owners.
As a partner in the Bay Program and through the Chesapeake 2000 Agreement, the Commonwealth of Virginia has committed to “correct the nutrient and sediment-related problems in the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries” and to ”work with local governments…to develop and implement locally supported watershed management plans.”
An important part of meeting Virginia 's commitments—as well as for overall Bay restoration—is reducing non-point source pollution in the Shenandoah River and the streams that feed into it. Page County 's use of WMPs to guide land use decisions is critical to protecting local water quality and helping clean up the Bay.
National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance staff assisted the Water Quality Advisory Committee with completing this new program for Page County. For additional information, contact Wink Hastings of the National Park Service at (410) 267-5787 or whastings@chesapeakebay.net.