American Rivers Announces Rappahannock River as one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers®
Contact: Hawk Hammer, National Communications and Media Director, Hhammer@americanrivers.org
4/16/2025 Washington D.C. — Declining groundwater levels and a lack of comprehensive water supply planning amidst rapid population growth and expanding industries in Virginia has landed the Rappahannock River as #6 on American Rivers’ list of America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2025.
The Rappahannock River is an iconic recreational waterway and the longest free-flowing river in Virginia. It serves as a primary source of the region’s water supply and supports Virginia’s agriculture, seafood, and tourism industries, along with wildlife habitat for a variety of waterfowl species, fish species like American shad and Atlantic Sturgeon, and many others. As use of the river rises, the lack of a comprehensive, basin-wide water supply plan jeopardizes future water availability.
“The Rappahannock River is a lifeline for boaters, fisherman, and our wildlife here in Virginia’s First District and the Commonwealth,” said Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA). “It is crucial that we take meaningful steps to ensure clean water and promote conservation. As vice chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, I’ve been proud to spearhead numerous efforts to preserve our waterways, including through my Chesapeake Bay Conservation Acceleration Act and my America’s Conservation Enhancement Reauthorization Act, which was signed into law last year. We must all do our part to protect the Rappahannock River and our agriculture, seafood, and tourism industries that rely upon it.”
“The Rappahannock’s clean, fresh, and cool water is not an infinite resource, and requires collective care and sustainable approaches to its conservation. This river has its limits, and we need to ensure we do not surpass them,” said Adam Schellhammer, Mid-Atlantic regional director for American Rivers. “If we continue to put too much unchecked strain on the Rappahannock, it won’t be able to support the needs of either people or nature, and that would be a major hit for Virginia.”
“The well-being of the Rappahannock River and the Rappahannock Tribe is inseparable. The Rappahannocks consider the River as their mother who has provided sustenance to our people for thousands of years. Her people attribute her as how they have survived to this day therefore, they honor and care for her as one would for their own mother. The marshes, migratory fisheries, and bird habitat have sustained the Rappahannock people for generations. After hundreds of years of separation from the Rappahannock River the Tribe finally repatriated 400 acres of its lost homeland on the river in 2022. It is cruel to give away the Tribe’s River, without due diligence, just as they returned to their land,” said Jack Ryan, Rappahannock Tribe Director of Environmental and Natural Resource Programs.
Increasing development pressures — along with depletion of the neighboring Potomac Aquifer, has placed increased withdrawal demands on the Rappahannock River. These demands can have impacts on economically important industries such as recreation, agriculture, and seafood.
“The Rappahannock River watershed continues to face increases in demand for water resources. It is critical that we plan to ensure that the river can supply enough water for all beneficial users into the future. This can only be achieved by the creation of a comprehensive basin-wide water supply plan that can be used to inform wise water use decisions.” Brent Hunsinger, Advocacy and Coastal Programs Director, Friends of the Rappahannock.
“The Rappahannock River is one of Virginia’s most important and irreplaceable natural resources. Taking action to protect the river in turn protects the people who depend on it and hold it dear, including the Rappahannock Tribe,” said Jonathan Gendzier, senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center. “As large water users increasingly turn to surface water sources, the Rappahannock is a bellwether for Virginia’s rivers in the face of inadequate planning. From its famous oysters to its marshes, fisheries, and precious estuary habitat, the Rappahannock River and its users deserve protection from overuse.”
Extreme weather is intensifying drought conditions, increasing temperatures, and reducing river flows for extended periods of time, making the Rappahannock particularly vulnerable to over-extraction.
American Rivers and our partners at Friends of the Rappahannock, Southern Environmental Law Center and the Rappahannock Tribe are urging the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and Department of Health and other state agencies to coordinate and develop a comprehensive basin-wide water supply plan. We also urge the requirement of water withdrawn from the river be returned to the river basin and not transferred to others to promote sustainable use of the water supply.
Learn more about America’s Most Endangered Rivers 2025, including other rivers and selection process.
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American Rivers is a national conservation organization working to make every river clean and healthy for people and wildlife. We combine evidence-based solutions with enduring partnerships to safeguard the 3.5 million miles of rivers and streams that are essential to our nation’s clean drinking water, extraordinary wildlife, and strength of our communities. For more than 50 years, our staff, supporters, and partners have been driven by a common belief: Life Depends on Rivers. AmericanRivers.org
Friends of the Rappahannock is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the Rappahannock River and its watershed. Through education, advocacy, and hands-on conservation, they work to preserve this vital natural resource for future generations. To learn more, visit riverfriends.org
The Southern Environmental Law Center is one of the nation’s most powerful defenders of the environment, rooted in the South. With a long track record, SELC takes on the toughest environmental challenges in court, in government, and in our communities to protect our region’s air, water, climate, wildlife, lands, and people. Nonprofit and nonpartisan, the organization has a staff of 200, including more than 130 legal and policy experts, and is headquartered in Charlottesville, Va., with offices in Asheville, Atlanta, Birmingham, Chapel Hill, Charleston, Nashville, Richmond, and Washington, D.C. selc.org