State Of The James
The State of the James provides a report card on the ongoing effort to bring the James River back to full health. This comprehensive assessment of the health of the river is published every two years.
The State of the James report is designed to examine the status and trends of indicators in four categories – Fish and Wildlife, Habitat, Pollution Reductions, and Protection and Restoration Actions – that are interconnected and build on one another to achieve a healthy James River. Fish and wildlife populations depend on habitat to provide their critical needs for life. The greatest factor affecting the quality of habitat and wildlife in the James River basin is the amount of pollution that enters our waterways, ultimately flowing into the James. Finally, the report assesses progress on the restoration and protection actions needed to reduce damaging pollution and return the James to a healthy, diverse ecosystem.
For each indicator, the James River Association has identified and compiled a key measure of river health with quantitative benchmarks having been set for what is needed to achieve a fully healthy river. When possible, the benchmark is a goal that has been set by the state or an authority on a specific indicator.
