Declining groundwater levels and a lack of comprehensive water supply planning amid rapid population growth and expanding industries in Virginia has landed the Rappahannock River as No. 6 on American Rivers’ list of America’s Most Endangered Rivers of 2025.
American Rivers, a nonprofit natural conservation organization, released its 40th annual list Tuesday, noting that more than half of U.S. rivers have unsafe levels of pollution.
According to the group, 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,” Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA) said in a press release accompanying the report. “It is crucial that we take meaningful steps to ensure clean water and promote conservation.”
Photo by Eric Brito.
Jack Ryan, the Rappahannock Tribe’s Director of Enviromental and Natural Resource Programs characterized the tribe’s relationship with the river as “inseparable.”
“The Rappahannocks consider the River as their mother who has provided sustenance to our people for thousands of years,” Ryan said. “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.
Increasing development pressures — along with depletion of the neighboring Potomac Aquifer, has placed increased withdrawal demands on the Rappahannock River, the report states. 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,” said Brent Hunsinger, Advocacy and Coastal Programs Director, Friends of the Rappahannock. “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.”
Extreme weather is intensifying drought conditions, increasing temperatures, and reducing river flows for extended periods of time, making the Rappahannock particularly vulnerable to overextraction.
The authors of the report 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.
