Shenandoah River
- This article is about the river in Virginia in the United States. For other uses, see Shenandoah (disambiguation)
The Shenandoah River is a tributary of the Potomac River, approximately 150 mi (241 km) long, in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. The principal tributary of the Potomac, the river and its tributaries drain the central and lower Shenandoah Valley and the Page Valley in the Appalachians on the west side of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in northwestern Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.
Course
The Shenandoah River is formed northeast of Front Royal near Riverton, by the confluence of the South Fork (the longer branch) and the North Fork. It flows northeast across Warren County, passing underneath Interstate 66 1 mile (1.6 km) from its formation. Beyond the I-66 bridge the river flows thorough a set of bends before turning to the northeast again, crossing into Clarke County 11 miles (18 km) below I-66. 5 miles (8.0 km) downriver from the Clarke County border, the Shenandoah passes under Virginia Route 50 and then passes through a triple bend. 14.5 miles (23.3 km) below the Route 50 bridge, the river passes underneath Virginia Route 7 and then continues northeast another 8 miles (13 km) before crossing into Jefferson County in West Virginia, in the extreme eastern tip of the state. Once in West Virginia the river completes six large bends before joining with the Potomac from the south near Harpers Ferry 20 miles (32 km), from the Virginia-West Virginia border.
Geology
The Shenandoah valley is underlain by limestone. The fertile soil made it a favored place for early settlement and it continues to be a major agricultural area of Virginia and West Virginia. Some karst topography is evident and Luray Caverns in Luray, Virginia, is a popular tourist attraction.
Environmental issues
Since 2005, the Shenandoah River has experienced a series of fish kills every spring that have affected several of its native fish species. In the spring of 2005, redbreast sunfish and smallmouth bass along 100-mile stretch of the South Fork Shenandoah River began dying of lesions caused by bacteria and fungi. Although the fish kill eventually wiped-out 80% of the adult redbreast sunfish and smallmouth bass, juvenile populations appeared to be unaffected.[1] The following year more-localized fish kills in Clarke County spread to two of the Shenandoah's three species of sucker, the shorthead redhorse and the northern hogsucker - the former suffering from similar lesions witnessed in the previous year's fish kill.[2] Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality again received reports of fish kills near Elkton and between Bentonville and Front Royal in late-April 2007 and observed fish exhibiting lesions and strange behavior. [3]
Culture
The Shenandoah River is mentioned in John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads," which associates the river with the state of West Virginia. Only the lowest 20 miles (32 km) of the river are in West Virginia, with the majority of the river and its forks and tributaries flowing through Virginia.
South Fork Shenandoah River
The South Fork is formed at Port Republic in southern Rockingham County, by the confluence of the North River and South River. It flows northeast in a tight meandering course, past Elkton and Shenandoah, through Page Valley, with the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and the Massanutten Mountain range to the west.
South Fork tributaries
North Fork Shenandoah River
The North Fork rises in northern Rockingham County, along the eastern flank of Shenandoah Mountain in the George Washington National Forest. It flows initially southeast, down from the mountains, then northeast through a valley across Shenandoah County, along the western side of Massanutten Ridge. It flows past Woodstock and Strasburg. On the north end of the ridge it turns briefly southeast to join the South Fork from the northwest to form the Shenandoah.
North Fork tributaries
- Cedar Creek
- Smith Creek
- Toms Brook
- Passage Creek
Shenandoah tributaries
- West Virginia
- Hog Run
- Long Marsh Run
- Bullskin Run
- Evitts Run
- Forge Run
- Cattail Run
- Flowing Springs Run
- Virginia
- Happy Creek
- Manassas Run
- Venus Branch
- Long Branch
- Spout Run
- Morgan Mill Stream
- Chapel Run
- Lewis Run
- Craig Run
- Dog Run
- Spout Run
- Wheat Spring Run
See also
External links
- Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries - South Fork
- Virginia Department of Environmental Quality - Fish Kill Task Force
- Shenandoah Valley Pure Water Forum
- Potomac Watershed
- Friends of the North Fork Shenandoah River
References
- ^ Washington Post (Washington D.C.), 20 July 2005
- ^ Richmond Times-Dispatch (Richmond, VA), 7 June 2006
- ^ Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, "Virginia Seeks Public's Help in Fish Kill Investigation," Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, http://www.deq.state.va.us/info/srfishkill.html (accessed 20 July 2005)