York River Watershed

 The York River is the 5th largest tributary by flow and watershed area in the Chesapeake Bay. The river’s watershed area drains from the Piedmont Region and into the Coastal Plains Region into the Chesapeake Bay. The watershed covers around 2,700 square miles. The two main branches of the watershed are the Mattaponi and Pamunkey Rivers names after the two Native American tribes that utilized the rivers for food and travel. The Mattaponi and Pamunkey tribes have the oldest reservations in the country along the riverbanks .The York River is not only rich  in history and culture but also in  environmental  biodiversity. The York River Watershed  is a rare environment where freshwater intersects with saltwater creating a rich habitat for marine organisms and plant life. " The York River supports commercially harvested shellfish and finfish for spawning and nursery grounds as well as numerous endangered or threatened wildlife, plant and bird species,"(VIMS, 2022). The York River

  N OAA Data NOAA York Watershed  link shows historical flood data within the York Watershed. The gauge that NOAA has installed is located at the mouth of the river. The worst flood captured by the gauge since 2004 in the York Watershed was from Remnants of Hurricane Ida on November 12th 2009. The  Mean Higher High Water  was 4.29 ft with a flood level of major for anything higher than 2.92 ft. The Mean Lower Low Water  was 6.87 ft with a flood level of major for anything higher than 5.50 ft.   However the gauge was destroyed before peak water levels during Hurricane Isabelle on Sept. 18, 2003. Since the data was destroyed it could not be recorded on the list above but it appears to be one of the most devastating hurricane in Virginia to date. The link provided ( Virginia Hurricane History ) includes the history of major hurricanes that have devastated Virginia. Hurricane Ida Gov. Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency after the damage caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida. The

Overall area (square miles or hectares) T he overall area that I estimated from my delineation was 2,696 sq. mi. According to the  Center for Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute of Marine Science the York River Watershed covers about 2,700 square miles. I am confident my watershed  delineation is accurate due to the very close estimations in area.  Overall change in altitude from headwaters to mouth was very low due to being a coastal system. However, the watershed did boarder one larger mountain system. The highest altitude  was 1,060 ft and the lowest altitude being 0 ft. The two major tributaries are the Pamunkey River and the Mattaponi River. The watershed boarders major cities such as Richmond, VA and Fredericksburg, VA. The York River lies between two other major Virginia Rivers the James River and the Rappahannock River which are also tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay.

  Citation:  EcoHealth. (n.d.). York: Ecohealth Report cards . EcoReportCard. Retrieved September 6, 2022, from https://ecoreportcard.org/report-cards/chesapeake-bay/watershed-regions/york/