River

River

From Page A1

power in Scenic River areas; riparian landowners can benefit from land-use taxation on acreage next to the river; and dams cannot be built on a Scenic River without approval from the General Assembly.

A local group called the Jordan River Task Force brought the matter before the board. Joyce Harman, who headed the task force, said 100 percent of adjacent landowners know about the Scenic Rivers project and are in support of it.

Several county residents who own land along the Jordan were at the meeting and prepared to speak in favor of the designation. But their words were not necessary, because the supervisors did not need any convincing. The board supported the measure with little discussion and without any dissent.

Several county organizations also support the designation. Representatives from the Krebser Fund, the Piedmont Environmental Council, the Rappahannock County Conservation Alliance, the Rappahannock League for Environmental Protection, RappFLOW and the Water Quality Advisory Committee wrote letters in support of scenic designation.

Rappahannock County High School’s mapping team has also played a major role in the effort. Ninth-graders Justin Fitzmorris and John Mello presented several maps of the Jordan and its environs to the supervisors.

The state’s Scenic Rivers system, which began in 1972, includes 486 miles of rivers on 22 waterways. Qualifying rivers are measured based on several criteria, including visual, historic and environmental considerations.

The Rappahannock River has been in the Scenic River system since 1985.

Six other county rivers are under consideration for scenic designation by the DCR. They are the Covington, Hazel, Hughes, Piney and Rush, as well as part of the Thornton River from Fletcher’s Mill to Route 729. •