VDH issues advisory over sewage in the James

On Wednesday, July 17 , the Virginia Department of Health

issued a recreational advisory for the James River between the Manchester Bridge and Osborne Landing. For the safety of people and pets, VDH is advising that any water activity where submersion in the water is likely — including swimming, wading, tubing, and whitewater kayaking — should be avoided.

VDH says they were alerted to a sewage leak on Tuesday, July 16. Both it and the Department of Environmental Quality are now actively monitoring high bacteria levels in the river.

According to several news outlets, testing conducted on Thursday, July 11 reported extremely high levels of E. coli in the water — roughly ten times what the EPA considers safe.

Bacteria levels tend to increase after rainfall due to Richmond’s combined sewer system . You can monitor river conditions as they improve using James River Association’s River Watch tool .

VDH has observed no impacts to Richmond drinking water, which is taken from a site well upstream.