CLICK HERE to listen to episode audio (4:22). Sections below are the following: Transcript of Audio Audio Notes and Acknowledgments ImagesExtra Information Sources Related Water Radio Episodes For Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.). Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 7-29-21. TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of August 2, 2021.  This revised episode from September 2018 is part of a series this year of episodes related to watersheds and river basins. MUSIC – ~10 sec – instrumental This week, we feature a Virginia singer/songwriter’s music about time and changes along one of the Commonwealth’s major rivers.  Have a listen for about 30 more seconds. MUSIC – ~ 30 sec – Lyrics: “Roads and boards, mills and mines used to line this stream--all reclaimed by floods and vines, foundations sprouting gums and pines. River flows on, so does time.  Canoe splits Rappahannock water; dip my paddle, let it glide.” You’ve been listening to part of “Solitude,” by Bob Gramann of Fredericksburg, on the 2000 album, “That Squirrel Song.”  This and other river-themed songs by Mr. Gramann come in large part from his years of paddling the upper Rappahannock River and its tributaries, in the area between the Blue Ridge and the Fall Line at Fredericksburg.  The part of “Solitude” you heard describes some of the changes along the Rappahannock wrought by time and the effects of water, weather, humans, and other organisms.  Observers of other Virginia rivers and their watersheds might tell similar stories of change. Some riverside changes—such as flood impacts—happen relatively quickly.  Others move at a slower pace, as with trees growing in an abandoned building foundation.  Whatever the pace, changes seen in and along a river reflect events happening not only in the river channel but also upstream in the river’s watershed.  Flooding, for example, is affected by upstream land uses and tributary patterns.  In turn, water flows affect stream and river shapes and materials, determining what habitats are available for living things.  And throughout a watershed, humans have land and water uses that affect downstream water quantity and quality.Virginia’s rivers are continually being changed by unrelenting time and unceasing forces, and those rivers continue to provide services like water supply, irrigation, power generation, and others.  With all that going on, it’s challenging and worthwhile to ensure that the Commonwealth’s rivers retain places offering solitude and fostering creativity, such as in this week’s music.  Thanks to Bob Gramann for permission to use the music, and we close with about 35 more seconds of “Solitude.” MUSIC – ~ 33 sec – Lyrics: “Rain and sleet, wind or heat, it’s all the same to me.  Weather—you can never choose; each day that’s mine, that day I’ll use, to flee from time in my canoe, its bow splits Rappahannock water.  Dip my paddle, let it fly.” SHIP’S BELL Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.  For more Virginia water sounds, music, or information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call the Water Center at (540) 231-5624.  Thanks to Stewart Scales for his banjo version of Cripple Creek to open and close this show.  In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water. AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Virginia Water Radio episode revises and replaces Episode 437, 9-10-18. “Solitude,” from the 2000 album “That Squirrel Song,” is copyright by Bob Gramann, used with permission.  More information about Bob Gramann is available online at https://www.bobgramann.com/folksinger.html. Click here if you’d like to hear the full version (1 min./11 sec.) of the “Cripple Creek” arrangement/performance by Stewart Scales that opens and closes this episode.  More information about Mr. Scales and the group New Standard, with which Mr. Scales plays, is available online at http://newstandardbluegrass.com. IMAGES The following photos along the Rappahannock River in Virginia were taken by Bob Gramann (except as noted) and used with his permission. Rappahannock River at the confluence with the Rapidan River (at the juncture of the Virginia counties of Culpeper, Spotsylvania, and Stafford), April 2004.Rappahannock River at low water (view toward Stafford County, Va.), August 2011.Rappahannock River in winter (view toward Stafford County, Va.), February 2006.Bob Gramann, composer of the music heard in the Virginia Water Radio episode, canoeing in the Rappahannock River’s “First Drop” at Fredericksburg, Va., April 1, 2018.  Photo by Lou Gramann.EXTRA INFORMATION ABOUT THE UPPER RAPPAHANNOCK RIVER AND ITS WATERSHED The following information is quoted from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, “Rappahannock River-Upper," online at https://dwr.virginia.gov/waterbody/rappahannock-river-upper/. “The Rappahannock River flows from its origin at Chester Gap in Rappahannock County approximately 184 miles to the Chesapeake Bay.  The first 62 miles, from the headwaters to Mayfield Bridge (Fredericksburg), are designated State Scenic River.  The river has a watershed of approximately 2,715 mi2, and average annual discharge near Fredericksburg is typically about 1,639 cubic feet per second (cfs). “During Colonial days, the Rappahannock River was a major shipping artery for transporting tobacco, salted fish, iron ore, and grains.  The watershed supports a variety of land uses; largely agricultural in the upper watershed, with manufacturing, light industrial, and retail applications throughout.  Soil erosion is a problem in the upper watershed.  Runoff from the major tributaries (Rapidan and Hazel Rivers) leaves the Rappahannock muddy after even minor storm events. “Access to the Rappahannock system (defined here as the Rapidan and Rappahannock Rivers) is fairly limited and primitive. Established access points on the Rappahannock (traveling downstream) are at Kelly’s Ford (Route 672 off Route 651) in Culpeper County and Motts Landing (Route 618) in Spotsylvania County.  About 25 miles separates these canoe/Jon boat slides, and an overnight camp stop is nearly mandatory for those that float fish this reach. Another access point is located on the Rapidan River at Elys Ford (Route 610) in Spotsylvania County about 14 miles upstream of Motts Landing. Access may also be gained via several non-established points.  These consist of VDOT right-of-ways along bridges (e.g., Route 522 on the Rapidan). … “The Rappahannock River’s character changes abruptly in Fredericksburg at the fall line (the limit of tidal influence).  Above the fall line, the river is usually clear, swift, and dominant substrates are bedrock, boulder and cobble providing perfect habitat for smallmouth bass and related species.  However, below Route 1 the river is tidal, and the substrate is finer, dominated by sand; and the water is frequently murky.  Species composition shifts with habitat, and largemouth bass, catfish and anadromous species are more common in and below Fredericksburg.  Boaters and anglers can now navigate from upstream access points such as Motts Landing across the old Embrey Dam site and into the tidal waters adjacent to Fredericksburg.” SOURCES Used for Audio U.S. Geological Survey, “Water Use in the United States,” online at https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/water-use-united-states?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects. Virginia Department of Environmental Quality:“Commonwealth of Virginia State Water Resources Plan,” April 2015, available online at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/water-quantity/water-supply-planning/virginia-water-resources-plan;“Final 2020 305(b)/303(d) Water Quality Assessment Integrated Report,” online at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/water-quality/assessments/integrated-report;“Status of Virginia’s Water Resources,” October 2020, online (as a PDF) at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/2119/637432838113030000;“Water Quantity,” online at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/water-quantity. Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources:“Rappahannock River-Upper," online at https://dwr.virginia.gov/waterbody/rappahannock-river-upper/; “Rappahannock River-Tidal,” online at https://dwr.virginia.gov/waterbody/rappahannock-river-tidal/.For More Information about the Rappahannock River City of Fredericksburg, Va., “Rappahannock River,” online at https://www.fredericksburgva.gov/210/Rappahannock-River. Friends of the Rappahannock (non-profit organization), online at http://www.riverfriends.org/. Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission, “Local TMDLs,” online at https://www.rrregion.org/program_areas/environmental/local_tmdls.php.  Located at this site are Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) reports on the Upper Rappahannock River, the Hazel River, and other Rappahannock River basin waterways. RappFLOW (Rappahannock Friends and Lovers of Our Watersheds; non-profit organization), online at https://rappflow.org/.For More Information about Watersheds and River Basins Richard B. Alexander et al., “The Role of Headwater Streams in Downstream Water Quality,” Journal of the American Water Resources Association, Vol. 43, No. 1, February 2007, pages 41-59; available online at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3307624/(subscription may be required). Radford University, “Virginia’s Rivers, online at http://www.radford.edu/jtso/GeologyofVirginia/VirginiasRivers/Drainage-1.html. Craig Snyder, et al., “Significance of Headwater Streams and Perennial Springs in Ecological Monitoring in Shenandoah National Park,” 2013, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2013–1178; available online (as a PDF) at https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2013/1178/pdf/ofr2013-1178.pdf. U.S. Department of Agriculture/Natural Resources Conservation Service/Virginia, “2020 Virginia Water Resources Progress Report,” online at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/va/programs/planning/.  This report has descriptions of projects in many Virginia watersheds.  The 2017 report is online at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/va/programs/planning/wo/. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “How’s My Waterway,” online at https://www.epa.gov/waterdata/hows-my-waterway. U.S. Geological Survey, “Water Science School/Watersheds and Drainage Basins,” online at https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/watersheds-and-drainage-basins?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, “Hydrologic Unit Geography,” online at https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil-and-water/hu; and “Virginia’s Major Watersheds,” online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil-and-water/wsheds. Virginia Places, “The Continental (and Other) Divides,” online at http://www.virginiaplaces.org/watersheds/divides.html. Virginia Places, “Rivers and Watersheds of Virginia,” online at http://www.virginiaplaces.org/watersheds/index.html. Virginia Water Resources Research Center, Virginia Water Central Newsletter, February 2000, “Divide and Confluence,” by Alan Raflo (pages 8-11); available online at https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/49316. RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html).  See particularly the Rivers, Streams, and Other Surface Water” subject category. Following are links to some previous episodes on the Rappahannock River or its watershed.Hazel River introduction (Rappahannock River watershed) – Episode 339, 10-24-16.Madison County flooding in 1995 (on Rapidan River, in Rappahannock River watershed) – Episode 272, 6-29-15.Rappahannock River introduction – Episode 89, 11-21-11.Following are links to some other episodes on watersheds and Virginia rivers. Big Otter River introduction (Roanoke River watershed) – Episode 419, 5-7-18.Big Sandy River watershed introduction – Episode 419, 5-7-18.Blue Ridge origin of river watersheds – Episode 583, 6-28-21.Bluffs on rivers and other waters – Episode 587, 7-26-21.Bullpasture and Cowpasture rivers introduction (James River watershed) – Episode 469, 4-22-19.Headwater streams – Episode 582, 6-21-21.Jackson River introduction (James River watershed) – Episode 428, 7-9-19.Musical tour of rivers and watersheds - Episode 251, 2-2-15.New River introduction – Episode 109, 5-7-12.Ohio River basin introduction – Episode 421, 5-21-18.Ohio River basin connections through watersheds and history – Episode 422, 5-28-18.Passage Creek and Fort Valley introduction (Shenandoah River watershed) – Episode 331 – 8/29/16.Shenandoah River introduction – Episode 130 – 10/1/12.Smith River and Philpott Reservoir introduction (Roanoke River watershed) – Episode 360, 3-20-17.South Fork Holston River introduction (Clinch-Powell/Upper Tennessee River watershed) – Episode 425, 6-18-18.Staunton River introduction (part of the Roanoke River) – Episode 374, 6-26-17.Virginia rivers quiz – Episode 586, 7-16-21.Virginia surface water numbers – Episode 539, 8-24-20.Virginia’s Tennessee River tributaries – Episode 420, 5-14-18.Water cycle introduction – Episode 191, 12-9-13; and water cycle diagrams reconsidered – Episode 480, 7-8-19.Watershed and water cycle terms related to stormwater – Episode 585, 7-12-21.Watersheds introduction – Episode 581, 6-14-21.Water quantity information sources – Episode 546, 10-12-20.Werowocomoco native people’s civilization history, centered in the York River watershed – Episode 364, 12-12-16. FOR VIRGINIA TEACHERS – RELATED STANDARDS OF LEARNING (SOLs) AND OTHER INFORMATION Following are some Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) that may be supported by this episode’s audio/transcript, sources, or other information included in this post. 2020 Music SOLs SOLs at various grade levels that call for “examining the relationship of music to the other fine arts and other fields of knowledge.” 2018 Science SOLs Grades K-5: Earth and Space Systems3.7 – There is a water cycle and water is important to life on Earth.5.8 – Earth constantly changes. Grades K-5: Earth Resources3.8 – Natural events and humans influence ecosystems.4.8 – Virginia has important natural resources. Grade 66.6 – Water has unique physical properties and has a role in the natural and human-made environment.6.8 – Land and water have roles in watershed systems.6.9 – Humans impact the environment and individuals can influence public policy decisions related to energy and the environment. Life ScienceLS.5 – Biotic and abiotic factors affect an ecosystem.LS.8 – Change occurs in ecosystems, communities, populations, and organisms over time.LS.9 – Relationships exist between ecosystem dynamics and human activity. Earth ScienceES.6 – Resource use is complex.ES.8 – Freshwater resources influence and are influenced by geologic processes and human activity. BiologyBIO.8 – Dynamic equilibria exist within populations, communities, and ecosystems. 2015 Social Studies SOLs Grades K-3 Economics Theme3.8 – Understanding of cultures and of how natural, human, and capital resources are used for goods and services. World Geography CourseWG.2 – How selected physical and ecological processes shape the Earth’s surface, including climate, weather, and how humans influence their environment and are influenced by it.WG.4 – Types and significance of natural, human, and capital resources. Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department of Education, online at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/. Following are links to Water Radio episodes (various topics) designed especially for certain K-12 grade levels. Episode 250, 1-26-15 – on boiling, for kindergarten through 3rdgrade. Episode 255, 3-2-15 – on density, for 5th and 6th grade. Episode 282, 9-21-15 – on living vs. non-living, for kindergarten. Episode 309, 3-28-16 – on temperature regulation in animals, for kindergarten through 12th grade. Episode 333, 9-12-16 – on dissolved gases, especially dissolved oxygen in aquatic habitats, for 5thgrade. Episode 403, 1-15-18 – on freezing and ice, for kindergarten through 3rd grade. Episode 404, 1-22-18 – on ice on ponds and lakes, for 4ththrough 8th grade. Episode 406, 2-5-18 – on ice on rivers, for middle school. Episode 407, 2-12-18 – on snow chemistry and physics, for high school. Episode 483, 7-29-19 – on buoyancy and drag, for middle school and high school. Episode 524, 5-11-20 – on sounds by water-related animals, for elementary school through high school. Episode 531, 6-29-20 – on various ways that animals get water, for 3rd and 4th grade. Episode 539, 8-24-20 – on basic numbers and facts about Virginia’s water resources, for 4th and 6th grade.

Virginia Water Radio

Episode 588 (8-2-21): A Singing Paddler’s Take on Time and Changes in the Upper Rappahannock River

Episode 585 (7-12-21): Middle Schoolers Make the Call on the Water Cycle, Watersheds, and Stormwater

CLICK HERE to listen to episode audio (4:41). Sections below are the following: Transcript of Audio Audio Notes and Acknowledgments ImagesExtra Information Sources Related Water Radio Episodes For Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.). Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 7-16-21. TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of July 19, 2021.  This revised episode from September 2016 is part of a series this year of episodes related to watersheds and river basins. SOUND – ~ 7 sec This week, that sound of the Roanoke River, recorded along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Roanoke, Va., sets the stage for a Virginia rivers quiz game to highlight some key facts about the Commonwealth major rivers and their watersheds. I’ll ask you six questions about Virginia’s rivers.  Then I’ll give you the answer after a few seconds of some appropriate music: “Exploring the Rivers,” by Timothy Seaman of Williamsburg, Va. Let the game begin!Question 1: What river that is very much associated with Virginia’s past and present is not actually IN Virginia.MUSIC - ~ 5 sec – instrumentalThat’s the Potomac River, whose main stem along Virginia’s northern border is owned by the State of Maryland.Question 2: Of the James, Rappahannock, and York rivers, which two have their entire watersheds in Virginia? MUSIC - ~ 5 sec – instrumental The answer is the Rappahannock and the York.  A small part of the headwaters of the James is in West Virginia.Question 3: What is the largest river watershed in Virginia?MUSIC - ~ 5 sec – instrumental This time the answer IS the James River, whose watershed covers over 10,000 square miles in Virginia.Question 5: What’s the longest river in Virginia, counting only each river’s main stem, not all of the tributaries? MUSIC - ~ 4 sec – instrumental Once again, it’s the James, whose main stem travels about 340 miles. Question 5: What two large Virginia rivers flow generally north? MUSIC - ~ 6 sec – instrumental Virginia’s major northerly-flowing rivers are the New and the Shenandoah. And last, question 6: What major river flows southwesterly into Tennessee? MUSIC - ~ 6 sec – instrumental That’s the Clinch River, one of several rivers in southwestern Virginia flowing toward the Volunteer State in the Tennessee River watershed, which in turn is part of the watersheds of the Ohio River, Mississippi River, and Gulf of Mexico. If you’re thinking that this game left out some major Virginia rivers and river basins, you’re right!  Other main rivers in the Commonwealth include the Dan, Holston, Powell, and Roanoke.  And other major watersheds with areas in Virginia include those of the Big Sandy River, which forms the border between Kentucky and West Virginia; the Chowan and Yadkin rivers, whose main stems are in North Carolina; Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay coastal rivers; and Albemarle Sound on North Carolina’s coast. Thanks to Timothy Seaman for permission to use this week’s music, and we close about 25 more seconds of “Exploring the Rivers.” MUSIC – ~ 27 sec – instrumental SHIP’S BELL Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.  For more Virginia water sounds, music, or information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call the Water Center at (540) 231-5624.  Thanks to Stewart Scales for his banjo version of Cripple Creek to open and close this show.  In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water. AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Virginia Water Radio episode revises and replaces Episode 344, 9-19-16. The sounds of the Roanoke River were recorded by Virginia Water Radio from the Blue Ridge Parkway near Roanoke, Va., on June 15, 2017. “Exploring the Rivers,” on the 2006 album “Jamestown: On the Edge of a Vast Continent,” is copyright by Timothy Seaman and Pine Wind Records, used with permission.  More information about Timothy Seaman is available online at http://www.timothyseaman.com/.  This music used previously Virginia Water Radio most recently in Episode 475, 6-3-19. Click here if you’d like to hear the full version (1 min./11 sec.) of the “Cripple Creek” arrangement/performance by Stewart Scales that opens and closes this episode.  More information about Mr. Scales and the group New Standard, with which Mr. Scales plays, is available online at http://newstandardbluegrass.com. IMAGES Map showing Virginia’s major watersheds.  Map from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, “Virginia’s Major Watersheds,” online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil-and-water/wsheds. Roanoke River as seen from the Blue Ridge Parkway near the City of Roanoke, Va., June 15, 2017 (the is the location of the recording heard at the beginning of this episode).James River at Robius boat landing in Chesterfield County, Va., June 21, 2007.New River near Eggleston, Va. (Giles County), August 13, 2016.White’s Ferry on the Potomac River, viewed from Loudoun County, Va., March 23, 2008.Rappahannock River near Remington, Va., (Fauquier County), December 27, 2009.North Fork Shenandoah River at U.S. Highway 55 on the county line between Shenandoah and Warren counties, Va., October 13, 2012.EXTRA INFORMATION ABOUT MAJOR VIRGINIA WATERSHEDS The following table of information about Virginia’s 14 major watersheds is from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Virginia’s Major Watersheds,” online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/stormwater_management/wsheds.shtml.  This information was also included in the Show Notes for Virginia Water Radio Episode 581, 6-14-21, an introduction to watersheds. WATERSHED AREA IN SQUARE MILES MAJOR TRIBUTARIES Albemarle Sound Coastal 577 Dismal Swamp, North Landing River, Back Bay Atlantic Ocean Coastal 580 Chincoteague Bay, Hog Island Bay Chesapeake Bay Coastal 2,577 Chesapeake Bay, Piankatank River Chowan 3,675 Nottaway River, Meherrin River, Blackwater River James 10,236 James River, Appomattox River, Maury River, Jackson River, Rivanna River New 3,068 New River, Little River, Walker Creek Potomac - Shenandoah 5,702 Potomac River, S. Fork Shenandoah River, N. Fork Shenandoah River Rappahannock 2,714 Rappahannock River, Rapidan River, Hazel River Roanoke 6,274 Roanoke River, Dan River, Banister River, Kerr Reservoir Yadkin 118 Ararat River York 2,669 York River, Pamunkey River, Mattaponi River Holston 1,322 N. Fork Holston River, Middle Fork Holston River, S. Fork Holston River Clinch - Powell 1,811 Clinch River, Powell River, Guest River Big Sandy 999 Levisa Fork, Russel Fork, Tug Fork SOURCES Used for Audio Radford University, “Virginia’s Rivers,” online at http://www.radford.edu/jtso/GeologyofVirginia/VirginiasRivers/Drainage-1.html. Frits van der Leeden:The Environmental Almanac of Virginia, Tennyson Press, Lexington, Va., 1998;Virginia Water Atlas, Tennyson Press, Lexington, Va., 1993. Kathryn P. Sevebeck, Jacob H. Kahn, and Nancy L. Chapman, Virginia’s Waters, Virginia Water Resources Research Center, Blacksburg, Va., 1986 (out of print).Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, “Virginia’s Major Watersheds,” online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil-and-water/wsheds. Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, “Final 2020 305(b)/303(d) Water Quality Assessment Integrated Report,” online at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/water-quality/assessments/integrated-report.  Chapter 2, “State Background Information,” states that Virginia has an estimated 100,923 miles of rivers and streams. Virginia Museum of Natural History, “Virginia’s Water Resources,” special issue of Virginia Explorer, Winter 2000, Martinsville, Va. West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, “West Virginia Watersheds,” online at http://www.dep.wv.gov/WWE/getinvolved/sos/Pages/Watersheds.aspx. For More Information about Watersheds and River Basins College of William and Mary Department of Geology, “The Geology of Virginia—Hydrology,” online at http://geology.blogs.wm.edu/hydrology/. Natural Resources Conservation Service/Virginia, “2020 Virginia Water Resources Progress Report,” online at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/va/programs/planning/.  This report has descriptions of projects in many Virginia watersheds.  The 2017 report is online at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/va/programs/planning/wo/. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “How’s My Waterway,” online at https://www.epa.gov/waterdata/hows-my-waterway. U.S. Geological Survey, “Water Science School/Watersheds and Drainage Basins,” online at https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/watersheds-and-drainage-basins?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, “Hydrologic Unit Geography,” online at https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil-and-water/hu. Virginia Department of Environmental Quality:“Commonwealth of Virginia State Water Resources Plan,” April 2015, available online at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/water-quantity/water-supply-planning/virginia-water-resources-plan;“Status of Virginia’s Water Resources,” October 2020, online (as a PDF) at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/2119/637432838113030000;“Water Quantity,” online at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/water-quantity. Virginia Places:“Continental (and Other) Divides,” online at http://www.virginiaplaces.org/watersheds/divides.html;“Rivers and Watersheds of Virginia,” online at http://www.virginiaplaces.org/watersheds/index.html. Virginia Water Resources Research Center, “Divide and Confluence,” by Alan Raflo, Virginia Water Central Newsletter, February 2000, pages 8-11, available online at https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/49316. RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html).  See particularly the “Rivers, Streams, and Other Surface Water” subject category. Following are links to some other episodes on watersheds and Virginia rivers.  Please note that some of these episodes are being redone in summer 2021; in those cases, the respective links below will have information on the updated episodes. Big Otter River introduction (Roanoke River watershed) – Episode 419, 5-7-18. Big Sandy River watershed introduction – Episode 419, 5-7-18. Blue Ridge origin of river watersheds – Episode 583, 6-28-21 Bullpasture and Cowpasture rivers introduction (James River watershed) – Episode 469, 4-22-19. Hazel River introduction (Rappahannock River watershed) – Episode 339, 10-24-16. Headwater streams – Episode 582, 6-21-21. Jackson River introduction (James River watershed) – Episode 428, 7-9-19. Madison County flooding in 1995 (on Rapidan River, in Rappahannock River watershed) – Episode 272, 6-29-15 Musical tour of rivers and watersheds - Episode 251, 2-2-15. New River introduction – Episode 109, 5-7-12. Ohio River basin introduction – Episode 421, 5-21-18. Ohio River basin connections through watersheds and history – Episode 422, 5-28-18; Passage Creek and Fort Valley introduction (Shenandoah River watershed) – Episode 331 – 8/29/16. River bluffs – Episode 173, 8-5-13. Rappahannock River introduction – Episode 89, 11-21-11. Shenandoah River introduction – Episode 130 – 10/1/12. Smith River and Philpott Reservoir introduction (Roanoke River watershed) – Episode 360, 3-20-17. South Fork Holston River introduction (Clinch-Powell/Upper Tennessee River watershed) – Episode 425, 6-18-18. Staunton River introduction (part of the Roanoke River) – Episode 374, 6-26-17. Virginia surface water numbers – Episode 539, 8-24-20. Virginia’s Tennessee River tributaries – Episode 420, 5-14-18. Water cycle introduction – Episode 191, 12-9-13; and water cycle diagrams reconsidered – Episode 480, 7-8-19. Watershed and water cycle terms related to stormwater – Episode 585, 7-12-21. Watersheds introduction – Episode 581, 6-14-21. Water quantity information sources – Episode 546, 10-12-20. Werowocomoco native people’s civilization history, centered in the York River watershed – Episode 364, 12-12-16. FOR VIRGINIA TEACHERS – RELATED STANDARDS OF LEARNING (SOLs) AND OTHER INFORMATION Following are some Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) that may be supported by this episode’s audio/transcript, sources, or other information included in this post. 2020 Music SOLs SOLs at various grade levels that call for “examining the relationship of music to the other fine arts and other fields of knowledge.” 2018 Science SOLs Grades K-5: Earth Resources4.8 – Virginia has important natural resources. Grade 66.6 – Water has unique physical properties and has a role in the natural and human-made environment.6.8 – Land and water have roles in watershed systems. Earth ScienceES.8 – Freshwater resources influence and are influenced by geologic processes and human activity. 2015 Social Studies SOLs Grades K-3 Geography Theme1.6 – Virginia climate, seasons, and landforms.2.6 – Major rivers, mountains, and other geographic features of North America and other continents.3.6 – Major rivers, mountains, and other geographic features of North America and other continents. Grades K-3 Economics Theme2.8 – Natural, human, and capital resources. Virginia Studies CourseVS.1 – Impact of geographic features on people, places, and events in Virginia history.VS.2 – Physical geography and native peoples of Virginia past and present.VS.10 – Knowledge of government, geography, and economics in present-day Virginia. United States History to 1865 CourseUSI.2 – Major land and water features of North America, including their importance in history. World Geography CourseWG.3 – How regional landscapes reflect the physical environment and the cultural characteristics of their inhabitants. Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department of Education, online at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/. Following are links to Water Radio episodes (various topics) designed especially for certain K-12 grade levels. Episode 250, 1-26-15 – on boiling, for kindergarten through 3rdgrade. Episode 255, 3-2-15 – on density, for 5th and 6th grade. Episode 282, 9-21-15 – on living vs. non-living, for kindergarten. Episode 309, 3-28-16 – on temperature regulation in animals, for kindergarten through 12th grade. Episode 333, 9-12-16 – on dissolved gases, especially dissolved oxygen in aquatic habitats, for 5th grade. Episode 403, 1-15-18 – on freezing and ice, for kindergarten through 3rd grade. Episode 404, 1-22-18 – on ice on ponds and lakes, for 4ththrough 8th grade. Episode 406, 2-5-18 – on ice on rivers, for middle school. Episode 407, 2-12-18 – on snow chemistry and physics, for high school. Episode 483, 7-29-19 – on buoyancy and drag, for middle school and high school. Episode 524, 5-11-20 – on sounds by water-related animals, for elementary school through high school. Episode 531, 6-29-20 – on various ways that animals get water, for 3rd and 4th grade. Episode 539, 8-24-20 – on basic numbers and facts about Virginia’s water resources, for 4th and 6th grade. 

Episode 586 (7-19-21): A Virginia Rivers and Watersheds Quiz Game

CLICK HERE to listen to episode audio (4:00). Sections below are the following: Transcript of Audio Audio Notes and Acknowledgments ImagesExtra Information Sources Related Water Radio Episodes For Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.). Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 7-23-21. TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of July 26, 2021.  This revised episode from August 2013 is part of a series this year of episodes related to watersheds and river basins. MUSIC - ~16 sec – instrumental This week, an instrumental selection by a Williamsburg, Virginia, musician sets the stage for exploring a kind of river feature that can be especially prominent geographically and historically.  Have a listen to the music for about 35 more seconds.MUSIC - ~32 sec – instrumentalYou’ve been listening to part of “James and York Bluffs,” by Timothy Seaman on his 1998 album “Celebration of Centuries.”  This tune honors York River State Park, located a few miles north of Williamsburg in James City County, and having—according to the album’s liner notes—“a paradise of bluffs.”  River bluffs—also called cliffs, palisades, and other terms—are high, steep, broad banks overlooking a river.    They’re found along many Virginia waterways, from Cedar Bluff on the Clinch River in Tazewell County, to Ball’s Bluff on the Potomac River in Loudoun County, to Drewry’s Bluff on the James River in Chesterfield County.  Bluffs can also form in coastal beach areas, such as along the Chesapeake Bay at Kiptopeke State Park in Northampton County.  Wherever they’re found, bluffs are products of complicated land and water factors acting at the point of the bluff as well as upstream in a watershed.  In addition, bluffs are history treasures.  They reveal geologic history in layers of ancient sediments; they’ve been important in the humanhistory of many Virginia settlements and events; and they offer dramatic views of the natural history and heritage of the Commonwealth’s waters. Thanks to Timothy Seaman for permission to use this week’s music, and we close with about 15 more seconds of “James and York Bluffs.” MUSIC - ~ 16 sec – instrumentalSHIP’S BELL Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.  For more Virginia water sounds, music, or information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call the Water Center at (540) 231-5624.  Thanks to Ben Cosgrove for his version of “Shenandoah” to open and close the show.  In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water. AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Virginia Water Radio episode revises and replaces Episode 173, 8-5-13. “James and York Bluffs,” from the 1998 album “Celebration of Centuries,” copyright by Timothy Seaman and Pine Wind Music, used with permission.  More information about Timothy Seaman is available online at http://www.timothyseaman.com/.  This music was used previously by Virginia Water Radio most recently in Episode 320, 6-13-16. Click here if you’d like to hear the full version (2 min./22 sec.) of the “Shenandoah” arrangement/performance by Ben Cosgrove that opens and closes this episode.  More information about Mr. Cosgrove is available online at http://www.bencosgrove.com. IMAGES View of a bluff at York River State Park, March 29, 2011.  Photo courtesy of Timothy Seaman.View from a bluff at York River State Park, November 19, 2010.  Photo courtesy of Timothy Seaman.EXTRA INFORMATION ON RIVER BLUFF-RELATED LOCATIONS IN VIRGINIA Following are some Virginia locations with names related to river bluffs. Ball’s Bluff, Potomac River, Loudoun County.Bluff City, New River, Giles County.Bluff Point (part of Colonial Beach), Potomac River, Westmoreland County.Bremo Bluff, James River, Fluvanna County.Cedar Bluff, Clinch River, Tazewell County.Colonial Heights, Appomattox River, Chesterfield County.Drewry’s Bluff, James River, Chesterfield County.Madison Heights, James River, Amherst County. SOURCES Used for Audio College of William and Mary, “Geology of Virginia/Cliffs of Westmoreland,” by Chuck Bailey, Aug. 1, 2016, online at http://geology.blogs.wm.edu/2016/08/01/cliffs-of-westmoreland/. County of Northampton, Virginia, “Beaches/Kiptopeke State Park,” online at http://northampton.hosted.civiclive.com/visitors/tourism/free_things_to_see_and_do/free_recreation/water_recreation/beaches. DeLorme Company of Yarmouth, Maine, Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer, 2000.  National Geographic, “Bluff,” online at https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/bluff/. National Park Service/Richmond National Battlefield Park, “Drewry’s Bluff,” online at https://www.nps.gov/rich/learn/historyculture/drewrys-bluff.htm. Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, “Ball’s Bluff Battlefield Regional Park,” online at https://www.novaparks.com/parks/balls-bluff-battlefield-regional-park. OntoRichmond.com, “Civil War in Richmond—Drewry’s Bluff,” video (1 min./8 sec.) online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IMITTR_wC8. Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus-American Edition, Oxford University Press, 1996.U.S. Department of Agriculture/Natural Resource Conservation Service, “Glossary of Landform and Geologic Terms,” online (as a PDF) at https://directives.sc.egov.usda.gov/OpenNonWebContent.aspx?content=41992.wba. For More Information about Watersheds and River Basins College of William and Mary Department of Geology, “The Geology of Virginia—Hydrology,” online at http://geology.blogs.wm.edu/hydrology/. Radford University, “Virginia’s Rivers, online at http://www.radford.edu/jtso/GeologyofVirginia/VirginiasRivers/Drainage-1.html. U.S. Department of Agriculture/Natural Resources Conservation Service/Virginia, “2020 Virginia Water Resources Progress Report,” online at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/va/programs/planning/.  This report has descriptions of projects in many Virginia watersheds.  The 2017 report is online at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/va/programs/planning/wo/. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):“How’s My Waterway,” online at https://www.epa.gov/waterdata/hows-my-waterway;“NPDES Stormwater Program,” online at https://www.epa.gov/npdes/npdes-stormwater-program. U.S. Geological Survey, “Water Science School/Watersheds and Drainage Basins,” online at https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/watersheds-and-drainage-basins?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation:“Hydrologic Unit Geography,” online at https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil-and-water/hu;“Virginia’s Major Watersheds,” online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil-and-water/wsheds. Virginia Department of Environmental Quality:“Commonwealth of Virginia State Water Resources Plan,” April 2015, available online at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/water-quantity/water-supply-planning/virginia-water-resources-plan;“Status of Virginia’s Water Resources,” October 2020, online (as a PDF) at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/2119/637432838113030000;“Water Quantity,” online at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/water-quantity. Virginia Places:“The Continental (and Other) Divides,” online at http://www.virginiaplaces.org/watersheds/divides.html;“Rivers and Watersheds of Virginia,” online at http://www.virginiaplaces.org/watersheds/index.html. Virginia Water Resources Research Center, “Divide and Confluence,” by Alan Raflo (pages 8-11); available online at https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/49316. RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html).  See particularly the Rivers, Streams, and Other Surface Water” subject category. Following are links to some other episodes on watersheds and Virginia rivers.  Please note that some of these episodes are being redone in summer 2021; in those cases, the respective links below will have information on the updated episodes. Big Otter River introduction (Roanoke River watershed) – Episode 419, 5-7-18. Big Sandy River watershed introduction – Episode 419, 5-7-18. Blue Ridge origin of river watersheds – Episode 583, 6-28-21 Bullpasture and Cowpasture rivers introduction (James River watershed) – Episode 469, 4-22-19. Hazel River introduction (Rappahannock River watershed) – Episode 339, 10-24-16. Headwater streams – Episode 582, 6-21-21. Jackson River introduction (James River watershed) – Episode 428, 7-9-19. Madison County flooding in 1995 (on Rapidan River, in Rappahannock River watershed) – Episode 272, 6-29-15 New River introduction – Episode 109, 5-7-12. Ohio River basin introduction – Episode 421, 5-21-18. Ohio River basin connections through watersheds and history – Episode 422, 5-28-18; Passage Creek and Fort Valley introduction (Shenandoah River watershed) – Episode 331 – 8/29/16. Rappahannock River introduction – Episode 89, 11-21-11. Shenandoah River introduction – Episode 130 – 10/1/12. Smith River and Philpott Reservoir introduction (Roanoke River watershed) – Episode 360, 3-20-17. South Fork Holston River introduction (Clinch-Powell/Upper Tennessee River watershed) – Episode 425, 6-18-18. Staunton River introduction (part of the Roanoke River) – Episode 374, 6-26-17. Virginia rivers quiz – Episode 586, 7-19-21. Virginia surface water numbers – Episode 539, 8-24-20. Virginia’s Tennessee River tributaries – Episode 420, 5-14-18. Water cycle introduction – Episode 191, 12-9-13; and water cycle diagrams reconsidered – Episode 480, 7-8-19. Watershed and water cycle terms related to stormwater – Episode 585, 7-12-21. Watersheds introduction – Episode 581, 6-14-21. Water quantity information sources – Episode 546, 10-12-20. Werowocomoco native people’s civilization history, centered in the York River watershed – Episode 364, 12-12-16. FOR VIRGINIA TEACHERS – RELATED STANDARDS OF LEARNING (SOLs) AND OTHER INFORMATION Following are some Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) that may be supported by this episode’s audio/transcript, sources, or other information included in this post. 2020 Music SOLs SOLs at various grade levels that call for “examining the relationship of music to the other fine arts and other fields of knowledge.” 2018 Science SOLs Grades K-5: Earth and Space Systems3.7 – There is a water cycle and water is important to life on Earth.5.8 – Earth constantly changes. Grades K-5: Earth Resources3.8 – Natural events and humans influence ecosystems.4.8 – Virginia has important natural resources. Grade 66.8 – Land and water have roles in watershed systems. Earth ScienceES.8 – Freshwater resources influence and are influenced by geologic processes and human activity. BiologyBIO.8 – Dynamic equilibria exist within populations, communities, and ecosystems. 2015 Social Studies SOLs Grades K-3 Geography Theme1.6 – Virginia climate, seasons, and landforms.2.6 – Major rivers, mountains, and other geographic features of North America and other continents.3.6 – Major rivers, mountains, and other geographic features of North America and other continents. Virginia Studies CourseVS.1 – Impact of geographic features on people, places, and events in Virginia history.VS.2 – Physical geography and native peoples of Virginia past and present.VS.10 – Knowledge of government, geography, and economics in present-day Virginia. United States History to 1865 CourseUSI.2 – Major land and water features of North America, including their importance in history. World Geography CourseWG.2 – How selected physical and ecological processes shape the Earth’s surface, including climate, weather, and how humans influence their environment and are influenced by it. Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department of Education, online at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/. Following are links to Water Radio episodes (various topics) designed especially for certain K-12 grade levels. Episode 250, 1-26-15 – on boiling, for kindergarten through 3rdgrade. Episode 255, 3-2-15 – on density, for 5th and 6th grade. Episode 282, 9-21-15 – on living vs. non-living, for kindergarten. Episode 309, 3-28-16 – on temperature regulation in animals, for kindergarten through 12th grade. Episode 333, 9-12-16 – on dissolved gases, especially dissolved oxygen in aquatic habitats, for 5th grade. Episode 403, 1-15-18 – on freezing and ice, for kindergarten through 3rd grade. Episode 404, 1-22-18 – on ice on ponds and lakes, for 4ththrough 8th grade. Episode 406, 2-5-18 – on ice on rivers, for middle school. Episode 407, 2-12-18 – on snow chemistry and physics, for high school. Episode 483, 7-29-19 – on buoyancy and drag, for middle school and high school. Episode 524, 5-11-20 – on sounds by water-related animals, for elementary school through high school. Episode 531, 6-29-20 – on various ways that animals get water, for 3rd and 4th grade. Episode 539, 8-24-20 – on basic numbers and facts about Virginia’s water resources, for 4th and 6th grade.

Episode 587 (7-26-21): On the Bluffs of Rivers and Other Waters

CLICK HERE to listen to episode audio (4:00). Sections below are the following: Transcript of Audio Audio Notes and Acknowledgments ImagesExtra Information Sources Related Water Radio Episodes For Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.). Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 7-23-21. TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of July 26, 2021.  This revised episode from August 2013 is part of a series this year of episodes related to watersheds and river basins. MUSIC - ~16 sec – instrumental This week, an instrumental selection by a Williamsburg, Virginia, musician sets the stage for exploring a kind of river feature that can be especially prominent geographically and historically.  Have a listen to the music for about 35 more seconds.MUSIC - ~32 sec – instrumentalYou’ve been listening to part of “James and York Bluffs,” by Timothy Seaman on his 1998 album “Celebration of Centuries.”  This tune honors York River State Park, located a few miles north of Williamsburg in James City County, and having—according to the album’s liner notes—“a paradise of bluffs.”  River bluffs—also called cliffs, palisades, and other terms—are high, steep, broad banks overlooking a river.    They’re found along many Virginia waterways, from Cedar Bluff on the Clinch River in Tazewell County, to Ball’s Bluff on the Potomac River in Loudoun County, to Drewry’s Bluff on the James River in Chesterfield County.  Bluffs can also form in coastal beach areas, such as along the Chesapeake Bay at Kiptopeke State Park in Northampton County.  Wherever they’re found, bluffs are products of complicated land and water factors acting at the point of the bluff as well as upstream in a watershed.  In addition, bluffs are history treasures.  They reveal geologic history in layers of ancient sediments; they’ve been important in the humanhistory of many Virginia settlements and events; and they offer dramatic views of the natural history and heritage of the Commonwealth’s waters. Thanks to Timothy Seaman for permission to use this week’s music, and we close with about 15 more seconds of “James and York Bluffs.” MUSIC - ~ 16 sec – instrumentalSHIP’S BELL Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.  For more Virginia water sounds, music, or information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call the Water Center at (540) 231-5624.  Thanks to Ben Cosgrove for his version of “Shenandoah” to open and close the show.  In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water. AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Virginia Water Radio episode revises and replaces Episode 173, 8-5-13. “James and York Bluffs,” from the 1998 album “Celebration of Centuries,” copyright by Timothy Seaman and Pine Wind Music, used with permission.  More information about Timothy Seaman is available online at http://www.timothyseaman.com/.  This music was used previously by Virginia Water Radio most recently in Episode 320, 6-13-16. Click here if you’d like to hear the full version (2 min./22 sec.) of the “Shenandoah” arrangement/performance by Ben Cosgrove that opens and closes this episode.  More information about Mr. Cosgrove is available online at http://www.bencosgrove.com. IMAGES View of a bluff at York River State Park, March 29, 2011.  Photo courtesy of Timothy Seaman.View from a bluff at York River State Park, November 19, 2010.  Photo courtesy of Timothy Seaman.EXTRA INFORMATION ON RIVER BLUFF-RELATED LOCATIONS IN VIRGINIA Following are some Virginia locations with names related to river bluffs. Ball’s Bluff, Potomac River, Loudoun County.Bluff City, New River, Giles County.Bluff Point (part of Colonial Beach), Potomac River, Westmoreland County.Bremo Bluff, James River, Fluvanna County.Cedar Bluff, Clinch River, Tazewell County.Colonial Heights, Appomattox River, Chesterfield County.Drewry’s Bluff, James River, Chesterfield County.Madison Heights, James River, Amherst County. SOURCES Used for Audio College of William and Mary, “Geology of Virginia/Cliffs of Westmoreland,” by Chuck Bailey, Aug. 1, 2016, online at http://geology.blogs.wm.edu/2016/08/01/cliffs-of-westmoreland/. County of Northampton, Virginia, “Beaches/Kiptopeke State Park,” online at http://northampton.hosted.civiclive.com/visitors/tourism/free_things_to_see_and_do/free_recreation/water_recreation/beaches. DeLorme Company of Yarmouth, Maine, Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer, 2000.  National Geographic, “Bluff,” online at https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/bluff/. National Park Service/Richmond National Battlefield Park, “Drewry’s Bluff,” online at https://www.nps.gov/rich/learn/historyculture/drewrys-bluff.htm. Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, “Ball’s Bluff Battlefield Regional Park,” online at https://www.novaparks.com/parks/balls-bluff-battlefield-regional-park. OntoRichmond.com, “Civil War in Richmond—Drewry’s Bluff,” video (1 min./8 sec.) online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IMITTR_wC8. Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus-American Edition, Oxford University Press, 1996.U.S. Department of Agriculture/Natural Resource Conservation Service, “Glossary of Landform and Geologic Terms,” online (as a PDF) at https://directives.sc.egov.usda.gov/OpenNonWebContent.aspx?content=41992.wba. For More Information about Watersheds and River Basins College of William and Mary Department of Geology, “The Geology of Virginia—Hydrology,” online at http://geology.blogs.wm.edu/hydrology/. Radford University, “Virginia’s Rivers, online at http://www.radford.edu/jtso/GeologyofVirginia/VirginiasRivers/Drainage-1.html. U.S. Department of Agriculture/Natural Resources Conservation Service/Virginia, “2020 Virginia Water Resources Progress Report,” online at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/va/programs/planning/.  This report has descriptions of projects in many Virginia watersheds.  The 2017 report is online at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/va/programs/planning/wo/. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):“How’s My Waterway,” online at https://www.epa.gov/waterdata/hows-my-waterway;“NPDES Stormwater Program,” online at https://www.epa.gov/npdes/npdes-stormwater-program. U.S. Geological Survey, “Water Science School/Watersheds and Drainage Basins,” online at https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/watersheds-and-drainage-basins?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation:“Hydrologic Unit Geography,” online at https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil-and-water/hu;“Virginia’s Major Watersheds,” online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil-and-water/wsheds. Virginia Department of Environmental Quality:“Commonwealth of Virginia State Water Resources Plan,” April 2015, available online at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/water-quantity/water-supply-planning/virginia-water-resources-plan;“Status of Virginia’s Water Resources,” October 2020, online (as a PDF) at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/2119/637432838113030000;“Water Quantity,” online at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/water-quantity. Virginia Places:“The Continental (and Other) Divides,” online at http://www.virginiaplaces.org/watersheds/divides.html;“Rivers and Watersheds of Virginia,” online at http://www.virginiaplaces.org/watersheds/index.html. Virginia Water Resources Research Center, “Divide and Confluence,” by Alan Raflo (pages 8-11); available online at https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/49316. RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html).  See particularly the Rivers, Streams, and Other Surface Water” subject category. Following are links to some other episodes on watersheds and Virginia rivers.  Please note that some of these episodes are being redone in summer 2021; in those cases, the respective links below will have information on the updated episodes. Big Otter River introduction (Roanoke River watershed) – Episode 419, 5-7-18. Big Sandy River watershed introduction – Episode 419, 5-7-18. Blue Ridge origin of river watersheds – Episode 583, 6-28-21 Bullpasture and Cowpasture rivers introduction (James River watershed) – Episode 469, 4-22-19. Hazel River introduction (Rappahannock River watershed) – Episode 339, 10-24-16. Headwater streams – Episode 582, 6-21-21. Jackson River introduction (James River watershed) – Episode 428, 7-9-19. Madison County flooding in 1995 (on Rapidan River, in Rappahannock County watershed) – Episode 272, 6-29-15 New River introduction – Episode 109, 5-7-12. Ohio River basin introduction – Episode 421, 5-21-18. Ohio River basin connections through watersheds and history – Episode 422, 5-28-18; Passage Creek and Fort Valley introduction (Shenandoah River watershed) – Episode 331 – 8/29/16. Rappahannock River introduction – Episode 89, 11-21-11. Shenandoah River introduction – Episode 130 – 10/1/12. Smith River and Philpott Reservoir introduction (Roanoke River watershed) – Episode 360, 3-20-17. South Fork Holston River introduction (Clinch-Powell/Upper Tennessee River watershed) – Episode 425, 6-18-18. Staunton River introduction (part of the Roanoke River) – Episode 374, 6-26-17. Virginia rivers quiz – Episode 586, 7-19-21. Virginia surface water numbers – Episode 539, 8-24-20. Virginia’s Tennessee River tributaries – Episode 420, 5-14-18. Water cycle introduction – Episode 191, 12-9-13; and water cycle diagrams reconsidered – Episode 480, 7-8-19. Watershed and water cycle terms related to stormwater – Episode 585, 7-12-21. Watersheds introduction – Episode 581, 6-14-21. Water quantity information sources – Episode 546, 10-12-20. Werowocomoco native people’s civilization history, centered in the York River watershed – Episode 364, 12-12-16. FOR VIRGINIA TEACHERS – RELATED STANDARDS OF LEARNING (SOLs) AND OTHER INFORMATION Following are some Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) that may be supported by this episode’s audio/transcript, sources, or other information included in this post. 2020 Music SOLs SOLs at various grade levels that call for “examining the relationship of music to the other fine arts and other fields of knowledge.” 2018 Science SOLs Grades K-5: Earth and Space Systems3.7 – There is a water cycle and water is important to life on Earth.5.8 – Earth constantly changes. Grades K-5: Earth Resources3.8 – Natural events and humans influence ecosystems.4.8 – Virginia has important natural resources. Grade 66.8 – Land and water have roles in watershed systems. Earth ScienceES.8 – Freshwater resources influence and are influenced by geologic processes and human activity. BiologyBIO.8 – Dynamic equilibria exist within populations, communities, and ecosystems. 2015 Social Studies SOLs Grades K-3 Geography Theme1.6 – Virginia climate, seasons, and landforms.2.6 – Major rivers, mountains, and other geographic features of North America and other continents.3.6 – Major rivers, mountains, and other geographic features of North America and other continents. Virginia Studies CourseVS.1 – Impact of geographic features on people, places, and events in Virginia history.VS.2 – Physical geography and native peoples of Virginia past and present.VS.10 – Knowledge of government, geography, and economics in present-day Virginia. United States History to 1865 CourseUSI.2 – Major land and water features of North America, including their importance in history. World Geography CourseWG.2 – How selected physical and ecological processes shape the Earth’s surface, including climate, weather, and how humans influence their environment and are influenced by it. Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department of Education, online at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/. Following are links to Water Radio episodes (various topics) designed especially for certain K-12 grade levels. Episode 250, 1-26-15 – on boiling, for kindergarten through 3rdgrade. Episode 255, 3-2-15 – on density, for 5th and 6th grade. Episode 282, 9-21-15 – on living vs. non-living, for kindergarten. Episode 309, 3-28-16 – on temperature regulation in animals, for kindergarten through 12th grade. Episode 333, 9-12-16 – on dissolved gases, especially dissolved oxygen in aquatic habitats, for 5th grade. Episode 403, 1-15-18 – on freezing and ice, for kindergarten through 3rd grade. Episode 404, 1-22-18 – on ice on ponds and lakes, for 4ththrough 8th grade. Episode 406, 2-5-18 – on ice on rivers, for middle school. Episode 407, 2-12-18 – on snow chemistry and physics, for high school. Episode 483, 7-29-19 – on buoyancy and drag, for middle school and high school. Episode 524, 5-11-20 – on sounds by water-related animals, for elementary school through high school. Episode 531, 6-29-20 – on various ways that animals get water, for 3rd and 4th grade. Episode 539, 8-24-20 – on basic numbers and facts about Virginia’s water resources, for 4th and 6th grade.

CLICK HERE to listen to episode audio (4:41). Sections below are the following: Transcript of Audio Audio Notes and Acknowledgments ImagesExtra Information Sources Related Water Radio Episodes For Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.). Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 7-16-21. TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of July 19, 2021.  This revised episode from September 2016 is part of a series this year of episodes related to watersheds and river basins. SOUND – ~ 7 sec This week, that sound of the Roanoke River, recorded along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Roanoke, Va., sets the stage for a Virginia rivers quiz game to highlight some key facts about the Commonwealth major rivers and their watersheds. I’ll ask you six questions about Virginia’s rivers.  Then I’ll give you the answer after a few seconds of some appropriate music: “Exploring the Rivers,” by Timothy Seaman of Williamsburg, Va. Let the game begin!Question 1: What river that is very much associated with Virginia’s past and present is not actually IN Virginia.MUSIC - ~ 5 sec – instrumentalThat’s the Potomac River, whose main stem along Virginia’s northern border is owned by the State of Maryland.Question 2: Of the James, Rappahannock, and York rivers, which two have their entire watersheds in Virginia? MUSIC - ~ 5 sec – instrumental The answer is the Rappahannock and the York.  A small part of the headwaters of the James is in West Virginia.Question 3: What is the largest river watershed in Virginia?MUSIC - ~ 5 sec – instrumental This time the answer IS the James River, whose watershed covers over 10,000 square miles in Virginia.Question 5: What’s the longest river in Virginia, counting only each river’s main stem, not all of the tributaries? MUSIC - ~ 4 sec – instrumental Once again, it’s the James, whose main stem travels about 340 miles. Question 5: What two large Virginia rivers flow generally north? MUSIC - ~ 6 sec – instrumental Virginia’s major northerly-flowing rivers are the New and the Shenandoah. And last, question 6: What major river flows southwesterly into Tennessee? MUSIC - ~ 6 sec – instrumental That’s the Clinch River, one of several rivers in southwestern Virginia flowing toward the Volunteer State in the Tennessee River watershed, which in turn is part of the watersheds of the Ohio River, Mississippi River, and Gulf of Mexico. If you’re thinking that this game left out some major Virginia rivers and river basins, you’re right!  Other main rivers in the Commonwealth include the Dan, Holston, Powell, and Roanoke.  And other major watersheds with areas in Virginia include those of the Big Sandy River, which forms the border between Kentucky and West Virginia; the Chowan and Yadkin rivers, whose main stems are in North Carolina; Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay coastal rivers; and Albemarle Sound on North Carolina’s coast. Thanks to Timothy Seaman for permission to use this week’s music, and we close about 25 more seconds of “Exploring the Rivers.” MUSIC – ~ 27 sec – instrumental SHIP’S BELL Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.  For more Virginia water sounds, music, or information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call the Water Center at (540) 231-5624.  Thanks to Stewart Scales for his banjo version of Cripple Creek to open and close this show.  In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water. AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Virginia Water Radio episode revises and replaces Episode 344, 9-19-16. The sounds of the Roanoke River were recorded by Virginia Water Radio from the Blue Ridge Parkway near Roanoke, Va., on June 15, 2017. “Exploring the Rivers,” on the 2006 album “Jamestown: On the Edge of a Vast Continent,” is copyright by Timothy Seaman and Pine Wind Records, used with permission.  More information about Timothy Seaman is available online at http://www.timothyseaman.com/.  This music used previously Virginia Water Radio most recently in Episode 475, 6-3-19. Click here if you’d like to hear the full version (1 min./11 sec.) of the “Cripple Creek” arrangement/performance by Stewart Scales that opens and closes this episode.  More information about Mr. Scales and the group New Standard, with which Mr. Scales plays, is available online at http://newstandardbluegrass.com. IMAGES Map showing Virginia’s major watersheds.  Map from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, “Virginia’s Major Watersheds,” online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil-and-water/wsheds. Roanoke River as seen from the Blue Ridge Parkway near the City of Roanoke, Va., June 15, 2017 (the is the location of the recording heard at the beginning of this episode).James River at Robius boat landing in Chesterfield County, Va., June 21, 2007.New River near Eggleston, Va. (Giles County), August 13, 2016.White’s Ferry on the Potomac River, viewed from Loudoun County, Va., March 23, 2008.Rappahannock River near Remington, Va., (Fauquier County), December 27, 2009.North Fork Shenandoah River at U.S. Highway 55 on the county line between Shenandoah and Warren counties, Va., October 13, 2012.EXTRA INFORMATION ABOUT MAJOR VIRGINIA WATERSHEDS The following table of information about Virginia’s 14 major watersheds is from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Virginia’s Major Watersheds,” online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/stormwater_management/wsheds.shtml.  This information was also included in the Show Notes for Virginia Water Radio Episode 581, 6-14-21, an introduction to watersheds. WATERSHED AREA IN SQUARE MILES MAJOR TRIBUTARIES Albemarle Sound Coastal 577 Dismal Swamp, North Landing River, Back Bay Atlantic Ocean Coastal 580 Chincoteague Bay, Hog Island Bay Chesapeake Bay Coastal 2,577 Chesapeake Bay, Piankatank River Chowan 3,675 Nottaway River, Meherrin River, Blackwater River James 10,236 James River, Appomattox River, Maury River, Jackson River, Rivanna River New 3,068 New River, Little River, Walker Creek Potomac - Shenandoah 5,702 Potomac River, S. Fork Shenandoah River, N. Fork Shenandoah River Rappahannock 2,714 Rappahannock River, Rapidan River, Hazel River Roanoke 6,274 Roanoke River, Dan River, Banister River, Kerr Reservoir Yadkin 118 Ararat River York 2,669 York River, Pamunkey River, Mattaponi River Holston 1,322 N. Fork Holston River, Middle Fork Holston River, S. Fork Holston River Clinch - Powell 1,811 Clinch River, Powell River, Guest River Big Sandy 999 Levisa Fork, Russel Fork, Tug Fork SOURCES Used for Audio Radford University, “Virginia’s Rivers,” online at http://www.radford.edu/jtso/GeologyofVirginia/VirginiasRivers/Drainage-1.html. Frits van der Leeden:The Environmental Almanac of Virginia, Tennyson Press, Lexington, Va., 1998;Virginia Water Atlas, Tennyson Press, Lexington, Va., 1993. Kathryn P. Sevebeck, Jacob H. Kahn, and Nancy L. Chapman, Virginia’s Waters, Virginia Water Resources Research Center, Blacksburg, Va., 1986 (out of print).Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, “Virginia’s Major Watersheds,” online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil-and-water/wsheds. Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, “Final 2020 305(b)/303(d) Water Quality Assessment Integrated Report,” online at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/water-quality/assessments/integrated-report.  Chapter 2, “State Background Information,” states that Virginia has an estimated 100,923 miles of rivers and streams. Virginia Museum of Natural History, “Virginia’s Water Resources,” special issue of Virginia Explorer, Winter 2000, Martinsville, Va. West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, “West Virginia Watersheds,” online at http://www.dep.wv.gov/WWE/getinvolved/sos/Pages/Watersheds.aspx. For More Information about Watersheds and River Basins College of William and Mary Department of Geology, “The Geology of Virginia—Hydrology,” online at http://geology.blogs.wm.edu/hydrology/. Natural Resources Conservation Service/Virginia, “2020 Virginia Water Resources Progress Report,” online at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/va/programs/planning/.  This report has descriptions of projects in many Virginia watersheds.  The 2017 report is online at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/va/programs/planning/wo/. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “How’s My Waterway,” online at https://www.epa.gov/waterdata/hows-my-waterway. U.S. Geological Survey, “Water Science School/Watersheds and Drainage Basins,” online at https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/watersheds-and-drainage-basins?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, “Hydrologic Unit Geography,” online at https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil-and-water/hu. Virginia Department of Environmental Quality:“Commonwealth of Virginia State Water Resources Plan,” April 2015, available online at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/water-quantity/water-supply-planning/virginia-water-resources-plan;“Status of Virginia’s Water Resources,” October 2020, online (as a PDF) at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/2119/637432838113030000;“Water Quantity,” online at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/water-quantity. Virginia Places:“Continental (and Other) Divides,” online at http://www.virginiaplaces.org/watersheds/divides.html;“Rivers and Watersheds of Virginia,” online at http://www.virginiaplaces.org/watersheds/index.html. Virginia Water Resources Research Center, “Divide and Confluence,” by Alan Raflo, Virginia Water Central Newsletter, February 2000, pages 8-11, available online at https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/49316. RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html).  See particularly the “Rivers, Streams, and Other Surface Water” subject category. Following are links to some other episodes on watersheds and Virginia rivers.  Please note that some of these episodes are being redone in summer 2021; in those cases, the respective links below will have information on the updated episodes. Big Otter River introduction (Roanoke River watershed) – Episode 419, 5-7-18. Big Sandy River watershed introduction – Episode 419, 5-7-18. Blue Ridge origin of river watersheds – Episode 583, 6-28-21 Bullpasture and Cowpasture rivers introduction (James River watershed) – Episode 469, 4-22-19. Hazel River introduction (Rappahannock River watershed) – Episode 339, 10-24-16. Headwater streams – Episode 582, 6-21-21. Jackson River introduction (James River watershed) – Episode 428, 7-9-19. Madison County flooding in 1995 (on Rapidan River, in Rappahannock County watershed) – Episode 272, 6-29-15 Musical tour of rivers and watersheds - Episode 251, 2-2-15. New River introduction – Episode 109, 5-7-12. Ohio River basin introduction – Episode 421, 5-21-18. Ohio River basin connections through watersheds and history – Episode 422, 5-28-18; Passage Creek and Fort Valley introduction (Shenandoah River watershed) – Episode 331 – 8/29/16. River bluffs – Episode 173, 8-5-13. Rappahannock River introduction – Episode 89, 11-21-11. Shenandoah River introduction – Episode 130 – 10/1/12. Smith River and Philpott Reservoir introduction (Roanoke River watershed) – Episode 360, 3-20-17. South Fork Holston River introduction (Clinch-Powell/Upper Tennessee River watershed) – Episode 425, 6-18-18. Staunton River introduction (part of the Roanoke River) – Episode 374, 6-26-17. Virginia surface water numbers – Episode 539, 8-24-20. Virginia’s Tennessee River tributaries – Episode 420, 5-14-18. Water cycle introduction – Episode 191, 12-9-13; and water cycle diagrams reconsidered – Episode 480, 7-8-19. Watershed and water cycle terms related to stormwater – Episode 585, 7-12-21. Watersheds introduction – Episode 581, 6-14-21. Water quantity information sources – Episode 546, 10-12-20. Werowocomoco native people’s civilization history, centered in the York River watershed – Episode 364, 12-12-16. FOR VIRGINIA TEACHERS – RELATED STANDARDS OF LEARNING (SOLs) AND OTHER INFORMATION Following are some Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) that may be supported by this episode’s audio/transcript, sources, or other information included in this post. 2020 Music SOLs SOLs at various grade levels that call for “examining the relationship of music to the other fine arts and other fields of knowledge.” 2018 Science SOLs Grades K-5: Earth Resources4.8 – Virginia has important natural resources. Grade 66.6 – Water has unique physical properties and has a role in the natural and human-made environment.6.8 – Land and water have roles in watershed systems. Earth ScienceES.8 – Freshwater resources influence and are influenced by geologic processes and human activity. 2015 Social Studies SOLs Grades K-3 Geography Theme1.6 – Virginia climate, seasons, and landforms.2.6 – Major rivers, mountains, and other geographic features of North America and other continents.3.6 – Major rivers, mountains, and other geographic features of North America and other continents. Grades K-3 Economics Theme2.8 – Natural, human, and capital resources. Virginia Studies CourseVS.1 – Impact of geographic features on people, places, and events in Virginia history.VS.2 – Physical geography and native peoples of Virginia past and present.VS.10 – Knowledge of government, geography, and economics in present-day Virginia. United States History to 1865 CourseUSI.2 – Major land and water features of North America, including their importance in history. World Geography CourseWG.3 – How regional landscapes reflect the physical environment and the cultural characteristics of their inhabitants. Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department of Education, online at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/. Following are links to Water Radio episodes (various topics) designed especially for certain K-12 grade levels. Episode 250, 1-26-15 – on boiling, for kindergarten through 3rdgrade. Episode 255, 3-2-15 – on density, for 5th and 6th grade. Episode 282, 9-21-15 – on living vs. non-living, for kindergarten. Episode 309, 3-28-16 – on temperature regulation in animals, for kindergarten through 12th grade. Episode 333, 9-12-16 – on dissolved gases, especially dissolved oxygen in aquatic habitats, for 5th grade. Episode 403, 1-15-18 – on freezing and ice, for kindergarten through 3rd grade. Episode 404, 1-22-18 – on ice on ponds and lakes, for 4ththrough 8th grade. Episode 406, 2-5-18 – on ice on rivers, for middle school. Episode 407, 2-12-18 – on snow chemistry and physics, for high school. Episode 483, 7-29-19 – on buoyancy and drag, for middle school and high school. Episode 524, 5-11-20 – on sounds by water-related animals, for elementary school through high school. Episode 531, 6-29-20 – on various ways that animals get water, for 3rd and 4th grade. Episode 539, 8-24-20 – on basic numbers and facts about Virginia’s water resources, for 4th and 6th grade. 

CLICK HERE to listen to episode audio (4:18). Sections below are the following:Transcript of AudioAudio Notes and AcknowledgmentsImageSourcesRelated Water Radio EpisodesFor Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.). Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 7-2-21. TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of July 5, 2021.  This revised episode from June 2015 highlights a nationwide boating safety initiative held over the July 4 weekend. MUSIC – ~11 sec – instrumental That’s part of “Dirty Sea,” by the Charlottesville and Nelson County, Va.-based band Chamomile and Whiskey.  This week, musical imagery from the song sets the stage for one of the most serious water subjects: boating under the influence of alcohol.  Have a listen for about 35 more seconds. MUSIC - ~36 sec – Lyrics: “Real dirty sea, let me free; don’t wanna die underneath them waves; oh blue and white, unbreak the night, hiding well those sailors’ graves.” According to U.S. Coast Guard, alcohol is the leading contributing factor in fatal recreational boating accidents where a cause is known, contributing to about 18 percent of such fatalities nationwide in 2020.  Alcohol’s bad for boating for many reasons: it can impair balance and coordination, slow reaction time, affect judgement, increase fatigue and the effects of cold-water immersion, and decrease one’s ability to swim.  Judgment, reaction, and coordination obviously important for boat operators, but they also help boat passengers, such as in making the crucial, good decision to wear a life jacket, and in reducing the chances of falling overboard. For all of these reasons, Operation Dry Water exists.  Coordinated by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, Operation Dry Water is a year-round, nationwide effort of boater education and law enforcement to reduce Boating Under the Influence—or BUI.  Each summer on the weekend before July 4th, Operation Dry Water coordinates a special BUI focus by law-enforcement agencies.  So this year from July 2 through July 4, state, local, and Coast Guard officers increased patrolling for BUI, with a focus on “detecting impaired boaters and educating the public about the dangers of boating under the influence.” Here’s to sober boating and to safety in other water activities, on July 4 and all year round. Thanks to Chamomile and Whiskey for permission to use this week’s music, and we close with about 25 more seconds of “Dirty Sea.” CLOSING MUSIC – ~25 sec – instrumental SHIP’S BELL Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.  For more Virginia water sounds, music, or information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call the Water Center at (540) 231-5624.  Thanks to Stewart Scales for his banjo version of Cripple Creek to open and close this show.  In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water. AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Virginia Water Radio episode revises and replaces Episode 270, 6-15-15. “Dirty Sea,” from the 2013 album “Wandering Boots,” is copyright by Chamomile and Whiskey and by County Wide Records, used with permission of Chamomile and Whiskey.  More information about Chamomile and Whiskey is available online at http://www.chamomileandwhiskey.com/, and information about Charlottesville-based County Wide Records is available online at http://countywidemusic.worldsecuresystems.com/.  This music was used previously by Virginia Water Radio most recently in Episode 370, 5-29-17, on Safe Boating Week in 2017. Click here if you’d like to hear the full version (1 min./11 sec.) of the “Cripple Creek” arrangement/performance by Stewart Scales that opens and closes this episode.  More information about Mr. Scales and the group New Standard, with which Mr. Scales plays, is available online at http://newstandardbluegrass.com. IMAGE Promotional poster for Operation Dry Water provided by the National Association of State Boating Administrators, accessed online at https://www.nasbla.org/operationdrywater/outreach/outreach-materials. SOURCES Used for Audio National Association of State Boating Law Administrators:“About BUI,” online at https://www.nasbla.org/operationdrywater/boaters/about-bui;“Operation Dry Water,” online at https://community.nasbla.org/operationdrywater/home;“Operation Dry Water Newsletter,” online at https://community.nasbla.org/operationdrywater/resources/newsletter(a June 17, 2021, national press release at this site is the source for the quote in the audio).“Operation Dry Water Outreach Talking Points,” online at https://community.nasbla.org/operationdrywater/outreach/outreach-materials. National Safe Boating Council, “Boat Sober This Fourth of July—From the Safe Boating Campaign,” June 28, 2021, online at https://safeboatingcampaign.com/news/boat-sober-this-fourth-of-july-from-the-safe-boating-campaign/. U.S. Coast Guard/Boating Safety Division, online at http://www.uscgboating.org/.  The Coast Guard’s “2020 Boating Recreational Statistics” report is online (as a PDF) at https://uscgboating.org/library/accident-statistics/Recreational-Boating-Statistics-2020.pdf. For More Information about Boating Safety National Safe Boating Council, online at https://www.safeboatingcouncil.org/. Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (formerly Department of Game and Inland Fisheries): “Boating,” online at https://dwr.virginia.gov/boating/;“Boating Safety and Education,” online at https://dwr.virginia.gov/boating/boating-safety/. Virginia Marine Resources Commission, “Boating Safety,” online at http://mrc.virginia.gov/mp/boating_safety.shtm. RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html).  See particularly the “Recreation” subject category. Following are links to other episodes on boating safety and dock safety. Boating safety – Episode 370, 5-29-17 (Safe Boating Week in 2017; this episode also features “Dirty Sea” by Chamomile and Whiskey).Dock safety – Episode 131, 10-8-12. FOR VIRGINIA TEACHERS – RELATED STANDARDS OF LEARNING (SOLs) AND OTHER INFORMATION Following are some Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) that may be supported by this episode’s audio/transcript, sources, or other information included in this post. 2020 Music SOLs SOLs at various grade levels that call for “examining the relationship of music to the other fine arts and other fields of knowledge.” 2015 Social Studies SOLs Virginia Studies CourseVS.10 – Knowledge of government, geography, and economics in present-day Virginia. Civics and Economics CourseCE.3 – Citizenship rights, duties, and responsibilities.CE.7 – Government at the state level.CE.8 – Government at the local level.CE.10 – Public policy at local, state, and national levels. World Geography CourseWG.18 – Cooperation among political jurisdictions to solve problems and settle disputes. Government CourseGOVT.8 – State and local government organization and powers.GOVT.9 – Public policy process at local, state, and national levels.Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department of Education, online at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/. Following are links to Water Radio episodes (various topics) designed especially for certain K-12 grade levels. Episode 250, 1-26-15 – on boiling, for kindergarten through 3rdgrade. Episode 255, 3-2-15 – on density, for 5th and 6th grade. Episode 282, 9-21-15 – on living vs. non-living, for kindergarten. Episode 309, 3-28-16 – on temperature regulation in animals, for kindergarten through 12th grade. Episode 333, 9-12-16 – on dissolved gases, especially dissolved oxygen in aquatic habitats, for 5thgrade. Episode 403, 1-15-18 – on freezing and ice, for kindergarten through 3rd grade. Episode 404, 1-22-18 – on ice on ponds and lakes, for 4ththrough 8th grade. Episode 406, 2-5-18 – on ice on rivers, for middle school. Episode 407, 2-12-18 – on snow chemistry and physics, for high school. Episode 483, 7-29-19 – on buoyancy and drag, for middle school and high school. Episode 524, 5-11-20 – on sounds by water-related animals, for elementary school through high school. Episode 531, 6-29-20 – on various ways that animals get water, for 3rd and 4th grade. Episode 539, 8-24-20 – on basic numbers and facts about Virginia’s water resources, for 4th and 6th grade. 

Episode 584 (7-5-21): Operation Dry Water Targets Boating Under the Influence

CLICK HERE to listen to episode audio (4:31). Sections below are the following:Transcript of AudioAudio Notes and AcknowledgmentsImagesExtra InformationSourcesRelated Water Radio EpisodesFor Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.). Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 6-11-21. TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of June 14, 2021.  This revised episode from April 2013 is part of a series this year of episodes related to watersheds and river basins. MUSIC – ~ 8 sec – instrumental This week, we feature a tune about stream paddling to introduce the key water resources concept of a watershed.  Have a listen to the music for about 40 more seconds. MUSIC – ~40 sec – Lyrics: “As I paddle down the mountain stream, the unsuspecting beaver slaps his tail and swims to flee the brightly colored threat, the drinking deer sniffs the air and bounds into thicket, while blue heron wing in front of me then fly back overhead.  And I love to ride the back of a rushing mountain stream, to thread between the eddies amidst the banks of April green.  The icy water warms my blood, waves splash over me; in the river I am young, I am free.” You’ve been listening to part of “Mountain Stream,” by Bob Gramann of Fredericksburg, Va., with Laura Lengnick on fiddle, from the 2001 album “See Further in the Darkness.”  Streams flowing down mountain slopes are starting points for several of Virginia’s major rivers, such as the James, Rappahannock, and Shenandoah, because those streams are in the highest parts of those rivers’ watersheds.  A watershed is the land area from which surface water drains into a specific water body; accordingly a synonym for watershed is drainage area.  While water flowing downhill is a basic part of any watershed, different watersheds have distinctive features because of particular landscapes, geology, wildlife, vegetation, climate, and human land uses. Watersheds also vary greatly in size: as the U.S. Geological Survey’s Water Science School has stated, “watersheds can be as small as a footprint or large enough to encompass all the land that drains water into…[the] Chesapeake Bay….”  The term “catchment” is sometimes used for smaller watersheds, while the term “basin” is often used for the watersheds of large rivers, coastal estuaries, and the seas and oceans. Virginia over 100,000 miles of streams, according to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.  All of those stream miles are part of 14 major watersheds, including those of Virginia’s biggest rivers and the coastal areas that drain into the Chesapeake, Albemarle Sound, or the Atlantic Ocean.  On the largest scale, all of Virginia’s surface waters drain into one of two basins: the Atlantic Ocean, or the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi River basin.  In parts of western Virginia—including Blacksburg, where this show originates—you can stand on the Eastern Continental Divide and have one foot in each of the Commonwealth’s largest watersheds. Thanks to Bob Gramann for permission to use this week’s music, and we close with about 20 more seconds of “Mountain Stream.” MUSIC – ~17 sec -  Lyrics: “To rise before the mist is clear, to chase the rainfall down the hillside.” SHIP’S BELL Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.  For more Virginia water sounds, music, or information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call the Water Center at (540) 231-5624.  Thanks to Ben Cosgrove for his version of “Shenandoah” to open and close the show.  In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water. AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Virginia Water Radio episode revises and replaces Episode 156, 4-8-13. “Mountain Stream” and “See Further in the Darkness” are copyright by Bob Gramann, used with permission.  Laura Lengnick accompanied on fiddle.  More information about Bob Gramann is available online at http://www.bobgramann.com.  This music was used previously by Water Radio most recently in Episode 546, 10-12-20. Click here if you’d like to hear the full version (2 min./22 sec.) of the “Shenandoah” arrangement/performance by Ben Cosgrove that opens and closes this episode.  More information about Mr. Cosgrove is available online at http://www.bencosgrove.com. IMAGES  Thornton River, Shenandoah National Park, Rappahannock County, June 19, 2006.   Map showing Virginia’s major watersheds.  Map from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, “Virginia’s Major Watersheds,” online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/stormwater_management/wsheds.shtml. Map showing North America’s major watersheds.  Map from the U.S. Geological Survey, “Water Science School/Watersheds and Drainage Basins,” online at https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/watersheds-and-drainage-basins?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects. EXTRA INFORMATION ABOUT MAJOR VIRGINIA WATERSHEDS The following table of information about Virginia’s 14 major watersheds is from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Virginia’s Major Watersheds,” online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/stormwater_management/wsheds.shtml. WATERSHED AREA IN SQUARE MILES MAJOR TRIBUTARIES Albemarle Sound Coastal 577 Dismal Swamp, North Landing River, Back Bay Atlantic Ocean Coastal 580 Chincoteague Bay, Hog Island Bay Chesapeake Bay Coastal 2,577 Chesapeake Bay, Piankatank River Chowan 3,675 Nottaway River, Meherrin River, Blackwater River James 10,236 James River, Appomattox River, Maury River, Jackson River, Rivanna River New 3,068 New River, Little River, Walker Creek Potomac - Shenandoah 5,702 Potomac River, S. Fork Shenandoah River, N. Fork Shenandoah River Rappahannock 2,714 Rappahannock River, Rapidan River, Hazel River Roanoke 6,274 Roanoke River, Dan River, Banister River, Kerr Reservoir Yadkin 118 Ararat River York 2,669 York River, Pamunkey River, Mattaponi River Holston (Upper Tennessee) 1,322 N. Fork Holston River, Middle Fork Holston River, S. Fork Holston River Clinch - Powell 1,811 Clinch River, Powell River, Guest River Big Sandy 999 Levisa Fork, Russel Fork, Tug Fork SOURCES Used for Audio U.S. Geological Survey, “Water Science School/Watersheds and Drainage Basins,” online at https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/watersheds-and-drainage-basins?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, “Hydrologic Unit Geography,” online at https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil-and-water/hu; and “Virginia’s Major Watersheds,” online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/stormwater_management/wsheds.shtml. Virginia Places, “The Continental (and Other) Divides,” online at http://www.virginiaplaces.org/watersheds/divides.html. Virginia Water Resources Research Center, “Divide and Confluence,” by Alan Raflo, pages 8-11 in Virginia Water Central Newsletter, February 2000, online at https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/49316. For More Information about Watersheds and River Basins Natural Resources Conservation Service/Virginia, “2020 Virginia Water Resources Progress Report,” online at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/va/programs/planning/.  This report has descriptions of projects in many Virginia watersheds.  The 2017 report is online at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/va/programs/planning/wo/. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “How’s My Waterway,” online at https://www.epa.gov/waterdata/hows-my-waterway. Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, “Commonwealth of Virginia State Water Resources Plan,” April 2015, available online at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/water-quantity/water-supply-planning/virginia-water-resources-plan. Virginia Places, “Rivers and Watersheds of Virginia,” online at http://www.virginiaplaces.org/watersheds/index.html. RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html).  See particularly the “Rivers, Streams, and Other Surface Water” subject category. Following are links to some other episodes on watersheds and Virginia rivers.  Please note that some of these episodes are being redone in summer 2021; in those cases, the respective links below will have information on the updated episodes. Big Otter River introduction (Roanoke River watershed) – Episode 419, 5-7-18. Big Sandy River watershed introduction – Episode 419, 5-7-18. Blue Ridge and three watersheds - Episode 209, 4-14-14. Bullpasture and Cowpasture rivers introduction (James River watershed) – Episode 469, 4-22-19. Hazel River introduction (Rappahannock River watershed) – Episode 339, 10-24-16. Headwater streams – Episode 397, 12-4-17. Jackson River introduction (James River watershed) – Episode 428, 7-9-19. Madison County flooding in 1995 (on Rapidan River, in Rappahannock County watershed) – Episode 272, 6-29-15 Musical tour of rivers and watersheds - Episode 251, 2-2-15. New River introduction – Episode 109, 5-7-12. Ohio River basin introduction – Episode 421, 5-21-18. Ohio River basin connections through watersheds and history – Episode 422, 5-28-18; Passage Creek and Fort Valley introduction (Shenandoah River watershed) – Episode 331 – 8/29/16. River bluffs – Episode 173, 8-5-13. Rappahannock River introduction – Episode 89, 11-21-11. Shenandoah River introduction – Episode 130 – 10/1/12. Smith River and Philpott Reservoir introduction (Roanoke River watershed) – Episode 360, 3-20-17. South Fork Holston River introduction (Clinch-Powell/Upper Tennessee River watershed) – Episode 425, 6-18-18. Staunton River introduction (part of the Roanoke River) – Episode 374, 6-26-17. Virginia rivers quiz – Episode 334, 9-19-16. Virginia surface water numbers – Episode 539, 8-24-20. Virginia’s Tennessee River tributaries – Episode 420, 5-14-18. Water cycle introduction – Episode 191, 12-9-13; and water cycle diagrams reconsidered – Episode 480, 7-8-19.Watershed and water cycle terms related to stormwater – EP365 – 4/24/17. Water quantity information sources – Episode 546, 10-12-20. Werowocomoco native people’s civilization history, centered in the York River watershed – Episode 364, 12-12-16. FOR VIRGINIA TEACHERS – RELATED STANDARDS OF LEARNING (SOLs) AND OTHER INFORMATION Following are some Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) that may be supported by this episode’s audio/transcript, sources, or other information included in this post. 2020 Music SOLs SOLs at various grade levels that call for “examining the relationship of music to the other fine arts and other fields of knowledge.” 2018 Science SOLs Grades K-5: Earth and Space Systems3.7 – There is a water cycle and water is important to life on Earth. Grades K-5: Earth Resources4.8 – Virginia has important natural resources. Grade 66.6 – Water has unique physical properties and has a role in the natural and human-made environment.6.8 – Land and water have roles in watershed systems. Earth ScienceES.6 – Resource use is complex.ES.8 – Freshwater resources influence and are influenced by geologic processes and human activity.ES.10 – Oceans are complex, dynamic systems subject to long- and short-term variations. 2015 Social Studies SOLs Grades K-3 Geography Theme1.6 – Virginia climate, seasons, and landforms.2.6 – Major rivers, mountains, and other geographic features of North America and other continents.3.6 – Major rivers, mountains, and other geographic features of North America and other continents. Grades K-3 Economics Theme2.8 – Natural, human, and capital resources. Virginia Studies CourseVS.10 – Knowledge of government, geography, and economics in present-day Virginia. World Geography CourseWG.2 – How selected physical and ecological processes shape the Earth’s surface, including climate, weather, and how humans influence their environment and are influenced by it.WG.3 – How regional landscapes reflect the physical environment and the cultural characteristics of their inhabitants.WG.4 – Types and significance of natural, human, and capital resources. Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department of Education, online at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/. Following are links to Water Radio episodes (various topics) designed especially for certain K-12 grade levels. Episode 250, 1-26-15 – on boiling, for kindergarten through 3rdgrade. Episode 255, 3-2-15 – on density, for 5th and 6th grade. Episode 282, 9-21-15 – on living vs. non-living, for kindergarten. Episode 309, 3-28-16 – on temperature regulation in animals, for kindergarten through 12th grade. Episode 333, 9-12-16 – on dissolved gases, especially dissolved oxygen in aquatic habitats, for 5th grade. Episode 403, 1-15-18 – on freezing and ice, for kindergarten through 3rd grade. Episode 404, 1-22-18 – on ice on ponds and lakes, for 4ththrough 8th grade. Episode 406, 2-5-18 – on ice on rivers, for middle school. Episode 407, 2-12-18 – on snow chemistry and physics, for high school. Episode 483, 7-29-19 – on buoyancy and drag, for middle school and high school. Episode 524, 5-11-20 – on sounds by water-related animals, for elementary school through high school. Episode 531, 6-29-20 – on various ways that animals get water, for 3rd and 4th grade. Episode 539, 8-24-20 – on basic numbers and facts about Virginia’s water resources, for 4th and 6th grade. 

Episode 581 (6-14-21): Introducing Watersheds with “Mountain Stream” by Bob Gramann

CLICK HERE to listen to episode audio (5:09). Sections below are the following:Transcript of AudioAudio Notes and AcknowledgmentsImagesSourcesRelated Water Radio EpisodesFor Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.). Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 6-18-21. TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of June 21, 2021.  This revised episode from December 2017 is part of a series this year of episodes related to watersheds and river basins. MUSIC – ~12 – instrumentalThat’s part of “Highland,” by the group Wake Up Robin, with musicians from North Carolina, New York, California, and Washington State.  It opens an episode about waterways in the highest and most upstream part of watersheds, where water starts following a channel and flowing overland towards rivers.  Have a listen for about 10 seconds to two Virginia examples, and see if you can guess the name for these upper watershed features.  And here’s a hint: get this right and you’ll stream to the head of water class.SOUND - ~ 11 sec If you guessed headwater streams, you’re right!  Headwater streams are the first flowing waters in the upper part of a river’s watershed.  These relatively small streams have a big range of functions, including as habitat for certain organisms or life stages, and as a source of water, materials, and organisms for downstream waters. Understanding the location and length of headwater streams in the Appalachian Mountains, particularly in response to storms, was the research goal of Carrie Jensen, a graduate student from 2014 to 2018 in Virginia Tech’s Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation.   In November 2017, Ms. Jensen described her research and its significance in just 90 seconds during the “Nutshell Games,” held by Virginia Tech’s Center for Communicating Science.  Here’s Ms. Jensen’s presentation. GUEST VOICE - ~84 sec – “Hi, everyone.  My name is Carrie, and I study changes in stream length in Appalachian headwaters, which are the small streams where our rivers start on the landscape.  So I literally walk upstream with a GPS unit until I find where a stream begins in the mountains.  And these headwaters can expand and contract in length through time, getting longer when it’s wet after it rains, and getting shorter during dry periods.  And I wanted to know if this expansion and contraction behavior is the same everywhere.  So I matched changes in stream length across the Appalachian Mountains and actually found some pretty big differences.  At some of my sites, stream length is really stable and hardly changes across a huge range of flows, but at other sites there’s a lot of expansion and contraction: stream length varies from tens of feet to a couple of miles.  And this work is relevant for pretty much any application that requires knowing where streams are and when they have water.  So where to build stuff; how to build stuff; where you need riparian buffers of trees to protect water quality.  And normally we rely on maps for this information.  But the blue lines representing streams on maps don’t tell us if the stream has water all the time, or 75 percent of the time, or maybe only once every couple of years.  So research describing and predicting these changes in stream length can help us better manage and protect our water resources.  Thank you.”As Ms. Jensen’s work shows, there’s much to know about headwaters, and such information can help us better understand quantity and quality patterns far downstream. Thanks to Carrie Jensen for permission to use the audio from her Nutshell Games talk.  Thanks also to Andrew VanNorstand for permission to use this week’s music, and we close with about 15 more seconds of “Highland.”MUSIC - ~17 sec – instrumental SHIP’S BELL Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.  For more Virginia water sounds, music, or information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call the Water Center at (540) 231-5624.  Thanks to Stewart Scales for his banjo version of Cripple Creek to open and close this show.  In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water. AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Virginia Water Radio episode revises and replaces Episode 397, 12-4-17. The Nutshell Games are organized by the Virginia Tech Center for Communicating Science to give graduate students a forum for describing their research in a short presentation designed for non-scientists.  More information about the Center for Communicating Science is available online at https://communicatingscience.isce.vt.edu/.  Nutshell Games videos are available online at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC01cz4Mal3-AOZeODCauLHw.  Two news articles about the Nutshell Games are New center focuses on the art of communicating science effectively, Virginia Tech News, 2/28/17; and Understandable communication aim of first 'Nutshell Games', Roanoke Times, 3/3/17.“Highland,” from the 2018 album “Wake Up Robin,” on Great Bear Records, by the group of the same name, is used with permission of Andrew VanNorstrand.  More information about the album and band is available online at https://wakeuprobin.bandcamp.com.The sounds of headwater streams heard in this episode were recorded in Blacksburg, Va.’s Heritage Park on July 27, 2016, and in Blacksburg on Brush Mountain on January 31, 2010 (the latter stream is shown in the photos below). Click here if you’d like to hear the full version (1 min./11 sec.) of the “Cripple Creek” arrangement/performance by Stewart Scales that opens and closes this episode.  More information about Mr. Scales and the group New Standard, with which Mr. Scales plays, is available online at http://newstandardbluegrass.com. IMAGES Two views of a headwaters stream tributary to Toms Creek (New River basin) on Brush Mountain in Blacksburg, Va.: upper photo December 25, 2013; lower photo December 2, 2017. SOURCES Used for Audio Richard B. Alexander et al., “The Role of Headwater Streams in Downstream Water Quality,” Journal of the American Water Resources Association, Vol. 43, No. 1, February 2007, pages 41-59; available online at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3307624/(subscription may be required). Carrie Jensen, “Project Report, 2016 VWRRC Student Grant: Sensors reveal the timing and pattern of stream flow in headwaters after storms,” July 10, 2017, Virginia Water Resources Research Center, Blacksburg. Sacramento [Calif.] River Watershed Program, “Importance of the Headwaters,” by Todd Sloat, 9/21/14, online at https://sacriver.org/watershed-blog/importance-of-the-headwaters/. Craig Snyder, et al., “Significance of Headwater Streams and Perennial Springs in Ecological Monitoring in Shenandoah National Park,” 2013, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2013–1178; available online (as a PDF) at https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2013/1178/pdf/ofr2013-1178.pdf. U.S. Geological Survey, “Water Resources of the United States/Water Basics Glossary/Headwaters,” online at https://water.usgs.gov/water-basics_glossary.html#H. U.S. Geological Survey, “Water Science School/Glossary/Headwater,” online at https://water.usgs.gov/edu/dictionary.html#H. Virginia Tech Center for Communicating Science, online at https://communicatingscience.isce.vt.edu/. West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, “The Importance of Headwater Streams,” online at https://dep.wv.gov/WWE/getinvolved/sos/Pages/Headwaters.aspx. For More Information about Watersheds and River Basins Natural Resources Conservation Service/Virginia, “2020 Virginia Water Resources Progress Report,” online at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/va/programs/planning/.  This report has descriptions of projects in many Virginia watersheds.  The 2017 report is online at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/va/programs/planning/wo/ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “How’s My Waterway,” online at https://www.epa.gov/waterdata/hows-my-waterway. U.S. Geological Survey, “Water Science School/Watersheds and Drainage Basins,” online at https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/watersheds-and-drainage-basins?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, “Hydrologic Unit Geography,” online at https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil-and-water/hu; and “Virginia’s Major Watersheds,” online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/stormwater_management/wsheds.shtml.  Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, “Commonwealth of Virginia State Water Resources Plan,” April 2015, available online at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/water-quantity/water-supply-planning/virginia-water-resources-plan; “Status of Virginia’s Water Resources,” October 2020, online (as a PDF) at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/2119/637432838113030000; and “Water Quantity,” online at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/water-quantity.  Virginia Places, “The Continental (and Other) Divides,” online at http://www.virginiaplaces.org/watersheds/divides.html. Virginia Places, “Rivers and Watersheds of Virginia,” online at http://www.virginiaplaces.org/watersheds/index.html. Virginia Water Resources Research Center, “Divide and Confluence,” by Alan Raflo, pages 8-11 in Virginia Water Central Newsletter, February 2000, online at https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/49316. RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html). Following are links to some other episodes on watersheds and Virginia river basins.  Please note that some of these episodes are being redone in summer 2021, so the episode number, date, and link may change. Big Otter River introduction (Roanoke River watershed) – Episode 419, 5-7-18. Big Sandy River watershed introduction – Episode 419, 5-7-18. Blue Ridge and three watersheds - Episode 209, 4-14-14. Bullpasture and Cowpasture rivers introduction (James River watershed) – Episode 469, 4-22-19. Hazel River introduction (Rappahannock River watershed) – Episode 339, 10-24-16. Jackson River introduction (James River watershed) – Episode 428, 7-9-19. Madison County flooding in 1995 (on Rapidan River, in Rappahannock County watershed) – Episode 272, 6-29-15 Musical tour of rivers and watersheds - Episode 251, 2-2-15. New River introduction – Episode 109, 5-7-12. Ohio River basin introduction – Episode 421, 5-21-18. Ohio River basin connections through watersheds and history – Episode 422, 5-28-18; Passage Creek and Fort Valley introduction (Shenandoah River watershed) – Episode 331 – 8/29/16. River bluffs – Episode 173, 8-5-13. Rappahannock River introduction – Episode 89, 11-21-11. Shenandoah River introduction – Episode 130 – 10/1/12. Smith River and Philpott Reservoir introduction (Roanoke River watershed) – Episode 360, 3-20-17. South Fork Holston River introduction (Clinch-Powell/Upper Tennessee River watershed) – Episode 425, 6-18-18. Staunton River introduction (part of the Roanoke River) – Episode 374, 6-26-17. Virginia rivers quiz – Episode 334, 9-19-16. Virginia surface water numbers – Episode 539, 8-24-20. Virginia’s Tennessee River tributaries – Episode 420, 5-14-18. Water cycle introduction – Episode 191, 12-9-13; and water cycle diagrams reconsidered – Episode 480, 7-8-19.Watershed and water cycle terms related to stormwater – EP365 – 4/24/17. Watersheds introduction – Episode 581, 6-14-21. Water quantity information sources – Episode 546, 10-12-20. Werowocomoco native people’s civilization history, centered in the York River watershed – Episode 364, 12-12-16.Following are links to other episodes with information from presentations at the Nutshell Games, produced by the Virginia Tech Center for Communicating Sciences.Episode 376, 7-10-17 – on the Emerald Ash Borer.Episode 409, 2-26-18 – on buried streams.Episode 564, 2-15-21 – on customers' trust in their water utility. FOR VIRGINIA TEACHERS – RELATED STANDARDS OF LEARNING (SOLs) AND OTHER INFORMATION Following are some Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) that may be supported by this episode’s audio/transcript, sources, or other information included in this post. 2020 Music SOLs SOLs at various grade levels that call for “examining the relationship of music to the other fine arts and other fields of knowledge.” 2018 Science SOLs Grades K-4: Living Systems and Processes 3.5 – Aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems support a diversity of organisms. 4.3 – Organisms, including humans, interact with one another and with the nonliving components in the ecosystem. Grades K-5: Earth and Space Systems 2.7 – Weather patterns and seasonal changes affect plants, animals, and their surroundings. 3.7 – There is a water cycle and water is important to life on Earth. 4.4 – Weather conditions and climate have effects on ecosystems and can be predicted. Grades K-5: Earth Resources 3.8 – Natural events and humans influence ecosystems. 4.8 – Virginia has important natural resources. Grade 6 6.6 – Water has unique physical properties and has a role in the natural and human-made environment. 6.8 – Land and water have roles in watershed systems. Life Science LS.5 – Biotic and abiotic factors affect an ecosystem. LS.8 – Change in ecosystems, communities, populations, and organisms occur over time.  Earth Science ES.8 – Freshwater resources influence and are influenced by geologic processes and human activity. Biology BIO.8 – Dynamic equilibria exist within populations, communities, and ecosystems. 2015 Social Studies SOLs World Geography Course WG.2 – How selected physical and ecological processes shape the Earth’s surface, including climate, weather, and how humans influence their environment and are influenced by it. WG.4 – Types and significance of natural, human, and capital resources. Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department of Education, online at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/. Following are links to Water Radio episodes (various topics) designed especially for certain K-12 grade levels. Episode 250, 1-26-15 – on boiling, for kindergarten through 3rdgrade. Episode 255, 3-2-15 – on density, for 5th and 6th grade. Episode 282, 9-21-15 – on living vs. non-living, for kindergarten. Episode 309, 3-28-16 – on temperature regulation in animals, for kindergarten through 12th grade. Episode 333, 9-12-16 – on dissolved gases, especially dissolved oxygen in aquatic habitats, for 5th grade. Episode 403, 1-15-18 – on freezing and ice, for kindergarten through 3rd grade. Episode 404, 1-22-18 – on ice on ponds and lakes, for 4ththrough 8th grade. Episode 406, 2-5-18 – on ice on rivers, for middle school. Episode 407, 2-12-18 – on snow chemistry and physics, for high school. Episode 483, 7-29-19 – on buoyancy and drag, for middle school and high school. Episode 524, 5-11-20 – on sounds by water-related animals, for elementary school through high school. Episode 531, 6-29-20 – on various ways that animals get water, for 3rd and 4th grade. Episode 539, 8-24-20 – on basic numbers and facts about Virginia’s water resources, for 4th and 6th grade. 

Episode 582 (6-21-21): Where Headwaters Flow, Rivers Begin

CLICK HERE to listen to episode audio (4:41). Sections below are the following:Transcript of AudioAudio Notes and AcknowledgmentsImagesSourcesRelated Water Radio EpisodesFor Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.). Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 6-25-21. TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of June 28, 2021.  This revised episode from April 2014 is part of a series this year of episodes related to watersheds and river basins. MUSIC – ~ 10 sec – instrumental - “Big Run Thrives.” This week, musical selections highlight the connections between one famous Virginia ridge and the watersheds of six rivers.  Have a listen for about 45 seconds.MUSIC – ~46 sec – instrumentals – “Big Run Thrives,” ~18 sec; then “Hazel River,” ~28 sec.You’ve been listening, first, to part of “Big Run Thrives,” and second, to part of “Hazel River,” both by Timothy Seaman of Williamsburg, Va., from the 1997 album “Here on This Ridge,” a celebration of Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park.  Both tunes were inspired by streams flowing off of Virginia’s Blue Ridge.  The part of the Blue Ridge that runs through the middle of the national park from Front Royal south to Waynesboro divides the watersheds of three Virginia rivers.  Throughout the park, mountain streams on the ridge’s western slopes—like Big Run in Rockingham County—lead to the Shenandoah River watershed.  On the Blue Ridge’s eastern side, streams in the northern part of the park—like Hazel River in Rappahannock County—flow to the Rappahannock River; in the southern part of the park, east-flowing streams are in the James River watershed. Outside of the national park, to the north the Blue Ridge separates the Potomac River watershed from the Shenandoah, a Potomac River tributary.  To the south of the national park, the Blue Ridge is part of the watershed divide between the James River and Roanoke River, and then between the Roanoke and New rivers. Countless other ridges in Virginia aren’t as famous as the Blue Ridge, but whether high and obvious or low and indistinct, they all add to the landscape’s pattern of waterways flowing through watersheds. Thanks to Timothy Seaman for permission to use parts of “Big Run Thrives” and “Hazel River.”  We close with another musical selection for mountain ridges and rivers, from the Rockingham County and Harrisonburg, Va.-based band The Steel Wheels.  Here’s about 35 seconds of “Find Your Mountain.”MUSIC – ~35 sec – Lyrics: “Find your mountain.  Find your river.  Find your mountain.”  Then instrumental. SHIP’S BELL Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.  For more Virginia water sounds, music, or information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call the Water Center at (540) 231-5624.  Thanks to Ben Cosgrove for his version of “Shenandoah” to open and close the show.  In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water. AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Virginia Water Radio episode revises and replaces Episode 209, 4-14-14. “Big Run Thrives” and “Hazel River,” from the 1997 album “Here on this Ridge,” are copyright Timothy Seaman and Pine Wind Music, used with permission.   More information about Mr. Seaman is available online at http://www.timothyseaman.com/.  Information about the making of that album is available online at https://timothyseaman.com/en/timothys-blog/entry/the-making-of-our-album-here-on-this-ridge.  “Big Run Thrives” was used previously by Virginia Water Radio in in Episode 473. 5-20-19; “Hazel River was used previously in Episode 339, 10-24-16. “Find Your Mountain,” from the 2015 album “Leave Some Things Behind,” is copyright by The Steel Wheels, used with permission.  More information about The Steel Wheels is available online at http://www.thesteelwheels.com/. This music was used previously by Virginia Water Radio in Episode 425, 6-18-18, Click here if you’d like to hear the full version (2 min./22 sec.) of the “Shenandoah” arrangement/performance by Ben Cosgrove that opens and closes this episode.  More information about Mr. Cosgrove is available online at http://www.bencosgrove.com. IMAGES South Fork Shenandoah River at the U.S. Rt. 211 bridge in Page County, Va., July 22, 2012.  Traveling east on 211 from this point takes you into Shenandoah National Park, across the Blue Ridge, and into the Rappahannock River watershed.The Rappahannock River, looking upstream from U.S. Route 29 at Remington, Va. (Fauquier County), December 27, 2009.  The Hazel River flows into the Rappahannock just a few river miles above this point.View of Floyd County, Va., from the Blue Ridge Parkway, June 1, 2014.  The photo shows the New River watershed; behind the photographer (on the other side of the Parkway) is Patrick County and the Roanoke River watershed. SOURCES Used for Audio College of William and Mary Department of Geology, “The Geology of Virginia—Hydrology,” online at http://geology.blogs.wm.edu/hydrology/. DeLorme Company of Yarmouth, Maine, Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer, 2000. National Park Service, “Shenandoah National Park,” online at http://www.nps.gov/shen/index.htm.Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission, “Local TMDLs,” online at https://www.rrregion.org/program_areas/environmental/local_tmdls.php.  Located at this site are Total Maximum Daily Load on the Upper Rappahannock River, the Hazel River, and other Rappahannock River basin waterways. For More Information about Watersheds and River Basins Natural Resources Conservation Service/Virginia, “2020 Virginia Water Resources Progress Report,” online at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/va/programs/planning/.  This report has descriptions of projects in many Virginia watersheds.  The 2017 report is online at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/va/programs/planning/wo/. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “How’s My Waterway,” online at https://www.epa.gov/waterdata/hows-my-waterway. U.S. Geological Survey, “Water Science School/Watersheds and Drainage Basins,” online at https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/watersheds-and-drainage-basins?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, “Hydrologic Unit Geography,” online at https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil-and-water/hu; and “Virginia’s Major Watersheds,” online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/stormwater_management/wsheds.shtml. Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, “Commonwealth of Virginia State Water Resources Plan,” April 2015, available online at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/water-quantity/water-supply-planning/virginia-water-resources-plan; “Status of Virginia’s Water Resources,” October 2020, online (as a PDF) at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/2119/637432838113030000; and “Water Quantity,” online at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/water-quantity. Virginia Places, “The Continental (and Other) Divides,” online at http://www.virginiaplaces.org/watersheds/divides.html. Virginia Places, “Rivers and Watersheds of Virginia,” online at http://www.virginiaplaces.org/watersheds/index.html. Virginia Water Resources Research Center, “Divide and Confluence,” by Alan Raflo, pages 8-11 in Virginia Water Central Newsletter, February 2000, online at https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/49316. RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html).  Please see particularly the “Rivers, Streams, and Other Surface Water” subject category. Following are links to some other episodes on watersheds and Virginia rivers.  Please note that some of these episodes are being redone in summer 2021; in those cases, the respective links below will have information on the updated episodes. Big Otter River introduction (Roanoke River watershed) – Episode 419, 5-7-18. Big Sandy River watershed introduction – Episode 419, 5-7-18. Bullpasture and Cowpasture rivers introduction (James River watershed) – Episode 469, 4-22-19. Hazel River introduction (Rappahannock River watershed) – Episode 339, 10-24-16. Headwater streams – Episode 582, 6-21-21. Jackson River introduction (James River watershed) – Episode 428, 7-9-19. Madison County flooding in 1995 (on Rapidan River, in Rappahannock County watershed) – Episode 272, 6-29-15 Musical tour of rivers and watersheds - Episode 251, 2-2-15. New River introduction – Episode 109, 5-7-12. Ohio River basin introduction – Episode 421, 5-21-18. Ohio River basin connections through watersheds and history – Episode 422, 5-28-18; Passage Creek and Fort Valley introduction (Shenandoah River watershed) – Episode 331 – 8/29/16. River bluffs – Episode 173, 8-5-13. Rappahannock River introduction – Episode 89, 11-21-11. Shenandoah River introduction – Episode 130 – 10/1/12. Smith River and Philpott Reservoir introduction (Roanoke River watershed) – Episode 360, 3-20-17. South Fork Holston River introduction (Clinch-Powell/Upper Tennessee River watershed) – Episode 425, 6-18-18. Staunton River introduction (part of the Roanoke River) – Episode 374, 6-26-17. Virginia rivers quiz – Episode 334, 9-19-16. Virginia surface water numbers – Episode 539, 8-24-20. Virginia’s Tennessee River tributaries – Episode 420, 5-14-18. Water cycle introduction – Episode 191, 12-9-13; and water cycle diagrams reconsidered – Episode 480, 7-8-19.Watershed and water cycle terms related to stormwater – Episode 365, 4-24-17. Watersheds introduction – Episode 581, 6-14-21. Water quantity information sources – Episode 546, 10-12-20. Werowocomoco native people’s civilization history, centered in the York River watershed – Episode 364, 12-12-16. FOR VIRGINIA TEACHERS – RELATED STANDARDS OF LEARNING (SOLs) AND OTHER INFORMATION Following are some Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) that may be supported by this episode’s audio/transcript, sources, or other information included in this post.  Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department of Education, online at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/. 2020 Music SOLs SOLs at various grade levels that call for “examining the relationship of music to the other fine arts and other fields of knowledge.” 2018 Science SOLs Grades K-5: Earth and Space Systems 3.7 – There is a water cycle and water is important to life on Earth. Grades K-5: Earth Resources 3.8 – Natural events and humans influence ecosystems. 4.8 – Virginia has important natural resources. Grade 6 6.6 – Water has unique physical properties and has a role in the natural and human-made environment. 6.8 – Land and water have roles in watershed systems. Earth Science ES.8 – Freshwater resources influence and are influenced by geologic processes and human activity. 2015 Social Studies SOLs Grades K-3 Geography Theme 1.6 – Virginia climate, seasons, and landforms. 2.6 – Major rivers, mountains, and other geographic features of North America and other continents. 3.6 – Major rivers, mountains, and other geographic features of North America and other continents. Virginia Studies Course VS.1 – Impact of geographic features on people, places, and events in Virginia history. VS.2 – Physical geography and native peoples of Virginia past and present. VS.10 – Knowledge of government, geography, and economics in present-day Virginia. United States History to 1865 Course USI.2 – Major land and water features of North America, including their importance in history. World Geography Course WG.3 – How regional landscapes reflect the physical environment and the cultural characteristics of their inhabitants. WG.5 – Regions of United States and Canada. Following are links to Water Radio episodes (various topics) designed especially for certain K-12 grade levels. Episode 250, 1-26-15 – on boiling, for kindergarten through 3rdgrade. Episode 255, 3-2-15 – on density, for 5th and 6th grade. Episode 282, 9-21-15 – on living vs. non-living, for kindergarten. Episode 309, 3-28-16 – on temperature regulation in animals, for kindergarten through 12th grade. Episode 333, 9-12-16 – on dissolved gases, especially dissolved oxygen in aquatic habitats, for 5th grade. Episode 403, 1-15-18 – on freezing and ice, for kindergarten through 3rd grade. Episode 404, 1-22-18 – on ice on ponds and lakes, for 4ththrough 8th grade. Episode 406, 2-5-18 – on ice on rivers, for middle school. Episode 407, 2-12-18 – on snow chemistry and physics, for high school. Episode 483, 7-29-19 – on buoyancy and drag, for middle school and high school. Episode 524, 5-11-20 – on sounds by water-related animals, for elementary school through high school. Episode 531, 6-29-20 – on various ways that animals get water, for 3rd and 4th grade. Episode 539, 8-24-20 – on basic numbers and facts about Virginia’s water resources, for 4th and 6th grade. 

Episode 583 (6-28-21): One Blue Ridge Helps Start Many Virginia Rivers

CLICK HERE to listen to episode audio (4:41). Sections below are the following:Transcript of AudioAudio Notes and AcknowledgmentsImagesSourcesRelated Water Radio EpisodesFor Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.). Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 6-25-21. TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of June 28, 2021.  This revised episode from April 2014 is part of a series this year of episodes related to watersheds and river basins. MUSIC – ~ 10 sec – instrumental - “Big Run Thrives.” This week, musical selections highlight the connections between one famous Virginia ridge and the watersheds of six rivers.  Have a listen for about 45 seconds.MUSIC – ~46 sec – instrumentals – “Big Run Thrives,” ~18 sec; then “Hazel River,” ~28 sec.You’ve been listening, first, to part of “Big Run Thrives,” and second, to part of “Hazel River,” both by Timothy Seaman of Williamsburg, Va., from the 1997 album “Here on This Ridge,” a celebration of Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park.  Both tunes were inspired by streams flowing off of Virginia’s Blue Ridge.  The part of the Blue Ridge that runs through the middle of the national park from Front Royal south to Waynesboro divides the watersheds of three Virginia rivers.  Throughout the park, mountain streams on the ridge’s western slopes—like Big Run in Rockingham County—lead to the Shenandoah River watershed.  On the Blue Ridge’s eastern side, streams in the northern part of the park—like Hazel River in Rappahannock County—flow to the Rappahannock River; in the southern part of the park, east-flowing streams are in the James River watershed. Outside of the national park, to the north the Blue Ridge separates the Potomac River watershed from the Shenandoah, a Potomac River tributary.  To the south of the national park, the Blue Ridge is part of the watershed divide between the James River and Roanoke River, and then between the Roanoke and New rivers. Countless other ridges in Virginia aren’t as famous as the Blue Ridge, but whether high and obvious or low and indistinct, they all add to the landscape’s pattern of waterways flowing through watersheds. Thanks to Timothy Seaman for permission to use parts of “Big Run Thrives” and “Hazel River.”  We close with another musical selection for mountain ridges and rivers, from the Rockingham County and Harrisonburg, Va.-based band The Steel Wheels.  Here’s about 35 seconds of “Find Your Mountain.”MUSIC – ~35 sec – Lyrics: “Find your mountain.  Find your river.  Find your mountain.”  Then instrumental. SHIP’S BELL Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.  For more Virginia water sounds, music, or information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call the Water Center at (540) 231-5624.  Thanks to Ben Cosgrove for his version of “Shenandoah” to open and close the show.  In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water. AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Virginia Water Radio episode revises and replaces Episode 209, 4-14-14. “Big Run Thrives” and “Hazel River,” from the 1997 album “Here on this Ridge,” are copyright Timothy Seaman and Pine Wind Music, used with permission.   More information about Mr. Seaman is available online at http://www.timothyseaman.com/.  Information about the making of that album is available online at https://timothyseaman.com/en/timothys-blog/entry/the-making-of-our-album-here-on-this-ridge.  “Big Run Thrives” was used previously by Virginia Water Radio in in Episode 473. 5-20-19; “Hazel River was used previously in Episode 339, 10-24-16. “Find Your Mountain,” from the 2015 album “Leave Some Things Behind,” is copyright by The Steel Wheels, used with permission.  More information about The Steel Wheels is available online at http://www.thesteelwheels.com/. This music was used previously by Virginia Water Radio in Episode 425, 6-18-18, Click here if you’d like to hear the full version (2 min./22 sec.) of the “Shenandoah” arrangement/performance by Ben Cosgrove that opens and closes this episode.  More information about Mr. Cosgrove is available online at http://www.bencosgrove.com. IMAGES South Fork Shenandoah River at the U.S. Rt. 211 bridge in Page County, Va., July 22, 2012.  Traveling east on 211 from this point takes you into Shenandoah National Park, across the Blue Ridge, and into the Rappahannock River watershed.The Rappahannock River, looking upstream from U.S. Route 29 at Remington, Va. (Fauquier County), December 27, 2009.  The Hazel River flows into the Rappahannock just a few river miles above this point.View of Floyd County, Va., from the Blue Ridge Parkway, June 1, 2014.  The photo shows the New River watershed; behind the photographer (on the other side of the Parkway) is Patrick County and the Roanoke River watershed. SOURCES Used for Audio College of William and Mary Department of Geology, “The Geology of Virginia—Hydrology,” online at http://geology.blogs.wm.edu/hydrology/. DeLorme Company of Yarmouth, Maine, Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer, 2000. National Park Service, “Shenandoah National Park,” online at http://www.nps.gov/shen/index.htm.Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission, “Local TMDLs,” online at https://www.rrregion.org/program_areas/environmental/local_tmdls.php.  Located at this site are Total Maximum Daily Load on the Upper Rappahannock River, the Hazel River, and other Rappahannock River basin waterways. For More Information about Watersheds and River Basins Natural Resources Conservation Service/Virginia, “2020 Virginia Water Resources Progress Report,” online at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/va/programs/planning/.  This report has descriptions of projects in many Virginia watersheds.  The 2017 report is online at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/va/programs/planning/wo/. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “How’s My Waterway,” online at https://www.epa.gov/waterdata/hows-my-waterway. U.S. Geological Survey, “Water Science School/Watersheds and Drainage Basins,” online at https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/watersheds-and-drainage-basins?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, “Hydrologic Unit Geography,” online at https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil-and-water/hu; and “Virginia’s Major Watersheds,” online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/stormwater_management/wsheds.shtml. Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, “Commonwealth of Virginia State Water Resources Plan,” April 2015, available online at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/water-quantity/water-supply-planning/virginia-water-resources-plan; “Status of Virginia’s Water Resources,” October 2020, online (as a PDF) at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/2119/637432838113030000; and “Water Quantity,” online at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/water-quantity. Virginia Places, “The Continental (and Other) Divides,” online at http://www.virginiaplaces.org/watersheds/divides.html. Virginia Places, “Rivers and Watersheds of Virginia,” online at http://www.virginiaplaces.org/watersheds/index.html. Virginia Water Resources Research Center, “Divide and Confluence,” by Alan Raflo, pages 8-11 in Virginia Water Central Newsletter, February 2000, online at https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/49316. RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html).  Please see particularly the “Rivers, Streams, and Other Surface Water” subject category. Following are links to some other episodes on watersheds and Virginia rivers.  Please note that some of these episodes are being redone in summer 2021; in those cases, the respective links below will have information on the updated episodes. Big Otter River introduction (Roanoke River watershed) – Episode 419, 5-7-18. Big Sandy River watershed introduction – Episode 419, 5-7-18. Bullpasture and Cowpasture rivers introduction (James River watershed) – Episode 469, 4-22-19. Hazel River introduction (Rappahannock River watershed) – Episode 339, 10-24-16. Headwater streams – Episode 582, 6-21-21. Jackson River introduction (James River watershed) – Episode 428, 7-9-19. Madison County flooding in 1995 (on Rapidan River, in Rappahannock County watershed) – Episode 272, 6-29-15 Musical tour of rivers and watersheds - Episode 251, 2-2-15. New River introduction – Episode 109, 5-7-12. Ohio River basin introduction – Episode 421, 5-21-18. Ohio River basin connections through watersheds and history – Episode 422, 5-28-18; Passage Creek and Fort Valley introduction (Shenandoah River watershed) – Episode 331 – 8/29/16. River bluffs – Episode 173, 8-5-13. Rappahannock River introduction – Episode 89, 11-21-11. Shenandoah River introduction – Episode 130 – 10/1/12. Smith River and Philpott Reservoir introduction (Roanoke River watershed) – Episode 360, 3-20-17. South Fork Holston River introduction (Clinch-Powell/Upper Tennessee River watershed) – Episode 425, 6-18-18. Staunton River introduction (part of the Roanoke River) – Episode 374, 6-26-17. Virginia rivers quiz – Episode 334, 9-19-16. Virginia surface water numbers – Episode 539, 8-24-20. Virginia’s Tennessee River tributaries – Episode 420, 5-14-18. Watershed and water cycle terms related to stormwater – Episode 365, 4-24-17. Watersheds introduction – Episode 581, 6-14-21. Water quantity information sources – Episode 546, 10-12-20. Werowocomoco native people’s civilization history, centered in the York River watershed – Episode 364, 12-12-16. FOR VIRGINIA TEACHERS – RELATED STANDARDS OF LEARNING (SOLs) AND OTHER INFORMATION Following are some Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) that may be supported by this episode’s audio/transcript, sources, or other information included in this post.  Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department of Education, online at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/. 2020 Music SOLs SOLs at various grade levels that call for “examining the relationship of music to the other fine arts and other fields of knowledge.” 2018 Science SOLs Grades K-5: Earth and Space Systems 3.7 – There is a water cycle and water is important to life on Earth. Grades K-5: Earth Resources 3.8 – Natural events and humans influence ecosystems. 4.8 – Virginia has important natural resources. Grade 6 6.6 – Water has unique physical properties and has a role in the natural and human-made environment. 6.8 – Land and water have roles in watershed systems. Earth Science ES.8 – Freshwater resources influence and are influenced by geologic processes and human activity. 2015 Social Studies SOLs Grades K-3 Geography Theme 1.6 – Virginia climate, seasons, and landforms. 2.6 – Major rivers, mountains, and other geographic features of North America and other continents. 3.6 – Major rivers, mountains, and other geographic features of North America and other continents. Virginia Studies Course VS.1 – Impact of geographic features on people, places, and events in Virginia history. VS.2 – Physical geography and native peoples of Virginia past and present. VS.10 – Knowledge of government, geography, and economics in present-day Virginia. United States History to 1865 Course USI.2 – Major land and water features of North America, including their importance in history. World Geography Course WG.3 – How regional landscapes reflect the physical environment and the cultural characteristics of their inhabitants. WG.5 – Regions of United States and Canada. Following are links to Water Radio episodes (various topics) designed especially for certain K-12 grade levels. Episode 250, 1-26-15 – on boiling, for kindergarten through 3rdgrade. Episode 255, 3-2-15 – on density, for 5th and 6th grade. Episode 282, 9-21-15 – on living vs. non-living, for kindergarten. Episode 309, 3-28-16 – on temperature regulation in animals, for kindergarten through 12th grade. Episode 333, 9-12-16 – on dissolved gases, especially dissolved oxygen in aquatic habitats, for 5th grade. Episode 403, 1-15-18 – on freezing and ice, for kindergarten through 3rd grade. Episode 404, 1-22-18 – on ice on ponds and lakes, for 4ththrough 8th grade. Episode 406, 2-5-18 – on ice on rivers, for middle school. Episode 407, 2-12-18 – on snow chemistry and physics, for high school. Episode 483, 7-29-19 – on buoyancy and drag, for middle school and high school. Episode 524, 5-11-20 – on sounds by water-related animals, for elementary school through high school. Episode 531, 6-29-20 – on various ways that animals get water, for 3rd and 4th grade. Episode 539, 8-24-20 – on basic numbers and facts about Virginia’s water resources, for 4th and 6th grade. 

CLICK HERE to listen to episode audio (5:09). Sections below are the following:Transcript of AudioAudio Notes and AcknowledgmentsImagesSourcesRelated Water Radio EpisodesFor Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.). Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 6-18-21. TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of June 21, 2021.  This revised episode from December 2017 is part of a series this year of episodes related to watersheds and river basins. MUSIC – ~12 – instrumentalThat’s part of “Highland,” by the group Wake Up Robin, with musicians from North Carolina, New York, California, and Washington State.  It opens an episode about waterways in the highest and most upstream part of watersheds, where water starts following a channel and flowing overland towards rivers.  Have a listen for about 10 seconds to two Virginia examples, and see if you can guess the name for these upper watershed features.  And here’s a hint: get this right and you’ll stream to the head of water class.SOUND - ~ 11 sec If you guessed headwater streams, you’re right!  Headwater streams are the first flowing waters in the upper part of a river’s watershed.  These relatively small streams have a big range of functions, including as habitat for certain organisms or life stages, and as a source of water, materials, and organisms for downstream waters. Understanding the location and length of headwater streams in the Appalachian Mountains, particularly in response to storms, was the research goal of Carrie Jensen, a graduate student from 2014 to 2018 in Virginia Tech’s Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation.   In November 2017, Ms. Jensen described her research and its significance in just 90 seconds during the “Nutshell Games,” held by Virginia Tech’s Center for Communicating Science.  Here’s Ms. Jensen’s presentation. GUEST VOICE - ~84 sec – “Hi, everyone.  My name is Carrie, and I study changes in stream length in Appalachian headwaters, which are the small streams where our rivers start on the landscape.  So I literally walk upstream with a GPS unit until I find where a stream begins in the mountains.  And these headwaters can expand and contract in length through time, getting longer when it’s wet after it rains, and getting shorter during dry periods.  And I wanted to know if this expansion and contraction behavior is the same everywhere.  So I matched changes in stream length across the Appalachian Mountains and actually found some pretty big differences.  At some of my sites, stream length is really stable and hardly changes across a huge range of flows, but at other sites there’s a lot of expansion and contraction: stream length varies from tens of feet to a couple of miles.  And this work is relevant for pretty much any application that requires knowing where streams are and when they have water.  So where to build stuff; how to build stuff; where you need riparian buffers of trees to protect water quality.  And normally we rely on maps for this information.  But the blue lines representing streams on maps don’t tell us if the stream has water all the time, or 75 percent of the time, or maybe only once every couple of years.  So research describing and predicting these changes in stream length can help us better manage and protect our water resources.  Thank you.”As Ms. Jensen’s work shows, there’s much to know about headwaters, and such information can help us better understand quantity and quality patterns far downstream. Thanks to Carrie Jensen for permission to use the audio from her Nutshell Games talk.  Thanks also to Andrew VanNorstand for permission to use this week’s music, and we close with about 15 more seconds of “Highland.”MUSIC - ~17 sec – instrumental SHIP’S BELL Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.  For more Virginia water sounds, music, or information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call the Water Center at (540) 231-5624.  Thanks to Stewart Scales for his banjo version of Cripple Creek to open and close this show.  In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water. AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Virginia Water Radio episode revises and replaces Episode 397, 12-4-17. The Nutshell Games are organized by the Virginia Tech Center for Communicating Science to give graduate students a forum for describing their research in a short presentation designed for non-scientists.  More information about the Center for Communicating Science is available online at https://communicatingscience.isce.vt.edu/.  Nutshell Games videos are available online at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC01cz4Mal3-AOZeODCauLHw.  Two news articles about the Nutshell Games are New center focuses on the art of communicating science effectively, Virginia Tech News, 2/28/17; and Understandable communication aim of first 'Nutshell Games', Roanoke Times, 3/3/17.“Highland,” from the 2018 album “Wake Up Robin,” on Great Bear Records, by the group of the same name, is used with permission of Andrew VanNorstrand.  More information about the album and band is available online at https://wakeuprobin.bandcamp.com.The sounds of headwater streams heard in this episode were recorded in Blacksburg, Va.’s Heritage Park on July 27, 2016, and in Blacksburg on Brush Mountain on January 31, 2010 (the latter stream is shown in the photos below). Click here if you’d like to hear the full version (1 min./11 sec.) of the “Cripple Creek” arrangement/performance by Stewart Scales that opens and closes this episode.  More information about Mr. Scales and the group New Standard, with which Mr. Scales plays, is available online at http://newstandardbluegrass.com. IMAGES Two views of a headwaters stream tributary to Toms Creek (New River basin) on Brush Mountain in Blacksburg, Va.: upper photo December 25, 2013; lower photo December 2, 2017. SOURCES Used for Audio Richard B. Alexander et al., “The Role of Headwater Streams in Downstream Water Quality,” Journal of the American Water Resources Association, Vol. 43, No. 1, February 2007, pages 41-59; available online at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3307624/(subscription may be required). Carrie Jensen, “Project Report, 2016 VWRRC Student Grant: Sensors reveal the timing and pattern of stream flow in headwaters after storms,” July 10, 2017, Virginia Water Resources Research Center, Blacksburg. Sacramento [Calif.] River Watershed Program, “Importance of the Headwaters,” by Todd Sloat, 9/21/14, online at https://sacriver.org/watershed-blog/importance-of-the-headwaters/. Craig Snyder, et al., “Significance of Headwater Streams and Perennial Springs in Ecological Monitoring in Shenandoah National Park,” 2013, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2013–1178; available online (as a PDF) at https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2013/1178/pdf/ofr2013-1178.pdf. U.S. Geological Survey, “Water Resources of the United States/Water Basics Glossary/Headwaters,” online at https://water.usgs.gov/water-basics_glossary.html#H. U.S. Geological Survey, “Water Science School/Glossary/Headwater,” online at https://water.usgs.gov/edu/dictionary.html#H. Virginia Tech Center for Communicating Science, online at https://communicatingscience.isce.vt.edu/. West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, “The Importance of Headwater Streams,” online at https://dep.wv.gov/WWE/getinvolved/sos/Pages/Headwaters.aspx. For More Information about Watersheds and River Basins Natural Resources Conservation Service/Virginia, “2020 Virginia Water Resources Progress Report,” online at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/va/programs/planning/.  This report has descriptions of projects in many Virginia watersheds.  The 2017 report is online at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/va/programs/planning/wo/ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “How’s My Waterway,” online at https://www.epa.gov/waterdata/hows-my-waterway. U.S. Geological Survey, “Water Science School/Watersheds and Drainage Basins,” online at https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/watersheds-and-drainage-basins?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, “Hydrologic Unit Geography,” online at https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil-and-water/hu; and “Virginia’s Major Watersheds,” online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/stormwater_management/wsheds.shtml.  Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, “Commonwealth of Virginia State Water Resources Plan,” April 2015, available online at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/water-quantity/water-supply-planning/virginia-water-resources-plan; “Status of Virginia’s Water Resources,” October 2020, online (as a PDF) at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/2119/637432838113030000; and “Water Quantity,” online at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/water-quantity.  Virginia Places, “The Continental (and Other) Divides,” online at http://www.virginiaplaces.org/watersheds/divides.html. Virginia Places, “Rivers and Watersheds of Virginia,” online at http://www.virginiaplaces.org/watersheds/index.html. Virginia Water Resources Research Center, “Divide and Confluence,” by Alan Raflo, pages 8-11 in Virginia Water Central Newsletter, February 2000, online at https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/49316. RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html). Following are links to some other episodes on watersheds and Virginia river basins.  Please note that some of these episodes are being redone in summer 2021, so the episode number, date, and link may change. Big Otter River introduction (Roanoke River watershed) – Episode 419, 5-7-18. Big Sandy River watershed introduction – Episode 419, 5-7-18. Blue Ridge and three watersheds - Episode 209, 4-14-14. Bullpasture and Cowpasture rivers introduction (James River watershed) – Episode 469, 4-22-19. Hazel River introduction (Rappahannock River watershed) – Episode 339, 10-24-16. Jackson River introduction (James River watershed) – Episode 428, 7-9-19. Madison County flooding in 1995 (on Rapidan River, in Rappahannock County watershed) – Episode 272, 6-29-15 Musical tour of rivers and watersheds - Episode 251, 2-2-15. New River introduction – Episode 109, 5-7-12. Ohio River basin introduction – Episode 421, 5-21-18. Ohio River basin connections through watersheds and history – Episode 422, 5-28-18; Passage Creek and Fort Valley introduction (Shenandoah River watershed) – Episode 331 – 8/29/16. River bluffs – Episode 173, 8-5-13. Rappahannock River introduction – Episode 89, 11-21-11. Shenandoah River introduction – Episode 130 – 10/1/12. Smith River and Philpott Reservoir introduction (Roanoke River watershed) – Episode 360, 3-20-17. South Fork Holston River introduction (Clinch-Powell/Upper Tennessee River watershed) – Episode 425, 6-18-18. Staunton River introduction (part of the Roanoke River) – Episode 374, 6-26-17. Virginia rivers quiz – Episode 334, 9-19-16. Virginia surface water numbers – Episode 539, 8-24-20. Virginia’s Tennessee River tributaries – Episode 420, 5-14-18. Watershed and water cycle terms related to stormwater – EP365 – 4/24/17. Watersheds introduction – Episode 581, 6-14-21. Water quantity information sources – Episode 546, 10-12-20. Werowocomoco native people’s civilization history, centered in the York River watershed – Episode 364, 12-12-16.Following are links to other episodes with information from presentations at the Nutshell Games, produced by the Virginia Tech Center for Communicating Sciences.Episode 376, 7-10-17 – on the Emerald Ash Borer.Episode 409, 2-26-18 – on buried streams.Episode 564, 2-15-21 – on customers' trust in their water utility. FOR VIRGINIA TEACHERS – RELATED STANDARDS OF LEARNING (SOLs) AND OTHER INFORMATION Following are some Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) that may be supported by this episode’s audio/transcript, sources, or other information included in this post. 2020 Music SOLs SOLs at various grade levels that call for “examining the relationship of music to the other fine arts and other fields of knowledge.” 2018 Science SOLs Grades K-4: Living Systems and Processes 3.5 – Aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems support a diversity of organisms. 4.3 – Organisms, including humans, interact with one another and with the nonliving components in the ecosystem. Grades K-5: Earth and Space Systems 2.7 – Weather patterns and seasonal changes affect plants, animals, and their surroundings. 3.7 – There is a water cycle and water is important to life on Earth. 4.4 – Weather conditions and climate have effects on ecosystems and can be predicted. Grades K-5: Earth Resources 3.8 – Natural events and humans influence ecosystems. 4.8 – Virginia has important natural resources. Grade 6 6.6 – Water has unique physical properties and has a role in the natural and human-made environment. 6.8 – Land and water have roles in watershed systems. Life Science LS.5 – Biotic and abiotic factors affect an ecosystem. LS.8 – Change in ecosystems, communities, populations, and organisms occur over time.  Earth Science ES.8 – Freshwater resources influence and are influenced by geologic processes and human activity. Biology BIO.8 – Dynamic equilibria exist within populations, communities, and ecosystems. 2015 Social Studies SOLs World Geography Course WG.2 – How selected physical and ecological processes shape the Earth’s surface, including climate, weather, and how humans influence their environment and are influenced by it. WG.4 – Types and significance of natural, human, and capital resources. Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department of Education, online at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/. Following are links to Water Radio episodes (various topics) designed especially for certain K-12 grade levels. Episode 250, 1-26-15 – on boiling, for kindergarten through 3rdgrade. Episode 255, 3-2-15 – on density, for 5th and 6th grade. Episode 282, 9-21-15 – on living vs. non-living, for kindergarten. Episode 309, 3-28-16 – on temperature regulation in animals, for kindergarten through 12th grade. Episode 333, 9-12-16 – on dissolved gases, especially dissolved oxygen in aquatic habitats, for 5th grade. Episode 403, 1-15-18 – on freezing and ice, for kindergarten through 3rd grade. Episode 404, 1-22-18 – on ice on ponds and lakes, for 4ththrough 8th grade. Episode 406, 2-5-18 – on ice on rivers, for middle school. Episode 407, 2-12-18 – on snow chemistry and physics, for high school. Episode 483, 7-29-19 – on buoyancy and drag, for middle school and high school. Episode 524, 5-11-20 – on sounds by water-related animals, for elementary school through high school. Episode 531, 6-29-20 – on various ways that animals get water, for 3rd and 4th grade. Episode 539, 8-24-20 – on basic numbers and facts about Virginia’s water resources, for 4th and 6th grade. 

CLICK HERE to listen to episode audio (4:31). Sections below are the following:Transcript of AudioAudio Notes and AcknowledgmentsImagesExtra InformationSourcesRelated Water Radio EpisodesFor Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.). Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 6-11-21. TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of June 14, 2021.  This revised episode from April 2013 is part of a series this year of episodes related to watersheds and river basins. MUSIC – ~ 8 sec – instrumental This week, we feature a tune about stream paddling to introduce the key water resources concept of a watershed.  Have a listen to the music for about 40 more seconds. MUSIC – ~40 sec – Lyrics: “As I paddle down the mountain stream, the unsuspecting beaver slaps his tail and swims to flee the brightly colored threat, the drinking deer sniffs the air and bounds into thicket, while blue heron wing in front of me then fly back overhead.  And I love to ride the back of a rushing mountain stream, to thread between the eddies amidst the banks of April green.  The icy water warms my blood, waves splash over me; in the river I am young, I am free.” You’ve been listening to part of “Mountain Stream,” by Bob Gramann of Fredericksburg, Va., with Laura Lengnick on fiddle, from the 2001 album “See Further in the Darkness.”  Streams flowing down mountain slopes are starting points for several of Virginia’s major rivers, such as the James, Rappahannock, and Shenandoah, because those streams are in the highest parts of those rivers’ watersheds.  A watershed is the land area from which surface water drains into a specific water body; accordingly a synonym for watershed is drainage area.  While water flowing downhill is a basic part of any watershed, different watersheds have distinctive features because of particular landscapes, geology, wildlife, vegetation, climate, and human land uses. Watersheds also vary greatly in size: as the U.S. Geological Survey’s Water Science School has stated, “watersheds can be as small as a footprint or large enough to encompass all the land that drains water into…[the] Chesapeake Bay….”  The term “catchment” is sometimes used for smaller watersheds, while the term “basin” is often used for the watersheds of large rivers, coastal estuaries, and the seas and oceans. Virginia over 100,000 miles of streams, according to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.  All of those stream miles are part of 14 major watersheds, including those of Virginia’s biggest rivers and the coastal areas that drain into the Chesapeake, Albemarle Sound, or the Atlantic Ocean.  On the largest scale, all of Virginia’s surface waters drain into one of two basins: the Atlantic Ocean, or the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi River basin.  In parts of western Virginia—including Blacksburg, where this show originates—you can stand on the Eastern Continental Divide and have one foot in each of the Commonwealth’s largest watersheds. Thanks to Bob Gramann for permission to use this week’s music, and we close with about 20 more seconds of “Mountain Stream.” MUSIC – ~17 sec -  Lyrics: “To rise before the mist is clear, to chase the rainfall down the hillside.” SHIP’S BELL Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.  For more Virginia water sounds, music, or information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call the Water Center at (540) 231-5624.  Thanks to Ben Cosgrove for his version of “Shenandoah” to open and close the show.  In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water. AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Virginia Water Radio episode revises and replaces Episode 156, 4-8-13. “Mountain Stream” and “See Further in the Darkness” are copyright by Bob Gramann, used with permission.  Laura Lengnick accompanied on fiddle.  More information about Bob Gramann is available online at http://www.bobgramann.com.  This music was used previously by Water Radio most recently in Episode 546, 10-12-20. Click here if you’d like to hear the full version (2 min./22 sec.) of the “Shenandoah” arrangement/performance by Ben Cosgrove that opens and closes this episode.  More information about Mr. Cosgrove is available online at http://www.bencosgrove.com. IMAGES  Thornton River, Shenandoah National Park, Rappahannock County, June 19, 2006.   Map showing Virginia’s major watersheds.  Map from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, “Virginia’s Major Watersheds,” online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/stormwater_management/wsheds.shtml. Map showing North America’s major watersheds.  Map from the U.S. Geological Survey, “Water Science School/Watersheds and Drainage Basins,” online at https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/watersheds-and-drainage-basins?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects. EXTRA INFORMATION ABOUT MAJOR VIRGINIA WATERSHEDS The following table of information about Virginia’s 14 major watersheds is from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Virginia’s Major Watersheds,” online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/stormwater_management/wsheds.shtml. WATERSHED AREA IN SQUARE MILES MAJOR TRIBUTARIES Albemarle Sound Coastal 577 Dismal Swamp, North Landing River, Back Bay Atlantic Ocean Coastal 580 Chincoteague Bay, Hog Island Bay Chesapeake Bay Coastal 2,577 Chesapeake Bay, Piankatank River Chowan 3,675 Nottaway River, Meherrin River, Blackwater River James 10,236 James River, Appomattox River, Maury River, Jackson River, Rivanna River New 3,068 New River, Little River, Walker Creek Potomac - Shenandoah 5,702 Potomac River, S. Fork Shenandoah River, N. Fork Shenandoah River Rappahannock 2,714 Rappahannock River, Rapidan River, Hazel River Roanoke 6,274 Roanoke River, Dan River, Banister River, Kerr Reservoir Yadkin 118 Ararat River York 2,669 York River, Pamunkey River, Mattaponi River Holston (Upper Tennessee) 1,322 N. Fork Holston River, Middle Fork Holston River, S. Fork Holston River Clinch - Powell 1,811 Clinch River, Powell River, Guest River Big Sandy 999 Levisa Fork, Russel Fork, Tug Fork SOURCES Used for Audio U.S. Geological Survey, “Water Science School/Watersheds and Drainage Basins,” online at https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/watersheds-and-drainage-basins?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, “Hydrologic Unit Geography,” online at https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil-and-water/hu; and “Virginia’s Major Watersheds,” online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/stormwater_management/wsheds.shtml. Virginia Places, “The Continental (and Other) Divides,” online at http://www.virginiaplaces.org/watersheds/divides.html. Virginia Water Resources Research Center, “Divide and Confluence,” by Alan Raflo, pages 8-11 in Virginia Water Central Newsletter, February 2000, online at https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/49316. For More Information about Watersheds and River Basins Natural Resources Conservation Service/Virginia, “2020 Virginia Water Resources Progress Report,” online at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/va/programs/planning/.  This report has descriptions of projects in many Virginia watersheds.  The 2017 report is online at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/va/programs/planning/wo/. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “How’s My Waterway,” online at https://www.epa.gov/waterdata/hows-my-waterway. Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, “Commonwealth of Virginia State Water Resources Plan,” April 2015, available online at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/water/water-quantity/water-supply-planning/virginia-water-resources-plan. Virginia Places, “Rivers and Watersheds of Virginia,” online at http://www.virginiaplaces.org/watersheds/index.html. RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html).  See particularly the “Rivers, Streams, and Other Surface Water” subject category. Following are links to some other episodes on watersheds and Virginia rivers.  Please note that some of these episodes are being redone in summer 2021; in those cases, the respective links below will have information on the updated episodes. Big Otter River introduction (Roanoke River watershed) – Episode 419, 5-7-18. Big Sandy River watershed introduction – Episode 419, 5-7-18. Blue Ridge and three watersheds - Episode 209, 4-14-14. Bullpasture and Cowpasture rivers introduction (James River watershed) – Episode 469, 4-22-19. Hazel River introduction (Rappahannock River watershed) – Episode 339, 10-24-16. Headwater streams – Episode 397, 12-4-17. Jackson River introduction (James River watershed) – Episode 428, 7-9-19. Madison County flooding in 1995 (on Rapidan River, in Rappahannock County watershed) – Episode 272, 6-29-15 Musical tour of rivers and watersheds - Episode 251, 2-2-15. New River introduction – Episode 109, 5-7-12. Ohio River basin introduction – Episode 421, 5-21-18. Ohio River basin connections through watersheds and history – Episode 422, 5-28-18; Passage Creek and Fort Valley introduction (Shenandoah River watershed) – Episode 331 – 8/29/16. River bluffs – Episode 173, 8-5-13. Rappahannock River introduction – Episode 89, 11-21-11. Shenandoah River introduction – Episode 130 – 10/1/12. Smith River and Philpott Reservoir introduction (Roanoke River watershed) – Episode 360, 3-20-17. South Fork Holston River introduction (Clinch-Powell/Upper Tennessee River watershed) – Episode 425, 6-18-18. Staunton River introduction (part of the Roanoke River) – Episode 374, 6-26-17. Virginia rivers quiz – Episode 334, 9-19-16. Virginia surface water numbers – Episode 539, 8-24-20. Virginia’s Tennessee River tributaries – Episode 420, 5-14-18. Watershed and water cycle terms related to stormwater – EP365 – 4/24/17. Water quantity information sources – Episode 546, 10-12-20. Werowocomoco native people’s civilization history, centered in the York River watershed – Episode 364, 12-12-16. FOR VIRGINIA TEACHERS – RELATED STANDARDS OF LEARNING (SOLs) AND OTHER INFORMATION Following are some Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) that may be supported by this episode’s audio/transcript, sources, or other information included in this post. 2020 Music SOLs SOLs at various grade levels that call for “examining the relationship of music to the other fine arts and other fields of knowledge.” 2018 Science SOLs Grades K-5: Earth and Space Systems3.7 – There is a water cycle and water is important to life on Earth. Grades K-5: Earth Resources4.8 – Virginia has important natural resources. Grade 66.6 – Water has unique physical properties and has a role in the natural and human-made environment.6.8 – Land and water have roles in watershed systems. Earth ScienceES.6 – Resource use is complex.ES.8 – Freshwater resources influence and are influenced by geologic processes and human activity.ES.10 – Oceans are complex, dynamic systems subject to long- and short-term variations. 2015 Social Studies SOLs Grades K-3 Geography Theme1.6 – Virginia climate, seasons, and landforms.2.6 – Major rivers, mountains, and other geographic features of North America and other continents.3.6 – Major rivers, mountains, and other geographic features of North America and other continents. Grades K-3 Economics Theme2.8 – Natural, human, and capital resources. Virginia Studies CourseVS.10 – Knowledge of government, geography, and economics in present-day Virginia. World Geography CourseWG.2 – How selected physical and ecological processes shape the Earth’s surface, including climate, weather, and how humans influence their environment and are influenced by it.WG.3 – How regional landscapes reflect the physical environment and the cultural characteristics of their inhabitants.WG.4 – Types and significance of natural, human, and capital resources. Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department of Education, online at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/. Following are links to Water Radio episodes (various topics) designed especially for certain K-12 grade levels. Episode 250, 1-26-15 – on boiling, for kindergarten through 3rdgrade. Episode 255, 3-2-15 – on density, for 5th and 6th grade. Episode 282, 9-21-15 – on living vs. non-living, for kindergarten. Episode 309, 3-28-16 – on temperature regulation in animals, for kindergarten through 12th grade. Episode 333, 9-12-16 – on dissolved gases, especially dissolved oxygen in aquatic habitats, for 5th grade. Episode 403, 1-15-18 – on freezing and ice, for kindergarten through 3rd grade. Episode 404, 1-22-18 – on ice on ponds and lakes, for 4ththrough 8th grade. Episode 406, 2-5-18 – on ice on rivers, for middle school. Episode 407, 2-12-18 – on snow chemistry and physics, for high school. Episode 483, 7-29-19 – on buoyancy and drag, for middle school and high school. Episode 524, 5-11-20 – on sounds by water-related animals, for elementary school through high school. Episode 531, 6-29-20 – on various ways that animals get water, for 3rd and 4th grade. Episode 539, 8-24-20 – on basic numbers and facts about Virginia’s water resources, for 4th and 6th grade. 

Episode 580 (6-7-21): Ana’s May Arrival Opens the 2021 Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Season

Our show presents sounds and music that relate to Virginia’s waters, from the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean. Virginia Water Radio is produced weekly by the Virginia Water Center Resources Research Center.

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Virginia Water Radio

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