America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2025 - Rappahannock River

America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2025 shines a spotlight on the importance of healthy rivers for clean, safe, reliable drinking water and strong communities. This is the 40th anniversary of the campaign, and safeguarding rivers has never been more important for our health and our nation’s water security.

(For VA residents only)

The Rappahannock River is one of Virginia’s most iconic waterways, providing drinking water for communities, supporting agriculture and fisheries, and offering outstanding recreation opportunities. As the longest free-flowing river in Virginia, it sustains fish and wildlife while serving as a vital resource for a growing population. However, the river faces an urgent threat from a lack of basin-wide water supply planning, resulting in uncoordinated water management and increasing reliance on surface water withdrawals to meet the region's water needs. Without action, growing demand and lack of coordinated planning could deplete river flows, degrade water quality, and jeopardize the long-term sustainability of the Rappahannock for both people and nature.

Despite new regulations requiring regional water supply plans, the five planning regions within the Rappahannock watershed lack a mandate to operate under a unified, basin-wide approach. New water intake permits, done without the proper scientific research, and that allow major interbasin transfers of water, could set dangerous precedents.

To secure the river’s future the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) must implement comprehensive water management strategies.