This pollution can make the James River unsafe for people and wildlife.
The Roanoke River basin : a study of existing pollution in the Roanoke River basin together with recommended classifications of its waters by North Carolina. Anyone living in the James River basin can join by signing a simple online pledge to protect the James through everyday river-friendly actions like picking up after your pet or reducing lawn fertilizer. State Board of Health

James River estuary. Anniversary, the Virginia Environmental Endowment -- which was established as part of the Kepone pollution court settlement in 1977 -- requested that VIMS conduct an updated study of the current levels of Kepone in the James River.

Homeowners living in the James River basin are invited to join the James River Association (JRA) in celebrating River Hero Home month this March.Throughout the month, the organization will bring awareness to stormwater runoff and promote ways to stop pollution in individual b The greatest factor affecting the quality of habitat and wildlife in the James River basin is the amount of pollution that enters our waterways, ultimately flowing into the James," the report said. Some segments of the river are impaired due to excessive harmful bacteria—which can make an afternoon on the river less enjoyable. The James River is part of the Ozark-White Division natural community.
James H. Thorp, Alan P. Covich, in Thorp and Covich's Freshwater Invertebrates (Fourth Edition), 2015. State Stream Sanitation Committee; North Carolina. In 1975, ... Due to the pollution risks, many fishermen, marinas, seafood businesses, and restaurants, along with their employees along the river suffered economic losses. General Human Impacts on Lentic Communities. While the James River is a great place to cool off, it can carry extra pollutants during periods of high water and after heavy summer downpours. Becoming a River Hero Home is an easy way to help protect the James River. James River Watch. James River, river in central Virginia, U.S., formed by the junction of the Jackson and Cowpasture rivers and cutting across the Great Appalachian Valley in northern Botetourt county. Potential sources of nonpoint pollution in the basin include: dairy cattle operations, poultry husbandry, sedimentation from erosion in disturbed watersheds, sludge application from sewage treatment facilities, coal pile runoff, seepage from septic tanks, and runoff from urban areas.