This was originally published as a Letter to the Editor in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on July 13, 2024.
Take a walk over the Potterfield Bridge, the pedestrian bridge connecting Brown’s Island to Richmond’s South Side, and you’ll see River City residents doing their best to beat this brutal heat. To your right, Belle Isle sunbathers. To your left, James River kayakers.
As noted in the June 30 opinion piece "Recommit to a healthier James," this scene is tied to decades-long efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay for the more than 18 million people who live in the bay watershed.
There’s been progress, but unfortunately we won’t meet 2025 deadlines to reduce pollution established by the Clean Water Blueprint. This year, Gov. Glenn Youngkin must commit to continue working with other states in the region to ensure future generations can enjoy clean waterways.
States in the watershed have worked together to restore our waterways since 1983. The momentum behind this collaboration aided the James River’s recovery from the days when you could not swim or fish in the water to the vibrant riverfront Richmond now enjoys. Projects like upgrading wastewater treatment plants, fixing ancient stormwater pipes and fencing cattle from streams all came from this partnership.
But we can’t stop now. We still have too many days when the James is too polluted for swimming. Richmond streets flood too often. There are too many warnings that prevent our kids from eating the fish they catch.
Gov. Youngkin has long spoken of the importance of the Bay and has supported critical investments in its cleanup.
By attending the Chesapeake Executive Council Meeting this December and agreeing to update the Chesapeake Bay Agreement by the end of 2025, the governor would send a powerful message that he’s committed to advancing the 40-year job of restoring the Chesapeake Bay—and for those of us in Richmond, ensuring a healthy James River will flow under the Potterfield Bridge for generations to come.
