Name: ______Date: ______Block: _____
New Kent County Vision 2020 Comprehensive Plan (a Publication of the Planning Commission)
(http://www.co.new-kent.va.us/planning/index.php)
NATURAL RESOURCES
TOPOGRAPHY
New Kent County is located in the Coastal Plain physiographic region, which runs north
to south along Virginia’s eastern seaboard. In general, the County has a gently rolling
topography. However, extensive flat, low-lying areas are found along the Pamunkey
River with less extensive areas along the Chickahominy River. Overall, elevations
average between 50 and 100 feet above sea level. The highest elevations are around 170
feet and the lowest are at sea level along the two major rivers.
WATER RESOURCES
The County lies within two major river basins: the York in the northeast and the James
in the south. Within these two major river basins there are several sub-basin watersheds
that flow into smaller feeder rivers. The York basin contains the Pamunkey River while
the James contains the Chickahominy River. Approximately one-third of the county lies
in the Pamunkey basin, slightly under two-thirds in the Chickahominy basin and a small
portion in the York basin. The only other streams in the County are small tributaries of
these three rivers. These rivers all flow directly to the Chesapeake Bay and contribute
directly to the overall health and well-being of one of the largest ecosystems in the world.
Surface Water
The County’s rivers, streams and water bodies provide opportunities for a variety of
surface water uses. The water is soft, and therefore of excellent quality for municipal and
industrial uses. The City of Newport News uses the Chickahominy River as a drinking
water source, and the City owns and operates the Diascund Creek Reservoir, which can
supply 30 million gallons of water a day. The Reservoir is fed by Diascund Creek,
Timber Swamp, Beaverdam Creek and Wahrani Swamp.
The Virginia Water Control Board (VWCB) has designated the Chickahominy River as a
public water supply up to a point five miles upstream from Walkers Dam. Its water must
meet stringent water quality standards. The VWCB requires all facilities discharging
wastewater into the Chickahominy to meet stringent effluent standards.
The Chickahominy River is tidal below Walkers Dam which is located 22 miles above
the river’s mouth. The tidal section of the river has varying salinity. The non-tidal
portion is classified as fresh water. The Pamunkey River is an estuary in New Kent
County, meaning that it is influenced by the ebb and flow of lunar cycles. From White
House to the County line, the Pamunkey is classified as tidal freshwater. The York River
is an estuary, classified in the County as a transition zone. The southern and eastern
branches of Black Creek provides the best, and perhaps the only, locations for additional
surface impoundment in New Kent County. Albeit fraught with significant permitting
roadblocks and costs, a future reservoir or reservoirs in this area could possibly be
utilized for the collection of both surface runoff and as a storage site for pump-over from
the upper, freshwater portion of the Pamunkey River.
Wetlands
Wetlands are low lying areas with saturated soils. Wetlands perform several important
functions. They improve water quality by slowing the flow of water and allowing excess
suspended solids, nutrients and toxic substances to settle out. Some of these pollutants
are used by wetlands plants, while the rest are broken down by bacteria into less harmful
substances. Wetlands act as natural barriers against floodwaters and wetland plants
prevent erosion by binding the soil with their root systems. Wetlands also serve as points
of discharge for groundwater, helping to maintain surface water flow during drought
conditions. Wetlands also produce great amounts of food and habitat for many
commercially and recreationally important birds, fish and mammals.
New Kent County has extensive areas of tidal and non-tidal wetlands. Tidal wetlands are
found along the major rivers and their tributaries. Non-tidal wetlands are typically lowlying
areas with a high water table that saturates the soil. These are found along the nontidal
areas of the Pamunkey and Chickahominy rivers and their tributaries.
Groundwater
New Kent County is underlain by geology of clay, sand, marl, shell and gravel strata.
There is an unconfined surface aquifer with a water table at or close to the soil surface.
The surface aquifer is underlain by seven confined aquifers, which are separated from
each other by an impermeable layer such as clay. These aquifers are underlain by hard
granite rock, known as the basement, and are found at a depth of about 650 feet in the
western part of the County and about 1,450 feet in the eastern part. The most prolific
water-bearing zone in the County is between 300 and 700 feet.2
The U.S. Geological Survey has found that the withdrawal of groundwater has caused a
lowering of water levels throughout the aquifer system, creating cones of depression
extending outward from areas of concentrated groundwater use. Large capacity, deep
wells can sometimes lower the water table below neighboring shallow wells, causing
them to run dry. When groundwater is depleted faster than aquifers are recharged,
saltwater can intrude into the aquifers. A cone of depression affecting New Kent County
originates from groundwater withdrawals by the Smurfit-Stone pulp mill in West Point.
The County is part of the Eastern Virginia Groundwater Management Area, regulated by
the VWCB. Any non-agricultural groundwater user withdrawing more than 300,000
gallons per month is required to have a groundwater withdrawal permit from the VWCB.
If the VWCB determines that a proposed withdrawal will adversely affect the aquifer or
existing groundwater users, the permit can be denied. While this will prevent some large
development, the drilling of multiple small wells can have the same cumulative effect,
particularly where wells are concentrated.
Recently, the Governor proposed the development of a comprehensive statewide water
supply plan. The General Assembly, during its 2003 session, approved this measure.
The VWCB in conjunction with other state agencies, local governments, and public
service authorities will prepare a plan that will analyze the availability of drinking water,
protect drinking water and promote incentives for the development of alternative water
resources. The Board is to prepare a preliminary state water resources plan including
draft criteria for the development of local and regional plans by December 1, 2003. This
draft plan will be a starting point for a water resources plan for the County.
SOILS
New Kent County contains about 46,000 acres of land prime for agricultural uses. This
represents about one-third of the County’s land mass. While prime agricultural land can
be found throughout the County, it is primarily concentrated along the Pamunkey and
Chickahominy rivers.
Over 80 percent of the County contains soils that are rated as poor for septic system
suitability. Less than 20 percent of the soils in the County have a fair or favorable rating.
NATURAL HAZARDS AND ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
Areas of natural hazards and environmental sensitivity are shown on the Environmental
Areas Map. This map also shows slopes over 25 percent, 100-year floodplains and areas
delineated as Chesapeake Bay Protection Areas.
Areas with slopes over 25 percent are found throughout the County. These areas are
highly erodible, tend to be rocky and when disturbed allow for increased sedimentation
and pollution of surface waters. Most of these steeply sloped areas are found along the
tributaries of the three rivers.
Flood plains are level land areas typically lying adjacent to or near a river or stream that
become submerged by floodwaters during or after a storm. The 100-year floodplain
shown on the map delineates areas that will flood during storm events of the magnitude
expected to occur once in a century, according to Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) maps.
Chesapeake Bay Protection Areas include both Resource Protection Areas (RPAs) and
Resource Management Areas (RMAs). RPAs include areas within 100 feet of surface
waters, tidal wetlands and non-tidal wetlands connected by surface flow to tidal waters.
RMAs include areas that are non-tidal wetlands, have a high level of soil erodibility or permeability and are connected to RPA’s.
Glossy crayfish snake(Regina rigida)—A New Kent Species of Concern
Characteristics
This small- to medium-sized, shiny, dark water snake has large eyes and a fairly blunt nose. It grows to lengths of 14-24 in. (36-61 cm). This snake is brown to olive-brown above, sometimes with two faint parallel stripes. The upper lip is yellow. Scales are very shiny, making this the shiniest of the water snakes. The belly is yellow to yellowish-brown with two rows of distinct black spots or half-moons which converge in the neck region to form a single mid-ventral dark stripe. Juveniles are similar to the adults, except the belly is pink. These snakes bear live young. Mating occurs in late April to early May and young are born in July through September. They are nocturnal and very secretive. Little is known about the biology of this species.
Distribution
The only confirmed location in Virginia is in New Kent county. This species is found in and around the edges of swamps, marshes, ponds, lakes, and other still waters were there is aquatic vegetation. It usually inhabits the mud and muck in the bottom of these bodies of water.
Foods
This species feeds almost entirely on crayfish, but also eats aquatic insect larvae, leopard frogs, cricket frogs, narrowmouthed toads, sirens, and fish.
Description: Glossy crayfish snakes are mid-sized, highly aquatic snakes, ranging in length from 14 to 24 in (36 – 61 cm). They are somewhat heavy-bodied with short heads and large eyes. Coloration is shiny brownish to olive, sometimes with two inconspicuous light stripes running down the body. The underside is yellowish with two rows of dark spots. This species is similar in appearance to the closely-related striped crayfish snake (R. alleni) but has two rows of spots on the venter (R. alleni has one). These species are also often distinguishable by geographic range because R. alleni is restricted to extreme southern Georgia and Florida. Adult females are larger than adult males and the young resemble miniature adults.Range and Habitat: The glossy crayfish snake is found in the Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States from eastern North Carolina to eastern Texas but is absent from the southern portion of peninsular Florida. An isolated population exists in eastern Virginia. They are highly aquatic and inhabit a variety of wetland habitats including cypress swamps, Carolina bays, roadside ditches, and the margins of heavily-vegetated ponds and lakes.
Habits: Because glossy crayfish snakes are highly aquatic and extremely secretive they are seldom seen, even by experienced herpetologists. Occasionally, individuals are found crossing roads on rainy nights and they may be collected by setting traps in shallow water. When restrained, they may hiss and feign striking but seldom bite. Glossy crayfish snakes feed primarily on crayfish and have chisel-shaped teeth that enable them to ingest hard-shelled individuals. They use their coils not to constrict their prey but to hold them while they consume the crayfish alive, tail first. Like other natricine watersnakes, this species gives birth to 6 to 14 live young in the summer or early fall.
Conservation Status: The glossy crayfish snake is of conservation concern throughout its range because its reliance on aquatic habits makes it vulnerable to habitat destruction. Moreover, because it is so secretive, little is known about its distribution or status in any region.
Pertinent References:
Gibbons, J. Whitfield, and Michael E. Dorcas. 2004. North American Watersnakes: A Natural History. University of Oklahoma Press.
Willson, J. D., C. T. Winne, and L. A. Fedewa. 2005. Unveiling escape and capture rates of aquatic snakes and salamanders (Siren spp. and Amphiuma means) in commercial funnel traps. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 20:397-403.
Account Author: J.D. Willson /
Underside
Directions: Answer the following questions in complete sentences! Make sure to refer to the articles for relevant information.
1) Identify the major rivers found in New Kent and the body of water they flow into.
2) Two rivers in New Kent are classified as estuaries. Name these rivers and provide the definition of an estuary.
3) What strategy does the planning commission suggest for collecting surface runoff water? What might be some potential drawbacks of this strategy?
4) Provide the definition of wetlands and discuss two potential ecosystem functions of wetlands.
5) What are the major focuses of the water supply plan recently proposed by the governor?
6) How much of New Kent’s land is used for agricultural purposes and where is most of this land located?
7) Why do scientists know so little about the glossy crayfish snake?
8) Identify the habitat and native range of the glossy crayfish snake.
9) What methods might conservation biologists use to protect and restore glossy crayfish snake populations?