On July 10th, 2024, the water level on the main-stem Shenandoah River at Morgan Ford bridge had receded so much that the bank is now at our mid-river site, FW-35MID, which has occurred 16 days earlier compared to last year (July 26th, 2023). Also, during this sampling event the water temperatures at these sites averaged between 80-84°F. Site FP02 on the South Fork Shenandoah River at Newport PBR in Page County sampled above this average at 86.9°F, a measure that I don’t recall previously recording in my time doing field work. With both stressors (high water temperatures and decreasing water levels), the Shenandoah River watershed aquatic ecosystem is under increased stress.
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