Rapidan Fish Passage Project

The Rapidan Fish Passage Project (RFPP) will boost the health of mid-Atlantic anadromous fisheries through removal of the Rapidan Mill Dam, the #1 dam removal project in the Chesapeake Bay basin.

To complete this once in a generation conservation opportunity, American Climate Partners launched the Rapidan Partnership in 2019. The Partnership’s vision is to restore free flow to the Rapidan River by alteration of the Rapidan Mill Dam (RMD).

The Partnership is a consortium of local, state, federal partners, and other non-profit organizations – all agreeing to work together for many years to help restore mid-Atlantic anadromous fish populations via completion of this massive project.

Members of the Partnership currently include the US Fish and Wildlife Service, American Rivers, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, and Friends of the Rappahannock.

The vision motivating so many organizations is the potential restoration of 541 miles of the river.  Why does this matter?  Fish such as the American Shad spawn in rivers of the Virginia Piedmont but can’t climb up and over dams. These once plentiful fish were an essential food source for early American colonists. 400 years later, this project to bring them back has the potential to be nationally significant.  

According to Project Lead, Jeff Waldon:

“The successful Shad fishery recovery in the Potomac, Rappahannock, and James Rivers leads us to believe that a solid Shad and Striper (i.e. Rockfish) fishery can be restored well up the watershed to Madison Mills and possibly farther.”

Before dams and river pollution, they were the most valuable and important fishery in the Chesapeake Bay. Today, larval and juvenile Shad are a source of food for Rockfish. Rockfish are the most popular commercial and recreational finfish in the Bay, generating roughly $500 million in economic activity related to fishing expenditures, travel, lodging, and so on each year. In 2019 the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) found that the Rockfish population was in trouble. Stocks have been in decline for some time, as has spawning success. Through this project, the Rapidan Community has an opportunity to be at the forefront of positive improvement for the village and the greater regional community and environment.

2022 Patrons Letter

A 2022 letter to RFPP Founders and Backers from executive director, Michael Collins, summarizes project progress through 2022. [PDF]

2024 Update

We are very excited to share the news that on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, NOAA Fisheries announced that our Rapidan Fish Passage Project (RFPP) has been selected for $7.9 million in funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.  The project will remove the Rapidan Mill Dam and restore habitat along the Rapidan River in the lower Chesapeake Bay watershed. Removal of the dam will open more than 500 miles of habitat for American shad, river herring, and other migratory fish. The project will also benefit the local community by increasing recreational and subsistence fishing opportunities, improving public access to the river, reducing the risk of flooding, and removing aging infrastructure.   

The funding includes $1.5 million in the first year to perform data collection including hydrologic, geomorphic, and sediment analysis; to conduct pre-removal fish sampling and a historic resources assessment; to develop an engineering design plan and timeline for dam removal and the stabilization and restoration of the stream banks; to submit all necessary permit applications; and to convene at least two informational meetings for the public.   In the second and third years, up to $6.4 million will be available for the dam removal, historic resources mitigation, and at least two public meetings each year to share progress updates on the project.

RFPP was launched by nine visionary founders in 2020 as a once-in-a-generation initiative to remove the last barrier in the Rappahannock River watershed to migratory fish attempting to reach their ancestral spawning grounds near the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Since then, nearly 100 donors, patrons, and partners have contributed their talents and resources to the effort to get the project funded.  Together we did it!  We are grateful for each of your contributions and look forward to continuing our work together as we embark on the next big step in the journey.