Rapidan Fish Passage Project
The Rapidan Fish Passage Project (RFPP) is a nationally significant conservation project focused on river flow restoration and migratory fish passage. Restoring river flow with alteration of the defunct (since 2019) Rapidan Mill dam (RMD) will open 540–1,065 miles of upstream habitat to migratory species, including Striped Bass, River Herring and American Shad, as well as American Eel and Sea Lamprey. This restoration would benefit up to 9 native species that are in decline. Striped Bass and American Shad are American icons that have been extremely important to all populations of the Chesapeake Bay Region dating back to the original indigenous people of the region.
Conservation experts regard this project as the fourth highest priority project of its kind overall in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, behind only the Conowingo Dam (Susquehanna River), Boshers Dam (James River, VA), and Brasfield Dam (Appomattox River, VA). It was classified as a Tier 1 priority for Chesapeake Bay-wide anadromous species and a Tier 2 priority for resident species by The Nature Conservancy in 2022.
