🟡 Recreation
Floating is doable this week, but expect a slower trip. Lower water in several stretches means you may run into shallow spots, especially near Strasburg. Water temperatures are sitting between 59 and 62 degrees. Cootes Store and Mount Jackson are both running below normal, while Strasburg has dropped into extremely below normal flow. Overall, conditions are still good for getting out there, but you may scrape a little more than usual.

🟡 River Health
The river is holding on well overall, but signs of stress are starting to build. Dissolved oxygen remains healthy at 8.8 mg/L in Mount Jackson and 7.6 mg/L in Strasburg, which means fish and aquatic life still have what they need. Water temperatures are staying in a healthy range for this time of year. The biggest issue remains lower than normal flow across most of the river, which starts shrinking habitat and concentrating stress on aquatic life if it continues.

🟡 Drought
Dry conditions continue to put pressure on the watershed. Groundwater remains below where we want it, with Maurertown sitting at 59.77 feet below ground and Basye at 13.48 feet below ground. Shenandoah County remains split between abnormally dry and moderate drought conditions, while over half of Rockingham County is now in severe drought. Virginia’s official drought stage remains at Warning, with groundwater and streamflow both sitting in Emergency status.