Smith Creek Showcase Watershed

Smith Creek is a major tributary of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River that winds along the western foot of Massanutten Mountain in Rockingham and Shenandoah counties.

The watershed has long been a priority area for local conservation partners: nearly half of the watershed is in agricultural use, with approximately 500 agricultural operations within the 67,000-acre watershed. Smith Creek and its tributaries provide habitat for native Brook trout and are a major source of drinking water for surrounding and downstream communities.

In 2021, building upon the 11-years of public-private Smith Creek Watershed Partnership (Partnership) helping farmers and community members voluntarily implement conservation practices that improve water quality, the partners agreed to reinvigorate the Partnership as an initiative of the Shenandoah Valley Conservation Collaborative (SVCC), since many of the same agencies and organizations were deeply involved in both efforts. Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley successfully sought funding and created a full-time position, our Small Watershed Coordinator, to manage the Partnership.

Going forward, Partnership and SVCC partners will work together to establish innovative demonstration farms, share implementation costs, provide technical support, and use data and local knowledge to evaluate other watersheds where the highly-focused and coordinated Smith Creek Watershed Partnership approach can be replicated to improve water quality.