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1996 SESSION


HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 4
Expressing the sense of the House of Delegates that negotiations on Boshers Dam be completed expeditiously.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 9, 1996

WHEREAS, the James River is an important economic and recreational resource for the Commonwealth of Virginia; and

WHEREAS, the James River is Virginia's largest tributary to the Chesapeake Bay and is a significant source of fish species, particularly striped bass, shad, and river herring; and

WHEREAS, the General Assembly adopted House Joint Resolution No. 233 (1981) expressing its support for fish passages on the James River dams in Richmond, and requesting state and local governments, together with the appropriate federal agencies, to take such action as necessary in providing access for anadromous fishes to their historical spawning sites; and

WHEREAS, the General Assembly created the Fish Passage Grant and Revolving Loan Fund in 1989 and appropriated funds to breach the Manchester and Browns Island Dams on the James River; and

WHEREAS, the James River Association and the Commonwealth of Virginia have led a public-private partnership to raise funds for the additional fish passages on the James River in Richmond, and the General Assembly appropriated $200,000 for this project in 1993; and

WHEREAS, a notch was cut in Williams Island Dam in November 1993 with funds raised by the public-private partnership; and

WHEREAS, the public-private partnership has raised sufficient funds to construct a fish passage at Boshers Dam, the last of the dams in Richmond, which would result in 143 miles of the James River from Richmond to Lynchburg being opened for shad and river herring to reach their historic spawning grounds for the first time in almost 200 years; and

WHEREAS, the City of Richmond and CSX Corporation must complete the transfer of ownership of Boshers Dam to the City before construction of the fish passage can begin; and

WHEREAS, the design phase should be completed in the spring of 1996; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the City of Richmond and CSX Corporation be urged to complete their negotiations on Boshers Dam expeditiously, so that the fish passage on Boshers Dam can be completed by the end of 1996; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the House of Delegates commend the supporters of the James River Fish Restoration Project for their dedication and commitment to restoring and improving the vital natural fisheries in the James River and the Chesapeake Bay; and, be it

RESOLVED FINALLY, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates transmit copies of this resolution to the City Manager of the City of Richmond and the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CSX Corporation in order that they may be apprised of the sense of the House of Delegates in this matter.