History of Flooding and Drought in Mossy Creek’s Watershed and Its Impacts

Disclaimer concerning data collection:

I unfortunately found that the USGS has no current operating stations within Mossy Creek, however, the history of Augusta County’s floods and droughts are well documented over the last century. Augusta County is very large, and the Mossy Creek watershed makes up only a small portion (< 2%) of the total area of the county, but I feel that this data should represent the watershed adequately, as it would theoretically receive similar rainfall and drought conditions. 

Flood History 

1870

One of the first recorded major floods in the Shenandoah Valley swept through many counties, Augusta County included. This flood resulted in damage to farmlands and infrastructure, just as repairs were still being made from the Civil War.

1896

This flood was noted as one of the most dramatic floods in Staunton’s history, a city that is located nearby to the Mossy Creek watershed. Major infrastructure damages were recorded and croplands all over the county were underwater.

1906

In August of 1906, the Shenandoah Valley experienced a month of almost daily rainfall, with flash flood events occurring. This shocked farmers as farmlands were almost washed away by the frequent rainfall. 

1936

March of 1936 saw consistent heavy snow and rainfall throughout the Shenandoah Valley, resulting in the flooding of many towns, farms, and roadways. One of the heaviest rains was recorded in Staunton during this month with almost 3 inches of rain recorded in a 12 hour period. 

1949

In the summer of 1949, intense rainfall filled Mossy Creek and other tributaries to the North River, resulting in one of the most devastating floods in Bridgewater’s history, a town located very close to Mossy Creek. Some reports said that floods reached the second story in some people’s homes in Bridgewater. Additionally, top soils of the farms in Augusta County were completely washed away in some cases, exposing the red clay beneath. This would likely be the impacts felt from the Mossy Creek watershed, as the watershed mostly consists of agricultural land. Additionally, it’s noted that this flood event would have reshaped many of the waterways of the area, Mossy Creek included.

1969

In August of 1969, Hurricane Camille, a category five hurricane, hit Virginia hard with heavy rainfalls and floods. Nelson County, a bordering county to Augusta, saw 28 inches of rain in a 5-hour period, destroying infrastructure and washing away topsoils. Similar repercussions of the hurricane were seen throughout the Shenandoah Valley, with the primary concern of the Mossy Creek watershed likely being the significant loss of fertile topsoil. In Rockbridge County, which is just North of Mossy Creek, over 150 head of cattle were lost to the Hurricane. 

1972

In 1972, Hurricane Agnes hit the Shenandoah Valley, resulting in extreme floods and the evacuation of many towns, including Waynesboro which is in close proximity to the Mossy Creek watershed. 

1985

In November of 1985, Hurricane Jaun hit Virginia resulting in flash floods throughout the Shenandoah Valley. The rains stayed consistent for three days, damaging much of the infrastructure and farmlands in the area. 

1995

In June of 1995, a week of sustained rain occurred throughout the Shenandoah Valley, flooding some towns within Augusta County and damaging infrastructure and farms.

1996

In 1996, Hurricane Fran hit the Shenandoah Valley hard with intense rainfall and floods. In Mount Solon, which is located within the Mossy Creek Watershed, residents were evacuated by the national guard. This is a significant incident in the recent history of Mossy Creek, as most other floods were not recorded to directly affect the towns within the watershed.

2003

In 2003, Hurricane Isabel came through the Shenandoah Valley resulting in severe flooding and damage to infrastructure. Augusta County had the most rainfall compared to other counties in the valley.

2018

Significant flooding in Augusta County resulted in the destruction of many pedestrian bridges in Mt. Solon. As a result, a group of JMU students worked closely with stakeholders to plan infrastructure replacement that would restore its accessibility.

2024

This week (9/30/24), significant rainfall in Augusta County has resulted in severe flooding and the evacuation of many residents.

https://www.whsv.com/video/2024/09/28/severe-flooding-hits-augusta-county-evacuations-begin

This link provides a news report of the current state of Augusta County and the unfortunate results of this extreme flooding.

Recent Changes to Mossy Creek Floodplain

In recent decades, man-made dams that were situated within Mossy Creek have been demolished to return Mossy Creek to its original state. Additionally, restoration has been done in partnership with Ecosystem Services and Trout Unlimited to restore the stream's natural meanders and create a more natural stream flow. This recent work on the stream will have significant impacts on the makeup of the floodplain, especially the removal of the dams. 

Virginia Crossroads Mossy Creek

This video contains a news report that describes the efforts of one land owner in removing a dam on their property and restoring the stream banks of Mossy Creek.

Impacts of Flooding 

Based on the history of flooding, it can be inferred that when extreme flooding events are reported in Augusta County, similar effects can be found in Mossy Creek’s watershed. The Mossy Creek watershed is primarily made up of agricultural lands, so that would be the main concern regarding any floods in the area. Flooding in this region has historically been known to wash away topsoils and even cattle, resulting in the destruction of private property and devastation for many farmers. For the health of Mossy Creek, this would mean excess sediment and nutrient discharge for the stream, which would lower the water quality and destroy aquatic habitats. In some historical cases of flooding, entire layers of topsoil were washed away, leaving just red clay. This is not only unfortunate for the health of the soil, but for aquatic life in Mossy Creek. 

Drought History

1930

In July of 1930, Dale Enterprise, a weather station in Rockbridge County, recorded one of the driest months in Virginia’s history. This resulted in the devastation of many farms, including the failure of crops and drying of wells. This occurred in the same period as the dust bowl, named due to the mass erosion of land in the United States. Augusta likely had similar repercussions of the drought, which would’ve affected Mossy Creek in the form of sedimentation and the drying of its waterways.

1998-1999

From the summer of 1998 going into 1999, Virginia experienced a historically significant drought, resulting in the failure of many crops throughout the Shenandoah Valley. This likely would have resulted in erosion and sedimentation of Mossy Creek, as well as lower water levels which would decrease habitat available to aquatic organisms.

2000-2024

Image: (Pyun, 2024)

This graph shows the history of drought conditions in Augusta County, VA for the years 2000-2024. From this graph, it is evident that the most severe droughts in recent history occurred in 2002, and then recently in 2023 and 2024. 

Impacts of Drought

Severe droughts in an agricultural county such as Augusta can have significant impacts on the crops and soils of farms. Dried out soils can be much more susceptible to erosion, especially when the crops holding that soil in place are dying. This could potentially impact Mossy Creek, as eroded soils would contribute to excess nutrient and sediment discharge in the stream. Additionally, as waterways dry up due to drought, aquatic habitat is diminished and aquatic organisms are displaced. Mossy Creek could have seen many of these impacts throughout its years of drought. Although the Shenandoah Valley recently experienced a drought, heavy rainfall in the past couple weeks has heightened water levels in Mossy Creek and increased turbidity according to a fishing report from Orvis.

References:

APPENDIX A, CSPDC Flooding Hazard History. (n.d.). https://www.glenallenweather.com/climate/Virginia_Floods.pdf

‌WHSV. (2024, September 28). Https://Www.whsv.com. https://www.whsv.com/video/2024/09/28/severe-flooding-hits-augusta-county-evacuations-begin

Crossroads, V. (2013). Virginia Crossroads Mossy Creek [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3GUnifXXyY&ab_channel=VirginiaCrossroads

‌Augusta County, VA Flood Map and Climate Risk Report. (2024). Firststreet.org. https://firststreet.org/county/augusta-county-va/51015_fsid/flood?utm_source=redfin&from=riskfactor.com

‌Pyun, Y. (2024). Henderson U.S. Drought Monitor. The Gleaner. https://data.thegleaner.com/drought/virginia/augusta-county/51015/

‌Urbanowicz, A. (2023, August 23). Historic Local Droughts. Https://Www.whsv.com; WHSV. https://www.whsv.com/2023/08/23/historic-local-droughts/

Mossy Creek | VA Fly Fishing Reports & Conditions. (2021). Orvis Fishing Reports. https://fishingreports.orvis.com/southeast/virginia/mossy-creek