Research on the river, part 1

By Savannah Volkoff & Gretchen Kroeger

We are surrounded by water – lakes, streams, rivers, oceans. But how well do you know your local body of water? Do you know its history? Or, how society has used that water body for centuries or longer? Do you know if it’s clean enough to swim in or fish from?

We know that the Elizabeth River, located just south of the James River in Virginia, is not a clean river and we know how it became dirty. But currently, Duke scientists and others are working to understand what having a dirty river means for the organisms living in that river.

This post is the first in a 3 part series explaining the story of the Elizabeth River and the research taking place within her banks. We’ve created a series that will lead you through

  1. The History of the Elizabeth River,
  2. The Research on the Elizabeth River, and
  3. The Restoration of the River Elizabeth River.

Click the video below, sit back, and listen to the story.