Rivanna River

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The Rivanna River is a tributary of the James River, about 50 mi (80 km) long, in central Virginia in the United States. The Rivanna's tributaries originate in the Blue Ridge Mountains; via the James River, it is part of the watershed of Chesapeake Bay.

According to the Geographic Names Information System, the Rivanna has also been known as "Mountain Falls Creek" and "River Anna."

In the late eighteenth century the river was made navigable by the efforts of Thomas Jefferson who owned much of the lands along its course. The route was used by a community of plantations and farmsteads along the river largely managed by Jefferson and his family. Shortly after the completion of the Rivanna navigational works Virginia requested that the river be opened to public usage. Jefferson initially refused, but the state was not to be denied, and the Rivanna became an integral part of the central Virginian transportation network.

[edit] Course

The Rivanna River is formed in Albemarle County about 4 mi (6 km) northeast of Charlottesville by the confluence of two tributaries:

The North Fork Rivanna River is formed in southwestern Greene County by the confluence of Parker Branch and the Roach River, and flows generally southwardly into Albermarle County, collecting the Lynch River.
The South Fork Rivanna River is formed in Albemarle County by the confluence of the Moormans River and the Mechums River, and flows generally eastwardly.

Below this confluence, the Rivanna flows generally southeastwardly into Fluvanna County, past the eastern boundary of Charlottesville and through the Southwest Mountains. In Fluvanna County it passes the communities of Lake Monticello and Palmyra; it enters the James River at the town of Columbia.