DirtyWaterWatch Public waters. Public record.

Virginia / Waters /

Blackwater Creek

Stream in Virginia, past Lynchburg and Madison Heights

Current status

Discharge possible: heavy rain, no report received

Radar shows that recent rain at a combined sewer system's outlets has reached the amount set for that system, and its operator has not reported a discharge. It reads "discharge likely" where the amount is the one at which that system has discharged before, or a rain trigger its state publishes, and "discharge possible" where only this site's default of 0.1 inch applies. This is an estimate, not a report. This status since . Why this status, and its source

This badge describes the water outline. Check the downstream stretches on the map and below for discharge statuses.

Map sources: water outlines and launches from OpenBoatLaunch and OpenStreetMap contributors (Open Database License); wastewater outlets from EPA and state records; downstream estimates by DirtyWaterWatch using U.S. Geological Survey maps and flow data. Base map: OpenFreeMap and OpenMapTiles.

Solid dots mark combined sewer outfalls. Ringed dots mark treatment plant outfalls. Small hollow diamonds mark places named in overflow reports (provisional). A yellow ring with a dashed edge means discharge likely or possible: heavy rain, no report received. Dashed river stretches are estimates.

Rain expected: 0.17 in forecast in the next 24 hours (NWS forecast issued Nov 5, 2026, 12:30 AM EST); discharges here have begun at 0.1 in. A forecast, not a report.

Check City of Lynchburg Water Resources (Lynchburg Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant)'s notices · Bookmark this water page and check it before each trip · Report a missing notice or error

About this status

Discharge possible: heavy rain, no report received: heavy rain at a sewer operator's outlets reached this site's default amount, and no report received; shown for 48 hours after the rain (site rule). 1.2 in of rain fell in the 24 hours to Nov 5, 2026, 1:00 AM EST at City of Lynchburg Water Resources (Lynchburg Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant)'s outfalls (NOAA radar estimate).

Source: NOAA National Weather Service, MRMS radar-only rainfall estimate, valid Nov 5, 2026, 1:00 AM EST, retrieved 2026-11-05 06:22 UTC; threshold: site default; rule: How it works, discharge likely or possible. · Updated

Estimated downstream stretches on Blackwater Creek

none from a report; 4 routes below outlets with a status

No stretch below a reported discharge has a current status here as of Nov 5, 2026, 1:27 AM EST. The routes below wastewater outlets carry the status shown on each.

Estimated routes below wastewater outlets

4 routes below outlets
  • Caution Permit VA0024970, outlet 011 · 40 kilometres estimated · Estimate stops at the 40-kilometre limit
  • Caution Permit VA0024970, outlet 052 · 40 kilometres estimated · Estimate stops at the 40-kilometre limit
  • Caution Permit VA0024970 · 40 kilometres estimated · Estimate stops at the 40-kilometre limit
  • Caution Permit VA0024970 · 40 kilometres estimated · Estimate stops at the 40-kilometre limit

Source: DirtyWaterWatch estimates using U.S. Geological Survey river maps and flow measurements. The estimate stops at tidal water, the first lake or the distance limit.

The last 90 days

Last 90 days, hour by hour. Red: discharge or advisory reported. Amber: caution. Hatched amber: end not confirmed. Plum: algal bloom advisory. Red or amber with a light line inside: beach advisory or caution. Dotted: monthly report (days with discharge, dates not given). Grey: no current status on the water outline. Purple hatching: source update overdue.
  • Discharge likely or possible: heavy rain, no report received: to the latest update
    Radar estimate, no report received: heavy rain at the outlets of City of Lynchburg Water Resources
  • Caution: to
    1 report: City of Lynchburg Water Resources 1
    Show records

    The records are also in the report table on this page.

  • Discharge or advisory reported: to
    1 report: City of Lynchburg Water Resources 1
    Show records

    The records are also in the report table on this page.

Source: DirtyWaterWatch calculations using the reports named above and the published status rules. Updated 2026-11-05 06:27 UTC.

Reported discharges over time

  • Discharges affecting the Blackwater Creek in Virginia, last 12 months44 affecting this stretch: 3 reported on the Blackwater Creek; 1 arriving from outfalls upstream on the Ivy Creek, Lynchburg Water ResourcesDecember 2025 to November 2026Verified reports where available, else notices; revisions and duplicates counted once. Arriving discharges are estimated from modeled downstream reaches.
  • Days with a discharge affecting the Blackwater Creek in Virginia, last 12 months9Reported on the Blackwater Creek: 7 · Arriving from outfalls upstream on the Ivy Creek, Lynchburg Water Resources, estimated: 2 (counted apart; together they need not equal the total)December 2025 to November 2026A day counts once however many discharges were under way on it.
  • Hours with a discharge or advisory status on the Blackwater Creek in Virginia, last 12 months245Reported on the Blackwater Creek: 188 · Arriving from outfalls upstream on the Ivy Creek, Lynchburg Water Resources, estimated: 57December 2025 to November 2026Red hours by the map's rules: each discharge to its reported end plus the state's post-discharge period; overlapping hours count once.
  • 2026 season with a discharge or advisory status on the Blackwater Creek in Virginia1.3%May to October 2026Share of May 1 to October 31 hours with red status by the map's rules, of the hours a source covered.
  • Records behind the last-90-days strip for the Blackwater Creek in Virginia2Reported on the Blackwater Creek: 0 · Arriving from outfalls upstream on the Ivy Creek, Lynchburg Water Resources, estimated: 1 · Other records (rain-likely and similar): 1last 90 daysEvery distinct record the strip lists for its red, yellow and unresolved hours, notices and unresolved reports included; counted as the strip counts them.

Combined sewer overflow (CSO): sewage mixed with rainwater spills from a shared sewer system. Sanitary sewer overflow (SSO): sewage spills from a sewer meant to carry sewage separately from rainwater. Treatment bypass: wastewater skips one or more treatment steps. Blended discharge: wastewater that skipped some treatment is mixed with treated wastewater.

Reported discharges per month

10 reported discharges, January 2022 to November 2026.

  • Combined sewer overflow
  • Sanitary sewer overflow
  • Treatment bypass, blended or other
  • No tracked source for this period
  • Incomplete source coverage
Limited records

No tracked source covers January 2022 to April 2022.

Source: va-deq-prep. Records cover January 1, 2025 to November 5, 2026.

Show table

Hours with a discharge or advisory status per month

Hours when this water had a discharge or advisory status under DirtyWaterWatch rules.

  • Discharge or advisory reported
  • No tracked source for this period
  • Incomplete source coverage
Limited records

No tracked source covers January 2022 to April 2022. 1 discharge report has no end time and is not marked ongoing; under DirtyWaterWatch rules it shows caution, not a discharge or advisory status, and adds no hours here.

Source: va-deq-prep. Records cover January 1, 2025 to November 5, 2026.

Show table

Days with a reported discharge per month

A day counts when any counted discharge was under way on it, from its start to its reported end in Eastern Time; a report with no end counts its start day.

  • No tracked source for this period
  • Incomplete source coverage
Limited records

No tracked source covers January 2022 to April 2022.

Source: va-deq-prep. Records cover January 1, 2025 to November 5, 2026.

Show table

Reported volume per year

Gallons (axis: K thousand, M million), summed from the 9 reports that gave a volume as a number (1 did not).

  • Incomplete source coverage
Limited records

1 of 10 discharge reports gave no volume as a number; only numbers are summed.

Source: va-deq-prep. Records cover January 1, 2025 to November 5, 2026.

Show table

Hours with a discharge or advisory status per year

Hours with a discharge or advisory status each year under DirtyWaterWatch rules; 2026 to date.

  • Discharge or advisory reported
  • Incomplete source coverage
Limited records

1 discharge report has no end time and is not marked ongoing; under DirtyWaterWatch rules it shows caution, not a discharge or advisory status, and adds no hours here.

Source: va-deq-prep. Records cover January 1, 2025 to November 5, 2026.

Show table

Share of the May to October season with a discharge or advisory status

Share of the hours from May 1 to October 31 with a discharge or advisory status under DirtyWaterWatch rules.

  • Discharge or advisory reported

1 discharge report has no end time and is not marked ongoing; under DirtyWaterWatch rules it shows caution, not a discharge or advisory status, and adds no hours here.

Source: va-deq-prep. Records cover January 1, 2025 to November 5, 2026.

Show table

Reported discharges by calendar month, all years

Every counted discharge report, by the calendar month it began.

Months are summed over every year a tracked source covers; the table gives the number of years behind each month.

Source: va-deq-prep. Records cover January 1, 2025 to November 5, 2026.

Show table
How these charts are counted

We count each discharge once. Where a source publishes notices and confirmed reports, we use confirmed reports for an operator's month when available; otherwise we use notices. We combine revisions and exclude duplicate state reports copied by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Monthly and yearly totals appear separately. Status hours follow this site's rules. Shaded gaps mean missing coverage, not zero discharges.

  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sewer overflow records: records from May 3, 2022 to the latest update (limited records)
  • va-deq-prep: records from January 1, 2025 to the latest update
  • va-vdh-advisories: records from March 20, 2025 to the latest update

Reports linked to Blackwater Creek

Reports linked to Blackwater Creek, newest first
WhenReportStatus
to Mar 24, 12:01 PMCity of Lynchburg Water Resources · SSO · 11,074 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 3:03 PMCity of Lynchburg Water Resources · SSO · 1,485 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 10:15 AMCity of Lynchburg Water Resources · SSO · 180 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 7:00 PMCity of Lynchburg Water Resources · SSO · 630 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 10:44 AMCity of Lynchburg Water Resources · SSO · 455 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 2:58 PMCity of Lynchburg Water Resources · SSO · 1,000 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 2:16 PMCity of Lynchburg Water Resources · SSO · 2,120 gallons report · notice · mapended
City of Lynchburg Water Resources · SSO · volume not reported report · notice · mapended
to 10:39 PMCity of Lynchburg Water Resources · SSO · 1,000 gallons report · notice · mapended

Sources: Virginia DEQ Pollution Response Program (PReP) pollution reports, sewage-related, retrieved 2026-11-03 02:46 UTC. A report's record id and times show when you hover or focus its "report" link.

Download these reports as CSV

All reports in Virginia by year: 2026 (3 here) · 2025 (6 here)

Wastewater outlets on this water

Outfall: a pipe or outlet where wastewater enters a water body.

Combined sewer outfalls

2 outfalls · discharge possible now at 2

Discharge possible: heavy rain, no report received at 2 outfalls now: radar rainfall has reached the operator's threshold and no discharge report has arrived (NOAA radar estimate).

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) national combined sewer outfall inventory (ECHO) and state outfall layers. Open or closed as EPA's inventory lists it. DirtyWaterWatch links outlets to waters using permit numbers, locations and names.

Treatment plant outfalls

1 outfall

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) permit records (ICIS-NPDES permitted features): where a treatment plant’s permitted discharge leaves. No national source says whether a plant outfall is open or closed.

Places named in overflow reports (provisional)

2 places

Provisional location from overflow reports. Where the operator's own reports put an overflow: a manhole, pump station or plant. Not an outfall listed in a permit.

Source: the operator's own overflow reports to the state. DirtyWaterWatch groups reports within 50 metres into one place and finds the water below it with U.S. Geological Survey river maps (NLDI, NHDPlus). Not a permitted outfall; provisional until an official outfall record exists.

Sewer operators listed for this water: City of Lynchburg Water Resources (Lynchburg Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant).

Boat launches

No public boat launch is listed in our records for this water.

Nearby waters

Sources covering this water

9 records linked to this water. Updated .