About Wild & Scenic Rivers — Wild & Scenic Western North Carolina

What are “outstandingly remarkable values” (ORVs)?

The major categories of ORVs listed in the Act are: Scenic, Recreational, Geologic, Fish and Wildlife, Historic, Cultural, and “other similar values.” While the North Fork French Broad was officially identified as having outstandingly remarkable recreational value for whitewater paddling, it also a popular trout stream with a rich history.

What does the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act Do?

Wild and Scenic Rivers are managed to protect their free-flowing nature and outstandingly remarkable values.

When a river becomes a Wild and Scenic River, it is permanently protected from hydroelectric dam projects. It is also protected from any other water resource project (like a levee or water diversion channel) that would negatively affect the river’s values. The area on either side of the river, called the river’s corridor, is also often managed to protect the river’s ORVs (when a river flows through public land). A river’s corridor is usually ¼ mile in the contiguous U.S., and ½ mile in Alaska. This does NOT affect private property in any way.

What are some of the benefits of Wild and Scenic Rivers?

Wild and Scenic Rivers preserve the area’s local habitat, ecology, and hydrology, which supports biodiversity and a healthy ecosystem. By leaving Wild and Scenic Rivers in their natural state, they support downstream water quality.

Wild and Scenic Rivers are designed with public use in mind. They provide protected areas for outdoor recreation of all kinds, which is particularly important for a region like Western North Carolina that is fueled by the outdoor recreation economy. Wild and Scenic Rivers can also provide economic benefits to the local community, like increased property value and more patronage to businesses.

What does the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act NOT do?

Wild and Scenic Rivers do not affect or restrict private property in any way, even when the river is directly adjacent to private property (the eligible segment of the North Fork of the French Broad is entirely on Forest Service Land).

Wild and Scenic River designation does not restrict access to the river, unless a specific activity harms the river's ORV(s).

Designation also does not automatically prevent water resource projects upstream or downstream of the designated section of a river. Unless a water resource project will have a negative impact on the river's ORVs, it can still move forward.

The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act does not regulate water quality. Only the state the river flows through has the authority to control and regulate a river’s water quality standards. In fact, almost half of the nation's Wild and Scenic Rivers have unfortunately been found to have "impaired" water quality.

How a River Becomes Wild and Scenic

The vast majority of rivers, including the North Fork of the French Broad, require an act of Congress to be added to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. This means that U.S. lawmakers must introduce a bill designating the river into the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate where it must pass by a simple majority vote.

Wild and Scenic River bills don’t just appear on a congressperson’s desk, though. There is a lot of work and effort that goes into a river’s designation, and it all hinges on outspoken public support.

The first step is usually to determine if a river is eligible for Wild and Scenic River status, meaning that the river is free-flowing and possesses one or more outstandingly remarkable values (ORVs).

National Forests are guided by land management plans called Forest Plans. These plans set out goals and priorities about how the forest will be managed. They are supposed to be revised and updated every 15-20 years, but it can often be much longer. Federal law requires that National Forests must evaluate all rivers within their jurisdiction for Wild and Scenic River eligibility during their revision process.

In the case of the Pisgah National Forest, the home of the North Fork French Broad, they just finalized their most recent Forest Plan at the beginning of 2023 after 10 years of research, community outreach, and revisions. Their last management plan was from 36 years ago, back in 1987, with a major amendment in 1994.

While the plan initially did not list the North Fork of the French Broad as an eligible river, it was ultimately included in the final revised plan after public comments indicated a strong interest in the river.

While eligibility is an important step towards Wild and Scenic status for a river, it is equally essential to collect public support for the river’s designation, particularly within the local community.

Support for Wild and Scenic Rivers is built from the ground-up. Normally, a bill that is site-specific, like one about a Wild and Scenic River, needs to be introduced or at least endorsed by the representative from that district and/or state for it to gain traction with the rest of Congress. Before they introduce or endorse a bill, though, these lawmakers want to know that their voters are on board. It’s important that our representatives hear from us about the issues we value – they can’t know what we want unless we tell them!

U.S. representatives also often rely on local governments, like a county’s Board of Commissioners, to help them learn about what their constituents want. An endorsement from the local government can be a make-or-break moment for a wild and scenic river. Community residents and local businesses need to make it clear to their local lawmakers that they strongly support a river being designated as Wild and Scenic. It all starts with voters (and future voters) like you!

Do you have more questions about Wild and Scenic Rivers? Learn more by visiting https://www.rivers.gov/information.php

The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was established in 1968 to protect and preserve free-flowing rivers that possess “outstandingly remarkable values” for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations”