Could a portion of Craig Creek be shut down due to litigation?
Craig Creek (also known as Craig's Creek or Craigs Creek) but is not Craig of the Creek). Native Americans called it the Crooked River because of its long and looping bends. This natural resource is a favorite of locals as well as tourists and runs through many different locations in the state of Virginia. This creek is an 84-mile-long tributary of the James River and flows through the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians in western Virginia and passes 15 miles northwest of Roanoke.
This body of water rises, 4 miles northwest of Blacksburg in an area between the ridges of Brush Mountain and Sinking Creek Mountain but access could be in jeopardy because the owners of Briar Oak Properties and Briar Oak Farms are suing the state of Virginia to determine who owns the creek bed and the banks. A letter to the Roanoke Times emphasizes just how much could be in jeopardy.
Craig County officials and business representatives fear that a lawsuit over who owns a portion of Craig Creek could lead to shutting down public access to the waterway, a popular site for canoeing, kayaking and floating.
Locals are concerned about access to this natural resource
Cardinal News is reporting that there is concern that a pending lawsuit over legal ownership of a portion of Craig Creek might hinder tourism and have an effect on the local economy. Craig County officials are concerned because the owners of three properties along the creek are suing the state of Virginia to clarify ownership of the creekbed which also flows northeast into Craig County passing the village of Webbs Mill north and passes the town of New Castle at the eastern end of Sinking Creek Mountain. The water continues northeast while making continuous large incised meanders into Botetourt County where it joins the James River just upstream from the town of Eagle Rock.
An incised river meander has been cut abnormally deeply into the landscape because the uplift of the land has led to renewed downward erosion by the river
No one wants Craig Creek to be access to be detered
On February 2 the Craig County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution “expressing support for free and open public waters”.The board also emphasized the importance of "protection and the free and open use by the public of the public waters located in the County.”
all the public waters located in the County are a natural resource that must be protected and have an important recreational and economic benefit for the citizens of the County and the Commonwealth as a whole,”
Be on the lookout for updates as this story develops.
Comments / 1