Hundreds of fishermen are drawn each year for the reward of native and hatchery-raised trout. Another water activity for which the Shenandoah is popular is whitewater rafting. The most severe declines in water level occur on the North Fork Shenandoah where there is basically no water flow during the month of August. These periods of low water flow have sparked efforts to have Clarke, Warren, Shenandoah and Page counties designated as Surface Water Management Areas. This designation would require permits for large water withdrawals and approved conservation plans for all future water users.
Concerned parties continue to document low flow periods and their impacts.
Even recreational use has a toll on the environment however. Increasing recreational use in fact has prompted the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources to begin a study to determine the impact of recreation on the River's health. Corn, hay and orchards dominate the cropland while densely populated livestock operations including poultry, dairy, beef and swine, utilize untilled land. Several counties in the Shenandoah valley are the top agriculture producing counties in Virginia. Unfortunately, roughly 60 percent of the nitrogen and 68 percent of the phosphorous entering the Shenandoah river are linked to cropland agriculture.