Talk:List of rivers of Virginia

Potomac River

Strictly speaking, no part of the Potomac River is in Virginia, because the legal boundary of Virginia stops at the Potomac. Originally, all of the Potomac was in Maryland. However, when the District of Columbia was created, a section of the Potomac was transferred from Maryland to the Federal District. Indeed, the District of Columbia probably would not have come into existence were it not for Maryland's rights to the Potomac River. Maryland and Virginia had a dispute about the Potomac River during the earliest days of the Republic, when the Articles of Confederation were still in effect. Efforts to resolve the dispute through negotiations involving the other states led to the convening of a Constitutional convention which ultimately let to a new Constitution (the one we have now) to replace the Articles of Confederation. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Bob99 (talk • contribs) 19:28, 18 August 2012 (UTC)

This article is not an exercise in hair-splitting ("haarspalterei" in German) that you want to make it into. Water from Virginia drains directly into the Potomac, which makes is a river of Virginia. Furthermore, major tributaries like the Shenandoah River flow from Virginia and West Virginia into the Potomac River.
98.67.96.230 (talk) 03:12, 4 October 2012 (UTC)

No, the watershed / basin of the Potomac may be in Virginia, but this is not part of the river itself. Saying that the Potomac is a river of Virginia is a bit like saying the Mediterranean is a sea of Ethiopia (which is part of the Nile drainage basin). Bazonka (talk) 17:27, 4 October 2012 (UTC)

For practical purposes the law does recognize Virginia as having rights to the Potomac the same as its neighbors, despite the state's 1776 acceptance of Maryland's charter for defining the border. You can read up on it at Potomac River#Legal issues, but its more complicated than just saying the border ends and the river is outside it. And as I understand, the South Branch of the Potomac, most of which is in West Virginia, has a small bit inside VA's borders around George Washington National Forest too. Either way removing it would be plain awkward in this list, which uses the Potomac as a heading for 81 tributaries at the moment. If folks felt strongly about it though, we could put a asterisk or footnote next to it.-- Patrick, _oѺ^∞ 18:49, 4 October 2012 (UTC)

Two missing counties

The series of drainage basin maps accompanying this article, covers all of Virginia with the exception of Buchanan County and Dickenson County. The drainage of all ( or at any rate most of ) these two counties flows into Kentucky through the canyon at "The Breaks" national park.Eregli bob (talk) 09:29, 17 September 2012 (UTC)

If that water flows into eastern Kentucky, it doubtless drains into the Ohio River then, and thence into the Mississippi River. See the Tug Fork River and the Big Sandy River.
98.67.96.230 (talk) 03:08, 4 October 2012 (UTC)

Rivers??

Creeks, brooks, streams, and "runs" are NOT rivers, and those minor waterways should not be mentioned here. Please use some correct linguistics. A river is a major body of flowing water, e.g. the James River, the Rappahannock River, the Potomac River, etc.
98.67.96.230 (talk) 03:05, 4 October 2012 (UTC)

Streams, creeks, etc. are just small rivers. There's no consistent limit to when a watercourse should be called a stream and when it should be called is a river. So there are no "correct linguistics". Bazonka (talk) 17:23, 4 October 2012 (UTC)

I do not see any point in your disagreeing with this and arguing about it. That is just being pigheaded. There are major differences in quantity and quality between the following:

A. The Potomac, Shenandoah, James, and Rappahannock RIVERS, and

B. The Bull Run, Difficult Run, Rock Creek, Accomack Creek, Peachtree Creek, etc.

You need to learn to be scientific about it and get your head screwed on straight!24.156.78.205 (talk) 05:41, 27 May 2018 (UTC)

Sorry, there are obviously different points of view on this. Calling an editor pigheaded for having a different perspective is not going to move the discussion forward. If you have a "scientific" distinction, based in sources, do tell us more about it – no head screwing needed. Dicklyon (talk) 05:49, 27 May 2018 (UTC)