About Our Watershed

The Dan River crosses the North Carolina-Virginia state line eight times on its way from the Blue Ridge Mountains to John H. Kerr Reservoir. The 3300-square-mile Dan River Basin comprises approximately one-third of the Roanoke River Basin. Major tributaries of the Dan River are the Mayo, Smith, Sandy, Banister, and Hyco rivers.

The Dan River Basin includes all or most of eight counties: Patrick, Henry, Pittsylvania, and Halifax in Virginia, and Stokes, Rockingham, Caswell and Person in North Carolina. Smaller portions of eight more counties lie in the Dan River Basin: Floyd, Franklin, and Mecklenburg in Virginia, and Surry, Forsyth, Guilford, Orange, and Granville in North Carolina.