Industry lines the Elizabeth River in Chesapeake, left, and Portsmouth, Va., on Oct. 23, 2015. "Elizabeth River in South Norfolk, Va." by Will Parson is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

The Elizabeth River is a six-mile tributary of the James River located in southeastern Virginia. The mouth of the river is in Norfolk, Virginia. The river has been heavily polluted by “goo” from now-defunct wood treatment plants and is highly susceptible to intense bacterial concentrations following heavy rain events. (Based on Chesapeake Bay Program and Elizabeth River Project.)