5/21/2008
The Save the Tygart Watershed Group, in conjunction with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Abandoned Mine Lands, is undertaking an ambitious project to treat acid mine drainage that has impaired Three Fork Creek in Taylor County.
The goal of the project is to create 19.6 miles of fishery on Three Fork. Currently, less than three miles of fishable stream exists because of pollution from past mining activity. At present, the entire Three Fork main stem is highly impaired by mine-related acid drainage. Three Fork Creek is the second highest source of acid to the Monongahela River system in West Virginia.
The project, which will consist of lime dosers and limestone treatment units, is expected to begin this summer and will cost approximately $1.1 million during the first year, and $4.1 million over then next 20 years.
The source of acid pollution in Three Fork is from mines abandoned prior to August 3, 1977, which is when Congress enacted the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. The project will be paid for with money from the recently re-authorized Abandoned Mine Land Fund, which is a trust fund consisting of fees paid into it by the coal industry. The purpose of the fund is to correct problems caused by past mining. As part of the re-authorization, Congress allows states to use up to 30 percent of the money distributed to each state to treat and restore watersheds impacted by pre-law mining.
“This is more money than has ever been available for fixing mining impaired watersheds” said Charles Miller, Chief of the State’s abandoned mine land program.
To help establish the overall stream restoration program, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection hired the WVU Water Research Institute to develop restoration plans for targeted watersheds. Three Fork Creek is one of the first watersheds targeted for restoration under this initiative.
Contact Information
Kathy Cosco
(304) 926-0440