EFFECTIVE USE OF PARTNERSHIPS TO ASSESS A MINING-IMPACTED WATERSHED

The Roaring Creek watershed in central West Virginia was known to be impacted by historic coal mining. However, the current degree of the environmental degradation within the watershed was not known. A partnership between the National Mine Land Reclamation Center (NMLRC), the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection-Division of Water and Waste Management (WVDEP-DWWM), and Trout Unlimited (TU) was formed to assess the impacts of nonpoint-source pollution in the Roaring Creek watershed. Water chemistry, water quantity, and benthic data were gathered four times between 2009 and 2010. The results of this data show that almost all of the mining impacts within the watershed were found in one tributary called Kittle Hollow. Due to these findings, Kittle Hollow was targeted for further sampling. Multiple mine drainage sources were sampled in order to prioritize them for passive treatment. This collected data will be used to develop a watershed-based plan, which will represent the end of the assessment process. Currently, the plan is being written and the remediation projects are in the design phase. Once these projects are completed, they are expected to remove 80% of the metal and acid loads from each mine discharge. The ultimate goal of the watershed assessment process is to improve the quality of the existing trout fishery in Roaring Creek as well as extend the territory in which trout can thrive. It is anticipated that the reclamation of Kittle Hollow will allow the entire Roaring Creek watershed to function as a successful fishery.