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             Section  319
             NDNPDINT SOURCE  PROGRAM SOCGESS STORY
 Success Countering Acid Mine Drainage in Cheat River Watershed
Waterbody Improved
                             In the lower 20 miles of the Cheat River watershed near the
                             Pennsylvania border, many of the streams have been so
severely degraded by acid mine drainage that they are effectively dead. Restoration projects
using limestone to help neutralize acidity before the water enters the river have helped to
restore waters, allowing for a resurgence of the bass population.
 Problem
 The lower 20 miles of the Cheat River have
 been impaired by acid mine drainage (AMD),
 making it one of the most severely degraded
 rivers in the state. Most of the damage is
 caused by underground and surface mines that
 were abandoned decades ago. As a result, the
 Cheat River was placed on the state's 303(d)
 list of impaired waters for metals.
 Project Highlights
 In response to the AMD problems in the Cheat
 River, more than 20 representatives of state
 and federal agencies, academia, industry, citi-
 zen and conservation groups joined together to
 form the River of Promise (ROP) task force in
 May 1995. Chaired by Friends of the Cheat, the
 task force holds quarterly meetings to initiate
 and coordinate AMD remediation projects
 throughout the watershed. The National Mine
 Land Reclamation Center is an integral ROP
 partner, gathering water quality data, devel-
 oping conceptual designs for projects, and
 conducting post-construction monitoring and
 evaluation.

 As a result of ROP coordination efforts, various
 state, federal, and academic agencies have
 worked together to develop and implement
 projects in the Lower Cheat watershed to neu-
 tralize acid and reduce metals from abandoned
 mines. Together these programs are focusing
 on Greens Run (with a measured pH of 2.8 and
 an average acidity of 855 mg/L) and Pringles
 Run, both primary contributors of acid to the
                                         Trap design using stone in wire mesh baskets to
                                         help aerate the water. It then flows through the short
                                         open limestone channel into the settling basin.
                                                                     View of outlet from anoxic
                                                                     limestone drain through
                                                                     the short open limestone
                                                                     channel and into the
                                                                     settling basin.
                                         Cheat River. Open limestone channels, lime-
                                         stone/steel stag check dams, and vertical flow
                                         ponds were installed to neutralize acidity and
                                         allow metals to settle out of the water before
                                         entering the creeks.

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                                               Results
Limestone leach bed and outflow soon after
completion in fall 2003.
Open limestone channel running through the woods
with coloration starting to show iron precipitate.
                                               Although it is still too early to know the full
                                               extent of the environmental results of these
                                               projects, recent data collected where the
                                               Cheat River enters Cheat Lake show that this
                                               once-acidic lake has a pH that ranges from
                                               around 6.5 to 7.5. Cheat Lake is now home to
                                               bass tournaments, a testament to improved
                                               water quality.
                                               Partners and Funding
                                               Partners include the West Virginia Department
                                               of Interior's Office of Surface Mining Clean
                                               Stream Initiative, West Virginia Rivers Coalition,
                                               West Virginia Department of Environmental
                                               Protection (DEP) Nonpoint Source Program
                                               and Abandoned Mines Program, West
                                               Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Anker
                                               Energy, National Mine Lands Reclamation
                                               Center, Friends of the Cheat, and the U.S.
                                               Environmental Protection Agency, Region 3.

                                               More than $1.1  million in section 319 grants
                                               funded seven projects in the Cheat watershed
                                               with the National Mine Lands Reclamation
                                               Center and two projects in the watershed with
                                               the Abandoned Mines Lands Program in DEP.
                                               Section 319 funding also leveraged more than
                                               $300,000 in matching Clean Stream Initiative
                                               funding. Some of these projects have been
                                               completed, while others are still under con-
                                               struction. Results show that the completed
                                               projects are reducing acid loads.
'.    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
 \   Office of Water
 a   Washington, DC

     EPA841-F-05-004K
     August 2005
                                               For additional information contact:
                                               Alvan Gale
                                               WV Department of Environmental Protection
                                               304-926-0495  • agale@wvdep.org
                                               Keith Pitzer
                                               Friends of the Cheat
                                               304-329-3621  • kpitzer@cheat.org
                                               Fred Suffian
                                               U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 3
                                               215-814-5753 • suffian.fred@epa.gov

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