2005 Targeted Watersheds Grants:
Cheat River
West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania
WHY IS THIS WATERSHED SPECIAL?
The Cheat River flows 157 miles and drains 1,420 square miles before meeting with the
Monongahela River and, eventually, the Ohio River. The watershed serves as a haven to
endangered species of bats and snails. Native trout, wild turkey and black bear also abound in parts
of the watershed. Cheat Canyon, a popular recreation area, attracts thousands of Whitewater
enthusiasts each year, and rock climbers, cavers, fishermen and hikers also come to enjoy the river
and its incredible natural beauty. However, recreational opportunities are diminished by the
contaminated water and complaints of ailments after contact with the unhealthy waters of the
Cheat.
ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES
Large-scale mining and strip mining have occurred in the watershed since the 1920s. Acid mine
drainage went largely unabated until the passage of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation
Act of 1977. When two significant abandoned mine blowouts occurred in 1994 and 1995, millions
of gallons of untreated acid mine drainage flowed into Muddy Creek, a major tributary of the Cheat
River.
The Targeted Watersheds Grant focuses on a number of environmental problems stemming from
years of mining and acid mine drainage. Heavy metals, including iron, aluminum and manganese;
and a low pH from the Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) threaten human health, fisheries and water
quality of the Cheat River.
RESTORATION ACTIVITIES
To achieve water quality improvements in the lower Cheat
River, the Friends of the Cheat will use EPA Targeted
Watersheds Grant funds to restore 28 stream miles in the
Muddy Creek sub-watershed. They will:
• Restore streams using three different treatment
technologies, both active and passive, and assess the
resulting ecological benefits.
• Compare the efficacy (cost and ecological benefits) of
each treatment technology.
• Initiate water quality monitoring and macroinvertebrate
sampling at 13 stream locations
• Determine and plot cumulative downstream loadings
for Muddy Creek watershed, the largest sub-watershed
tributary to the lower
Cheat River.
Mainstem of the Cheat River at the confluence with
Muddy Creek, showing iron precipitate entering
the river from an impaired stream.
EPA840-F-07-001A
www.epa.gov/twg
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A STRONG PARTNERSHIP FOR CHANGE
Formed in 1995 in response to repeated mine
blowouts that caused an impact on the Whitewater
recreation in the area, the Friends of the Cheat
work in collaboration with many partners. The
River of Promise, a public-private partnership lead
by Friends of the Cheat, includes diverse
organizations committed to restoring the
watershed, such as:
• West Virginia Department of Environmental
Protection
• West Virginia Department of Natural
Resources
• U.S. Office of Surface Mining
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• National Mine Land Reclamation Center at
West Virginia University
• West Virginia Rivers Coalition
EPA's Targeted Watersheds
Grants
EPA's Targeted Watersheds Grants program is
a competitive grant program designed to
encourage collaborative, community-driven
approaches to meet clean water goals.
For More Information
Contact:
Keith Pitzer
Executive Director
Friends of the Cheat
kpitzer@cheat.org
(304) 329-3621
www.cheat.org
Funding: $835,000
Friends of the Cheat's OSM/VISTA Doug Ferris at an AMD seep at a "surface
reclaimed' site.
2005 Targeted Watersheds Grants - Cheat River
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