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Little Laurel Run pH Impairment Remedied by Successful Acid Mine
Drainage Treatment
Problem
Little Laurel Run is a tributary to the Casselman River
in Garrett County, Maryland (Figure 1). Before World
War II, the Casselman River and its tributaries were
commonly high-quality waterways that supported
native brook trout. During several decades after the
war, coal mining changed local hydrology, resulting in
AMD that caused pH declines in numerous streams.
The Casselman River watershed was listed for pH
impairment in 1996.
In 2005, water quality monitoring conducted during
development of a pH total maximum daily load (TMDL)
found that Little Laurel Run intermittently failed
to meet the Maryland pH water quality standard's
required range of 6.5 to 8.5.
Project Highlights
In late 2008 MDE initiated watershed planning to
make the Casselman River watershed eligible for Clean
Water Act (CWA) section 319(h) funds. The plan-
ning process included assessment of potential AMD
mitigation sites (which included Little Laurel Run) as a
high priority for action. Limestone sand application,
sometimes called a limestone "sand dump," was iden-
tified as the preferred action. This technique involves
constructing a driveway for a dump truck to pull up
adjacent to the stream so that measured quantities of
limestone sand can be delivered directly to the stream
edge. Then, natural variation in stream flow distributes
the particles of limestone downstream. The limestone
Pennsylvania
Maryland
CASS-001
CASS-017
CASS-016
Waterbody Improvsd Maryland's Little Laurel Run, a tributary to Casselman River in
Garrett County, was impaired by low pH associated with acid mine
drainage (AMD) from historical coal mining activities in the watershed. An assessment of an AMD
seep impacting the headwaters of Little Laurel Run ranked this stream as the number one priority
for mitigation in the Casselman River watershed. Implementation of two AMD mitigation measures
brought the stream into compliance with Maryland's water quality standard for pH. The Maryland
Department of the Environment (MDE) will consider delisting the pH impairment for Little Laurel
Run in the 2018 Integrated Report.
Casselman Proposed Monitoring Sites
Legend
¦ MDE-Proposed WO Stations
% Proposed Implementation - Sand Dumps
S Proposed Implementation • Leach Beds
— pH TMDL Impaired Streams
Casselman 8 Dig# Watershed
Figure 1. Northwest Maryland's Casselman River
watershed was listed as impaired for pH in 1996. To
address the impairment, partners developed a watershed
plan that outlined proposed monitoring and project
implementation site locations throughout the watershed,
including along Little Laurel Run (CASS-012 sampling site).

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Figure 2. A limestone sand application site was placed
adjacent to Little Laurel Run in June 2013.
sand particles in the stream tend to raise in-stream pH
and increase acid neutralizing capacity. The amount
and timing of limestone sand application at each site is
determined by periodic monitoring of in-stream pl-l.
In early 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency accepted the Casselman River Watershed Plan
for pH Remediation, and CWA section 319(h) grant
funds were approved for a project to mitigate AMD-
impacted areas in the Casselman River watershed, in
mid-2013, two limestone sand application sites were
constructed—one on each of the two branches of
Little1 Laurel Run that form its headwaters (Figure 2).
Results
MDE's Abandoned Mine Land Division (AMLD) periodi-
cally monitored the pH water quality data collected in
Little Laurel Run throughout 2015. These data dem-
onstrated that in-stream pH levels have improved and
have remained largely in compliance with Maryland's
water quality standard since 2014 (Figure 3). As a
result, MDE will consider delisting the pH impairment
for Little Laurel Run in the 2018 Integrated Report.
Following these water quality improvements, brook
trout populations appear to have responded favor-
ably by showing an increase in total numbers of adult
trout, standing crops and reproductive success as
compared to before restoration. Adult brook trout
numbers in Little Laurel Run showed a two-fold
increase. Reproductive success also improved, showing
a three-fold increase in young-of-year trout numbers
compared to pre-limestone application surveys.
Little Laurel Run pH
CASS-012 Monitoring Site (2010-2015)
water Quality Standard


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Date
Figure 3. Little Laurel Run's pH levels began stabilizing
after two limestone sand practices were installed in
June 2013, and have remained largely in compliance
with the pH water quality standard since 2014.
Partners and Funding
MDE's Integrated Water Planning Program (IWPP)
and AMLD cooperated to write the Casselman River
Watershed Plan for pi-i Remediation. AMLD used
$55,000 from the federal fiscal year (FFY) 2008 CWA
section 319(h) grant for their part of the planning
effort, implementation of the 11 Phase 1 Casselman
River watershed AMD mitigation sites was led by
AMLD using $644,115 from the FFY 2009 319(h) grant.
The Garrett Soil Conservation District was chosen to
oversee contractor hiring, construction management
and inspection of projects. Construction of two lime-
stone sand dumps at Little Laurel Run was completed
using $51,500 in CWA section 319 funds.
Other partners contributed work at no cost to the
project. Watershed plan drafting by MDE Water
Quality Protection and Restoration Program staff was
funded by the CWA section 319(h) grant through ongo-
ing projects that support Maryland's nonpoint source
management program. Also, before and after water
quality monitoring efforts by MDE's Field Services
Program were funded by separate ongoing CWA
section 319(h) grant projects. The Maryland Fisheries
Service assessment and analysis was independently
funded by the State of Maryland.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
W .1
^ EPA 841-F-17-001I
pR0*t^° August 2017
For additional information contact:
Connie Loucks, Maryland Department of the Environment,
Abandoned Mine Land Division
301-689-1461 • connie.loucks@maryland.gov
Ken Shanks, Maryland Department of the Environment,
Integrated Water Planning Program
410-537-4216 • kenneth.shanks@maryland,gov

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