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PRO^°
NONPOINT SOURCE SUCCESS STORY
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Reclaiming Acid Mine Drainage Areas and Implementing Control
Measures Improve the Biological Health of Stone Creek
Waterbody Improved lncreased sedimentand total dlssolved solidsfromabandoned
mine lands adversely affected the biological health of Stone Creek,
As a result, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) added a 3.33-mile segment of
Stone Creek (VAS-P20R_STC01A96) to the state's 1996 Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list
of impaired waters for violating the general standards for benthic impairment. Installing various
acid mine drainage (AMD) treatment projects, ranging from simple limestone channels to complex
multicell treatment systems, helped reduce sedimentation in the creek. As a result, DEQ removed
the segment of Stone Creek from its list of impaired waters in 2014.
Problem
The 5,251-acre Stone Creek watershed is within the
17,670-acre Straight Creek watershed (hydrologic unit
code 06010206) in southwest Virginia's Lee County.
The Stone Creek watershed is northwest of Pennington
Gap and drains an area along the Virginia-Kentucky
border. The impaired segment (VAS-P20R_STC01A96)
includes Stone Creek from the confluence with Ely
Creek to the Straight Creek confluence at the south-
eastern part of the watershed (Figure 1). The Straight
Creek watershed is primarily comprised of forest (81
percent), followed by mined areas (11 percent), and
a combination of pasture/hayland, residential and
commercial areas, and water (approximately 7 percent
total).
DEQ used Modified Rapid Bioassessment Protocol
(RBP) II surveys, applicable in 1990s, to evaluate
aquatic life conditions of a waterbody. Four bio-
logical surveys conducted from May 1991 through
November 1993 at a monitoring station at the conflu-
ence of Stone Creek and Straight Creek categorized
Stone Creek as a "severely impaired" to "moderately
impaired" waterbody. Subsequently, DEQ placed Stone
Creek on Virginia's 1996 CWA section 303(d) list for
not supporting the general standards (benthic) for
aquatic life use.
The sources contributing to stressors include both
nonpoint and point sources (permitted discharges
and sedimentation basin outlets). Nonpoint sources
in the watershed include sediment and AMD from
abandoned mine lands, as well as disturbed and urban
Figure 1. Location of delisted segment and biological
monitoring stations in the Stone Creek watershed, Lee
County, Virginia.
land areas within the watershed. The stressor analysis
indicated sediment and total dissolved solids were the
most probable causes of impairment.
DEQand the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals
and Energy (DMME) jointly developed a benthic total
maximum daily load (TMDL.) in 2006 and an implemen-
tation plan in 2009 for Straight Creek and its tribu-
taries, including Stone Creek. To assess aquatic life
condition of a stream, the Commonwealth of Virginia
now uses the Virginia Stream Condition Index (VASCI)
based on biometrics analysis. A waterbody achieving a
rating score 60 or above is considered to be support-
ing biological integrity and attaining the aquatic life
designated use.
KENTUCKY
i^tiisjii^reek^
Biological Monitoring Station
23 6th Order Hydrologic Unit
I Delisted for Benthic - 2014 - 3.3 Miles
VAS-P20R_STC0I A96 - Stone Crock - First Listed IMC.
/\/ US Interstate Highways
Delisted Waters
River/Stream
/S/- US Highway
£3 County

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Figure 2. Before and after reclaiming a hillside at the
Gilbert site in the Stone Creek watershed.
Story Highlights
DEQ assessed the AMD sources In watershed and
identified the pollutant load reductions that would be
necessary to meet TMDL goals. The results indicated
that mitigation of AMD in the Stone Creek watershed
was feasible by Implementing best management prac-
tices (BMPs) in mining and reclamation areas, along
with sediment control measures. These Included BMPs
within and adjacent to the disturbed mining area, sin-
gly or In combination with other reclamation measures
and sediment control practices (Figure 2).
From 2002 through 2012, DMME partnered with the
Daniel Boone Soil and Water Conservation District
(DBSWCD) and other government agencies and water-
shed stakeholders to complete a variety of AMD treat-
ment projects, including reclaiming more than 215
acres of mined land (primarily converting it to forest)
in the Stone Creek watershed. These projects range
from simple limestone channels for smaller discharges
to complex multicelI passive treatment systems for
larger, poorer-quality discharges. AMD treatment proj-
ects included constructing 1,087 linear feet of open
mestone channels, five successive alkalinity produc-
ing cells, four aerobic wetlands, and nine water control
structures. Additionally, 200 linear feet of slurry wall
and 100 linear feet of stream bank protection were
also completed. DMME routinely monitors all of the
treatment systems to ensure proper function.
Results
The sediment control measures and mining BMPs
have helped improve water quality in Stone Creek.
Biological monitoring conducted by DEQ person-
nel at two monitoring stations (6BSTC000.04 and
6BSTC000.13) showed that VASCI scores of biological
samples collected from Stone Creek were above the
minimum required threshold of 60 in the fall of 2009
and 2010 (earning scores of 64 and 65, respectively)
and the spring of 2011 and 2013 (earning scores of 61
and 77, respectively). These VASCI scores indicate that
biological conditions now fully support the aquatic
life designated uses In Stone Creek. As a result, the
3.33-mile impaired segment of Stone Creek was
removed from the list of impaired waters in the state's
2014 CWA 305(b)/303(d) Water Quality Assessment
Integrated Report.
Partners and Funding
The land reclamation projects sponsored by DMME
largely resulted from partnerships with various state,
federal and local agencies, including the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS), DEQ, Virginia Department of
Conservation and Recreation, Tennessee Valley
Authority, DBSWCD and Lee County. The DMME man-
aged the projects and contracted with the DBSWCD
to provide local administration for the construction
phase of the projects. DEQ was involved in biological
monitoring and assessing the impairment status of the
creek. The DMME-administered projects were funded
through $3.73 million in federal assistance provided
under the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention
Act of 1954. The projects were also supplemented
by DMME funds ($269,642), by NRCS through the
Recovery and Reinvestment Fund ($359,050), and by
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ($44,000) through
funding from the Upper Tennessee River Roundtable.
^tDST:%
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PRO^°
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©
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA 841-F-18-Q01T
September 2018
For additional information contact:
Martha Chapman
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
276-676-4845 • Martha.Chapman@deq.virginia.gov
Tim Miles
Daniel Boone Soil & Water Conservation District
276-346-1658 • Timmilesl@verizon.net

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